Deborah Bowness makes wallpaper which makes you look twice. She says she makes wallpaper which isn’t intended to dominate a room, rather ‘playfully interact’ with the furniture and objects around it. What she produces is a modern twist on Trompe l’oeil and it is a playful delight we are looking forward to seeing more of at Decorex in London as part of BlogTour.

Frocks is based on one of Deborah’s first works which involved hanging items of clothing which she photographed, printed life size, and added the color with silkscreen and by hand finishing. And you see that rather utilitarian chair in the foreground? That’s got a wallpaper range all of its own.

This is wallpaper to have fun with but, that said, some very august institutions such as  the V&A, Whitworth Art Gallery and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs have recognised Deborah Bowness by including her work in their collections.

And people are right when they talk about Deborah’s work in terms of a reaction to the repeat patterns and coordinated borders but there is something else here. There is a wit and a playfulness which sets her work aside. For us, this is yet another ‘must see’, at Decorex.