LONDON CRAFT WEEK 2021 

About this event

Inspired by the exquisite hand-painted Chinese wallpaper in the Upper Drawing Room, Interior Designer and Antiques Dealer Adam Bray talks with three experts about their beautiful papers, the techniques and history behind them and how and why we should use wallpaper today. The panel includes Hannah Cecil Gurney of de Gournay, Lulu Lytle of Soane Britain and Allyson McDermott. 

The Panellists

Adam Bray

Adam Bray is based in London and works internationally on residential and commercial design projects, as well as consulting and antique dealing. He is the Homes and Gardens Interior Designer of the year for 2021 and is on House & Garden’s top 100 interior designers list, and is in British Vogue’s Secret Address Book.

Known for conceiving rooms that are comfortable and unpretentious yet shot through with character and a touch of glamour, Bray has a penchant for crisp gloss finishes, rich-hued velvets and rare textiles. A background in antique dealing gives him the edge when it comes to sourcing unusual objets d’art and furniture, while he often designs bespoke furniture for his projects. All of which goes towards creating, as he puts it, ‘inviting rooms that feel like home’.

Hannah Cecil Gurney

Daughter of de Gournay founder Claud, Hannah Cecil Gurney grew up surrounded by the hand painted wallpapers of her fathers’ business – impressing on her from a young age the beauty of artisanal craft, the power of colour and the magic of interior design. Joining in 2012 alongside her father, cousin Dominic and sister Rachel, Hannah has overseen de Gournay’s transition from cult niche to industry leader – managing operations at a scale that has grown to include seven global showrooms, dealing in projects with the leading interior designers of the age.

Propelling the expertise of the company into wider fields of design, fashion and media, her creative ingenuity has resulted in intrepid collaborations with luxury titans Chanel and Christian Dior, contemporary brands such as Aquazzura and Erdem and fascinating ventures with Houghton Hall, Salone del Mobile and
Annabel’s nightclub.

The ultimate exponent of de Gournay wallpaper, Hannah’s own interpretations of the medium are consistently profiled by editorial titles worldwide: showcasing most recently the exuberant flair of her London home.

Lulu Lytle

Lulu Lytle is the Creative Director and co-founder of Soane Britain which designs and makes furniture, upholstery, lighting, fabrics and wallpapers. The evolving collections include entirely new designs as well as pieces inspired by antique originals. Since launching in 1997, the integrity of the manufacturing process has underpinned all Soane’s work. Every single piece is made in Britain, using a network of workshops that excel in traditional crafts. 

Soane Britain’s uncompromising commitment to British manufacturing led to the acquisition in 2011 of England’s last surviving rattan workshop and the  establishment of an apprenticeship programme. From blacksmiths to cabinet-makers, saddlers to ceramicists, fabric weavers to precision engineers, Soane now collaborates with many of Britain’s finest makers, and has become a showcase for the best of the country’s established and new craft industries.  Soane has showrooms in London, New York and San Francisco.

Allyson McDermott

Allyson McDermott is arguably one of the world’s leading authorities on conserving and recreating historic wallpapers. Former Head of Sotheby’s Conservation Studio, Advisor to the National Trust and Chair of the Historic Interiors Group of ICON, Allyson McDermott has spent a lifetime conserving original historic interiors and researching materials and techniques. A conservator, scientist, historian, designer and maker, she delights in the preservation and recreation of original schemes, often working from the tiniest shred of evidence and rediscovering century-old processes of traditional woodblock printing, varnishing, gilding, embossing, hand painting and flocking.

Allyson heads up a team of talented conservators and designers, working on architectural gems such as Brighton Pavilion and The Palace of Westminster as well as Museums, Royal Palaces, Historic Houses and private homes. Her studio holds an important archive of both European and Oriental designs dating from the 17th – 20th Century, any of which can be recreated to order, often combining historic patterns and techniques with contemporary ideas and colourways.