I was looking through some wallpaper images and this design by Peter Todd Mitchell caught my attention. Instant bistro vibe! It’s like wallpaper and decoration all in one. While trompe l’oeil and imitative designs have always been popular wallpaper patterns there aren’t that many with projectile shelves. With produce and fresh-baked goods! The rustic brick pattern and the subtle color scheme set the tone for a casual encounter, while the widely spaced shelves containing fresh produce, a glass of wine waiting to be sipped, freshly baked goods calling out to be sampled, even the cord of garlic hanging on a nail, all work together to create a wonderful gastronomic setting. The inclusion of the well-stocked shelves prevents the need to hang additional artwork or accoutrements on the wall.
Peter was a painter and writer active in Europe and the United States. He pursued art studies at Yale Univeristy and the Accademia de las Bellas Artes in Mexico City, leaving for Paris in 1947 to pursue a career in painting. By the early 1950s he was designing for the New York wallpaper firm Katzenbach & Warren and went on to create designs for many of the larger wallpaper firms including Scalamandre, Louis Bowen, and Walls Today. The Cooper Hewitt collection contains numerous wallpapers and designs for wallpapers created by Mitchell, whose work is also included in other museum institutions.
