When sisters Julia Au and Jennifer Matthews launched Tempaper & Co. in 2008, they were pioneers in a market where high-quality peel-and-stick wallpaper was unheard of. Now, after nearly two decades amassing a following among consumers and designers alike, the duo are embarking on a new venture: 111 Mercer, a luxury brand offering traditional unpasted wallcoverings exclusive to the trade.

While the launch marks a new chapter for the company, it feels more like a homecoming for Au and Matthews. The pair grew up tagging along with their set designer aunt as she worked on projects around New York, from decorating spaces for film and television to creating window displays for Saks Fifth Avenue. It was that early exposure to design—and, more specifically, the need for high-quality, easily installed wallcoverings—that spurred them to launch the Tempaper brand 18 years ago.

“The design community was at the origin of our story,” says Matthews. “Julia and I have always had that in our DNA.” Over the past few years, the pair felt a pull to evolve Tempaper’s offerings, moving into traditional unpasted wallcoverings and printed grasscloths. “We felt that we needed a new brand to really speak to the design trade,” she continues. “That was the big thing: We wanted it to be exclusive to the trade community.”

The co-founders say that innovation has always been a catalyst for Tempaper; and that same spirit is driving their product development at 111 Mercer, where they plan to focus on offering unique substrates and materials, including cottons, silks, suedes and velvets. (Printing will happen in-house, at Tempaper’s New Jersey facility.) “We’ve always focused on bringing state-of-the-art material to our consumer, whether that’s trade or retail,” says Au. “With this new brand, we’ll continue to take state-of-the-art material, just like we did with our patented peel-and-stick product, and combine that with really elevated designs.”

The brand’s name is a nod to the former address of the aforementioned aunt, who lived in the SoHo–Cast Iron Historic District, and their design direction is inspired by their formative years spent in the neighborhood. “There was such a point of view in late-’90s Manhattan,” says Matthews. “I just remember being in SoHo and the iconic Calvin Klein ads with Kate Moss. It was fresh and cheeky, but also sculptural and modern. It was this collectively curated moment. And that nostalgia that we have, that’s informing so much of this initial collection.”

In contrast with Tempaper’s direct-to-consumer model, 111 Mercer will only be available to the trade, sold through multiline showrooms and the new brand’s website. The company soft-launched its inaugural patterns in the Tempaper booth at High Point Market in April, and has begun shipping orders. “We understand the project pipelines—our product could be something that designers need immediately,” says Jen Dolan, national sales manager for 111 Mercer. “We are also working with designers on projects that are 24 months out.”

When Tempaper launched, it was one of the first in its category. The fact that the traditional unpasted wallcoverings category is a much more crowded space does not deter the siblings. “We’re very good at listening to what our consumer needs, so we think we’re going to be able to service them across the board with white-glove service and products that they like, with short lead times,” says Au. “We have the ability to be a nimble company. And, ultimately, it’s always nice to have new options.”

That willingness to listen is evident in one of the company’s initial offerings: grasscloth murals printed to the square foot. “There are a lot of companies providing murals,” acknowledges Au. “But we wanted to make it an option to order by the square foot, where they can control it, have it delivered, and still [get] exceptional quality. That’s where we can make a difference.”