KAREN BEAU CHAMP Wallpaper designer and artist

Wallpaper designer and artist
My first job was in set design at the BBC. It was a wonderful experience,
with so many creative people working in one space, from fashion
designers to wig makers and scene painters. A stint in architecture
followed, but it was while working in graphic design that I discovered
my love of printing. The process behind creating colours blew me away.
A friend asked me to screen print a reproduction wallpaper for him and
I was hooked. I went to London with my portfolio and met someone at
English Heritage who commissioned me to make papers for Osbourne
House on the Isle of Wight – the first in a string of historical projects.
I went on to work at Cole & Son, where I met Russell Sage. He often
used our wallpapers and, when he took over as creative director at
The Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company, he invited me to go through
the archives and use what I discovered to create a modern collection.
There are over 7,000 fabrics in the archives, some of which date back
to the eighteenth century. I might spot a small motif, a particular
colour or an interesting weave and think, 'Gosh, that would work now.'
I'm always surprised by how outrageous and daring some of the old
designs are. Most of the time they're lovely, but every so often I'd
discover something hideous, which is of course part of the delight.
I couldn't name a favourite piece from the collection. It would be like
choosing a favourite child. The Renaissance collection, designed by
Karen Beauchamp and based on The Gainsborough Silk Weaving
Company's archives, costs from £139 a metre.

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