This drapery pattern called Broadway is part of the first collection of wallcoverings designed by Boym Partners for Wolf-Gordon. The collection was inspired by the Boym’s travels and this trompe l’oeil pattern of drapery folds was inspired by the curtains in Broadway theaters. The design creates a strong vertical pattern and is rendered in a minimal fashion. While printed in only two colors on a medium gray ground the pattern achieves a great sense of depth, and the variation in the width of the pleats and the seemingly random placement of the swags or scallops creates a strong visual graphic that keeps one’s eyes moving across the surface. The Boym’s aesthetic can be understated, creating a strong graphic or sculptural presence, always with a bit of wit and humor thrown in.
The imitation of draperies in both wallpapers and borders are fairly common and have been used to decorate walls since the days of Napoleon. The renderings can range from quite realistic to more gestural to the very minimal. It is also quite common for drapery papers to be flocked, giving them the appearance of cut velvet.
The Boym Partners were finalists in the 2005 National Design Awards in the field of Product Design, and were the winners in this category in 2009. They have created tableware for Alessi, watches for Swatch, and lighting for Flos, as well as products for Cooper Hewitt’s shop.
Cooper Hewitt has been collecting a number of wallcoverings produced by Wolf-Gordon, including designs by Karim Rashid, Petra Blaisse, and the recently acquired Groethe Sorensen. Wolf-Gordon, an American company founded in 1967, produces striking and fashionable wallcoverings mostly for the commercial market.
