Jeff Andrews designs wallpapers with pottery in mind
Jeff Andrews has been too busy designing high-end home interiors, two of them for celebrities Ryan Seacrest and Kris Jenner, to think about much else over the last 20 years. So it was kismet when wallcovering manufacturer Astek Inc. of Van Nuys invited him to develop his own line of wallpapers.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to create a product — something with my aesthetic, something I would buy myself — and offer it to the industry,” Andrews says. “This was a perfect first foray. They let me do whatever I wanted to do.”
While casting about for design ideas, Andrews found inspiration in the vintage pottery decorating his Miracle Mile home. Glazed, a collection of seven striking wallpaper patterns, reflects an obsession with fired clay that dates to a junior high school pottery class.
“I kept coming back to ceramics,” Andrews says. “I like rare, important pieces. I also like studio pottery that was made back in the ’70s. I’m not a snob. What I’m drawn to is color, texture and pattern and the fact that pottery is so organic and handmade and no two pieces are alike.”
With descriptive names like Etched, Forged and Woven, his wallpapers manage to look both earthy and modern. Carved was based on a vase he found at a shop in Palm Springs that is “chiseled so that the glaze sits inside of where it’s carved,” Andrews says. Inked came from a bowl of long-forgotten origins. “It has this interesting spray-painted graffiti glaze.”
To convert the three-dimensional clay surfaces to two dimensions, Andrews photographed the pottery, scanned the images into a computer, then manipulated them until he produced seamless repeats. The palettes echo the gray, taupe and bronze often seen in his interiors, plus muted blue and green. The finished patterns are digitally printed on three materials: silver or white Mylar for a subtle sheen, artist canvas for a hint of texture and a recycled PVC-free paper for a smooth, flat look.
Andrews, who wallpapered his dining room several times so it could be pictured in a marketing brochure, encourages others to experiment as well. “I’ve used a couple of patterns on ceilings,” he says. “It’s slightly unexpected and a little bit whimsical and gives another level of interest to a space.”
Glazed wallpapers, $95 a yard, are available at Astek Inc., and through interior designers.