French luxury brand, Diptyque, recently launched a wall decor collection called ‘l’œil et la main’ or ‘eye and hand’. Drifting away from their niche of producing ethereal fragrances and candles, the French brand has now delivered a range of wallpapers in collaboration with French designer, Cécile Figuette. Comprising ten different designs and patterns that can occupy outdoor spaces just as easily as they can inhabit bedrooms and bathrooms, the wallpapers are capable of imbuing a space with a wide range of emotions and energies.
Founded in 1961 by Yves Coueslant, Desmond Knox-Leet and Christiane Gautrot, Diptyque was born out of the mutual love for fine arts. One of their first successful endeavours came after the creation of original upholstery fabrics. The creation of this recent collection of wallpapers serves as an ode to the brand’s mutual admiration for arts. Cécile Figuette, who is also the founder of Bien Fait or ‘Well Done’, converted archival drawings created by the founders of Diptyque into these dreamy wallpapers.
The wallpapers carry prints of the patterns that were digitally created, thus, imbuing the collection with contemporary tastes and sensibilities. Each of the ten wallpapers that form part of the collection are characterised by different tones and patterns, such that they can infuse a sense of calm and peace or excitement and vitality, depending on the wallpaper chosen. The designers at Diptyque describe the experience of inhabiting a space layered with these wallpapers as an “indoor theatre”, on account of the dominant presence that they command in the spaces where they are placed.
The ‘eye and hand’ wallpapers intend to transport its users to a fantastical place that can encourage either a meditative experience or an exhilarating one. The patterns used in the wallpapers have been developed from the initial sketches of Diptyque’s founders during their sojourn across the Mediterranean. Consequently, the patterns on the wallpapers serve as memoirs of the landscapes and sceneries observed and the aroma and sounds encountered during their travels. They invite the viewers to think and interpret the lines drawn on the wallpapers, like one might do when looking at paintings. In the process, these designs expose users to heightened sensorial experiences, instead of featuring as a mere wall covering.
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