The third in our series on designer wallpaper takes a look at the work of Barbara Hulanicki. An icon of the British fashion scene since the swinging 60s, Barbara was actually born in Warsaw, Poland but moved to England with her parents at an early age and later studied at Brighton Art College. After winning a beachwear competition in 1955 run by the London Evening Standard newspaper, Barbara became a freelance illustrator for iconic fashion magazines such as Vogue and Tatler.

During the mid-1960s she opened Biba, a clothes shop famous for its decadent and lavish décor inspired by Art Deco and Art Nouveau. Biba became a hang out for some of the great musicians of the era including Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Marianne Faithfull.

After closing Biba’s doors in 1976, Barbara launched more boutiques, a make-up line and then became an interior/exterior designer helping to revive Miami Beach’s Art Deco District. Since the 1990s she has been the interior/exterior designer for Hotels in Miami, the Caribbean and the Bahamas as well as private commissions for luxury homes of the wealthy. This year sees Barbara launching a clothing range for leading high street fashion retailer TopShop.

Barbara Hulanicki Wallpaper Range

Throughout Barbara’s career, Art Nouveau and Art Deco has been a major influence along with the work of artists such as Gustav Klimt, Mucha and the greats of the Pre-Raphaelite movement such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt. By choosing Barbara Hulanicki wallpaper, your home can be transformed by these artistic influences and Barbara’s years of international design experience. She has named these fantastic prints: Diva, Hula and Viva.

‘Diva’ ‚Äì Art Nouveau Print

With more than 50 years of design work that’s heavily influenced by Art Nouveau, Barbara has created this beautiful Art Nouveau Oyster print wallpaper. Art Nouveau is a decorative style of art that became popular at the turn of the 20^th century characterised by organic motifs and stylised flowing curvilinear forms. This Diva wallpaper has curves in all the right places and looks great in any living space or hallway.

 

‘Hula’ ‚Äì Art Nouveau Print

Here are two more stunning wallpaper designs inspired by Art Nouveau floral and plant style motifs. The ‘Hula’ range (perhaps taking its name from the great designer herself) comes in two colour options ‚Äì soft shimmering green or a bold charcoal and gold ‚Äì and looks perfect in living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms or the hallway.

 

‘Viva’ ‚Äì Art Deco Print

Inspired by the Art Deco movement of the 1920s, these wallpaper designs would have been the type to be found in Biba at the height of its success (hence the name Viva meaning ‘long live!’). Art Deco is based on geometric shapes and interlocking images and this range captures the style perfectly. Viva wallpaper is available in a light and cool shade of turquoise or for those who want something a bit more sexy and dramatic, try the imposing black gloss on silver.

 

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