Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1405904
TEXAS DESIGN WEEK DALLAS IF WALLS COULD TALK. OH, WAIT. THEY CAN. De Gournay's Hannah Cecil Gurney in a Salon Talk, Book Signing and Masterworks Painting Studio. By Rebecca Sherman H annah Cecil Gurney lives in paradise: Every wall of her London house blooms like a garden, teeming with colorful petals and plumage. Hannah, whose father, Claud Cecil Gurney, founded de Gournay in 1986, is director of global marketing and development at the family company. De Gournay became known for new interpretations of 18th- and 19th- century chinoiserie papers, all hand- painted with garden scenes of flora and fauna in vibrant hues. The collection has since expanded to include French scenics and embroidered wallcoverings and fabrics. Devotees of de Gournay are a who's who of tastemakers and designers, including Miles Redd, India Mahdavi, Kelly Wearstler, Kate Moss, Michael S. Smith, Alessandra Branca and Gwyneth Paltrow. Claud's book, de Gournay: Hand-Painted Interiors (Rizzoli), tells the fascinating story of his family-run company. Among de Gournay's newest offerings are five new hand-painted wallpaper designs, created with designer Michael S. Smith, to debut this month. In a very special studio session, Hannah Gurney will showcase the artisanal techniques used in the creation of each hand-painted wallpaper design — methods unchanged for hundreds of years. Guests will paint a wallpaper panel to keep. PHOTO TIM WALKER Top: Abbottsford hand-painted paper. Above: de Gournay Hand-Painted Interiors (Rizzoli). 106