Emma Hayes wants to create beautiful spaces for people to live and work in. The Auckland, New Zealand–based artist paints dreamy, delicate wallcovering patterns that are designed to envelop a room. “I’m inspired by American abstract expressionists, including Helen Frankenthaler and Mark Rothko, and local New Zealand artists such as Colin McCahon and Ralph Hotere, who created ‘paintings to walk by,’” she tells Business of Home. “I love how the medium of wallpaper allows art to be an immersive experience; you can journey through a work as it extends through a space, completely changing the feel of a room.”
Growing up in New Zealand, Hayes always loved to draw and paint. Her mother was an avid sewer and knitter, so she grew up surrounded by fabrics and fibers. After earning a visual communications degree in college, she spent the next several years working in graphic design and advertising before enrolling at Central Saint Martins in London to study fashion. In 2005, she was offered a job designing fabrics for renowned New Zealand clothing brand Cybèle, and jumped at the opportunity. “This was before digital printing became more commonplace, so we really pushed the boundaries of what we could do within the screen sizes and processes available,” she explains. “Understanding fabric drape, performance and production imbued me with a love of natural fabrics.”
After four years in fashion, Hayes was ready for a change. Armed with a new appreciation for fabrics and pattern-making, she ventured into the world of interiors, and more specifically, textiles. Noticing a lack of original soft furnishings in the New Zealand market at the time, she started creating her own pieces, beginning with cushions, art prints and upholstery.
In 2011 she launched her namesake studio with River, a collection of silk throws and pillows adorned in deep inky layers of hand-painted watercolor. “The goal was to bring a sense of restfulness to a room,” says Hayes. “So I decided to turn my attention to wallpapers.”
All of her paper motifs are made by hand, using a medley of mediums ranging from watercolors and chalks to acrylic and oil paints. “I use various brush types, and often no brushes at all, instead using cards or found objects,” she explains. “I like experimenting, and mistakes can often turn into happy accidents that produce interesting effects.”
Once she has settled on scales and repeats, her patterns get printed on an array of gorgeous grounds, including pearl-finished papers and grasscloths. “For commercial works, we always specify either PVC-free wallcoverings or recycled vinyls,” says the designer. “The materials we use are integral to the design, and can make all the difference in the beauty of a piece.”
At ICFF in May, she unveiled a line of sound-absorbing wall panels crafted in collaboration with Autex Acoustics, including the ombre-esque Modulations Shadow and the cloudlike Nebula Mist. “We are already working on our next collection,” she says.
Last month, Hayes released a handful of new wall designs, including the rhythmic Aqueous and the ethereal Celestial, while looking ahead to the future. “We are focused on building a library of considered designs that are both inspired by and for the environment,” she says. “Currently, these include wallcoverings and acoustics—[but] we would love to offer rugs one day.”
If you want to learn more about Emma Hayes, visit her website or Instagram.
