“Namban” Wallpaper – De Gournay

Paris

At the exclusive invitation of de Gournay, Porto based interior design studio OITOEMPONTO are to present their first creative collaboration: ‘NAMBAN’ – a hand painted wallpaper made with de Gournay’s bespoke excellence.
Inspired by panoramic wallpapers referencing historic oriental artworks, Artur Miranda and Jacques Bec proposed a contemporary interpretation of this decorative paintwork for which de Gournay are renowned.
Titled "NAMBAN", the design evokes art of imperial Japan depicting early commercial contact with Europeans, notably the seafaring Portuguese: tales illustrated with patterns of abstract gold and dark figurative elements.
The ‘Barbarians of the South’ – the traditional term used by Japanese to describe these outsiders – are represented in this instance by flocks of soaring Cranes, a motif frequently seen in the work of celebrated Art Deco designer Jean Dunand, another creative source of the pair.
De Gournay will display the project in the window of their Paris showroom, with the wallpaper upholstered onto a five paneled ‘Metropolis’ folding screen, designed specially for the occasion in lacquered ivory and brass upon a Tibetan goatskin rug.
The scene will include another two pieces of furniture designed by Oitoemponto – the ‘Miramar’ meridienne sofa, covered in a silk satin to correspond with the Onyx surface of the Rosewood ‘Hampton’s table, composed amidst the various hand painted wallpapers installed within the showroom.