These Wairarapa-based wallpaper makers are filling New Zealand homes with colour through their quirky designs.
If the walls of Ben and Helen Masters’ home and studio could talk, what strange sounds we’d hear. There would be kākāpō booming, tūī warbling, peacocks crying, deer calling, pin-up girls cooing and you might even hear a bit of 1960s psychedelic music.
Ben and Helen Masters of wallpaper company Paperhands.
Ben and Helen have brought the walls of their own home to life, and many others in Aotearoa, through their Martinborough wallpaper business Paperhands, an enterprise born, like many New Zealand ideas, in a DIY fashion and out of necessity.
“We were looking for wallpapers for our own house but nothing was quite right so we decided to see if we could make our own,” says Ben.
Paperhands’ Native design is available in a variety of colours, including Resene Lucky Break and Resene Resolution Blue.
Like wallpaper glue, the idea stuck. Ben, a fine artist with a background in interior design, and Helen, an award-winning winemaker at Ata Rangi, enjoyed the design and handprinting process so much they decided to turn it into a business in 2009. Their quirky designs, including the popular four-colour kākāpō print, are uniquely New Zealand.
“The nature of handprinting is complex, but we have it working reliably,” says Ben, who works on long tables to layer colours using silkscreen frames.
Kākāpō wallpaper design from Paperhands.
“We have supplied papers all over New Zealand and for a few overseas projects. We even do custom colours [using Resene paint], which are great as the client can really tailor the paper to suit their concept.
As we print everything to order, it fits with our process,” says Ben.
Ben working with silkscreen frames.
Having waned in popularity in the 1980s and 90s, wallpaper is now the comeback kid of interior design. In 2016, Paperhands was approached by Resene to revive an iconic New Zealand wallpaper brand: Mason Handprints. Founded by modernist artist William Mason in the late 1960s, the prestigious company was known back in the day for its striking designs and use of colour. The wallpapers were even used in New Zealand embassies. When William decided to retire from the business in 1974, he sold his collection to his friend Tony Nightingale of Resene.
Paperhands designs are made to order.
For the Mason revival, Ben used the original Mason screen printing ‘positives’, some of which hadn’t been used in 25 years. “When we looked into reprinting part of the Mason Range, we chose designs we thought would still appeal — it’s an eclectic collection. Then we developed a range of colour options we thought worked for each design. For example, the Mason Tosca pattern is a very traditional pattern so we print it in some classic colours but also some more dramatic options to show clients the range of possibilities,” says Ben.
Paperhands manufactures the Mason Range of classic wallpapers for Resene such as Mason Peacocks MP02, which uses the paint colours Resene Nero and Resene Copper Fire.
Ben and Helen’s own home, a 1910 villa, features original Paperhands designs as well as some from the Mason Range in a colourful merge of old and new. There’s even wallpaper on the ceiling in some rooms. For those wishing to use wallpaper in their interiors, Ben suggests thinking about the look and feeling you are trying to achieve — then find a design that fits the mood.
“The choice of a particular design is very personal,” he says. Wallpapers have a pattern repeat and because Paperhands designs are made to order, you may need to work with a professional to calculate how many rolls you need for your project.
“We are excited by the mix of trends out there. There are still people who will prefer paint or white-on-white but there has definitely been a move to being braver and more expressive in home spaces, which is where we can fit in,” he says.
“When it comes to your home, be brave, have fun, and follow through with your idea down to the small details.”
The Mason Collection is available from Resene.
www.resene.co.nz
