Cole & Son, one of the world’s most famous wallpaper brands, launched its latest Ardmore collection during the annual Paris Déco Off events in January 2017. This collection was produced in cooperation with the South African Ardmore Ceramic Art (http://ardmoreceramics.co.za).

Ardmore’s charming and exuberant ceramic creations represent a history and heritage deeply rooted in African tradition and culture. The craftsmanship and history are highly appreciated and shared by Cole & Son. The Ardmore collection offers a range of expressive, animated and illustrative wallpapers and borders that add a new dimension to the Cole & Son treasure room.

Traditional motifs and complex patterns have been accurately redrawn in the Cole & Son design studio and transformed into a remarkably sophisticated wallpaper collection that includes subtle explorations of the vibrant traditional African culture. The colours are derived from natural landscapes; from chalk-like, ochre-coloured desert plains and earth-layers bleached by the sun to the vibrant fresh green of the rainforests and exotic colours of native flora and fauna.

Cole & Son’s Creative Director Shauna says the following about the collection: “I have admired Ardmore Ceramics for many years now and am very attracted to their history and wilfulness. It has been a real pleasure to translate these amazing stories into a wallpaper collection.”

Ardmore founder Fée Halsted notes: “”Over a period of 30 years, Ardmore artists and I have deeply explored the Zulu Province of KwaZulu-Natal, where beautiful ceramics are produced that provide a good source of income for many families. The fact that Cole & Son discovered and selected our South-African designs and artistry is a great honour and we are very proud to be the first African designers to achieve such as prestigious homage! The collaboration with Cole & Son’s Creative Director Shauna Dennison has been a lot of fun, which in the end is what it’s all about.””

The colourful, vibrant and unique Ardmore ceramics honour and celebrate African birds, feline predators, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, naughty monkeys and exotic flowers, as well as the beautiful patterns of Zulu beads and the woven baskets.

Praised by auction house Christie’s as ‘modern day collectibles’, the work of Ardmore’s artists has won many awards. Their work is featured in leading galleries and collections in South Africa and abroad, including the Museum of Art & Design in New York, the Museum of Cultures in Basel, the Ford Foundation in New York and the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts in Florida.