Nov 2

Nov 2 The W+ Interior: Fromental / Hong Kong

Recently, as our studio sourced wall covering options for a 5-Star Hotel property, a friend we collaborate with in FF&E, introduced us to Fromental. With head offices in London and satellite offices in Hong Kong, New York City, Shenzhen, and Melbourne- Fromental has scaled up to become a great option for those looking for hand painted and hand embroidered “Chinoiserie” wall coverings on silk. Similar to Fromental, we have worked with the likes of DeGournay before- which is also a wonderful and classic choice, especially when it comes to “Chinoiserie” prints from an English bespoke perspective. What makes Fromental a great alternative to houses like DeGournay, is that the studio offers a wide range of these wallcovering designs utilising age old techniques, but from an edgier and more contemporary perspective.

Hand-painted choices for this series of wall coverings from Fromental.

Fromental is a relatively newer house, having been founded in 2005 by designers, Tim Butcher and Lizzie Deshayes. Mr. Butcher once produced silks for fashion brands like Paul Smith and Ralph Lauren, before working as the Creative Director for DeGournay. Ms. Deshayes designed prints for silk neckwear and other silk production brands as well as working as a decorative artist. Since launching, Fromental wallcovering has found its way cladding the walls of luxury hotel properties and residences all around the world.

Processes include painting, embroidery, collage, and a combination of all- depending on the design. Mr. Butcher and Mrs. Deshayes collaborates with the best painters and embroiderers - with their manufacturing centre located in Suzhou, near Wuxi- historically the centre of China’s silk industry. All designs can be customised including colour, placement of pattern, finishing, and panel size. Lead times take around 8-12 weeks to produce, but everything is negotiable. The more intricate patterns can take up to 600 man-hours to stitch and paint, so don’t be surprised when the price tags come up to about 300-400 USD per square meter. (Also note that DeGournay has a similar set up- with manufacturing in China, and just like Fromental final quality control of the wallcoverings are usually inspected in London before shipping panels to its final destination.)

A mix of hand-painted and hand-embroidery for this panel from Fromental.

Beautiful - Art Deco meets Brutalist meets Memphis style print from Fromental.

An gold-leaf style with streaks of “oxidisation” from Fromental.

Compared to other wallcovering studios, we found the selection from Fromental very modern, contemporary, and edgy. Obviously we love the Asian - Chinese and Japanese -style prints- but we also really love the more contemporary Art Deco and Memphis- style selections as well. It’s great for projects and clients who want a nod to traditional craftsmanship and techniques but would rather the aesthetic lean towards more “current”.

Landscape paintbrush styles from Fromental.

Our most favourite print of all. From Fromental.

Skill set -wise, Fromental is aligned with region-specific painting and embroidery techniques passed down from generation to generation - a process over 2,500 years in the making. Bespoke designs are hand-painted on silk, paper, and velvet before being combined fully with the final silk material.

This blog post was made possible with the Camera, Photo, and SquareSpace apps, all on the iPhone11 Pro Max and the iPad Pro 2020.

VISIT Fromental Asia. Unit 2, 3F 52 Bonham Strand West, Sheung Wan, HK . T: +852-5598-2237 . E: Asia@fromental.co.uk Opening hours: By Appointment. W: http://Fromental.co.uk

JJ.