Cole & Son was founded in 1873 by John Perry, son of a Cambridgeshire vicar, the company – then called John Perry Ltd was originally situated in a wallpaper mill in Islington, North London, an area famous for the 200 hand block printing companies working there in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Today, the Cole & Son archive consists of original drawings and wallpapers, representing all the styles from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Amongst these are some of the most important historic wallpaper designs in the world. Coles is now the prime source for entirely authentic period wallpapers printed by the original method and has provided wallpapers for many historic houses, including Buckingham Palace and the White House.
The magnificent archive is the major source of all Cole’s new collections. Designs are carefully selected, adapted to produce wallpapers faithful to the character of the original document yet contemporary in feel.
Pictured above: Tema e Variazioni (left) and Ex Libris (right) wallpaper from The Fornasetti Collection, both available to buy online.
