Emily Baker believes that patterns can be transportive. The Cascais, Portugal–based artist paints immersive wallpaper motifs that evoke the soothing essence of the sea. “For as long as I can remember, the ocean has been a source of a calm, cleansing energy [for me],” Baker tells Business of Home. “I want my work to conjure the feeling of being on the beach or out in nature, breathing fresh air and clearing the mind of all of our daily stressors.”
Growing up in New York, between Manhattan and Shelter Island, she was immersed in art and creativity. Her father was a well-known fashion photographer and her mother a fashion editor turned landscape designer. Baker began painting at a young age, and went on to study studio arts at Middlebury College in Vermont, where she began experimenting with photography. “After graduating, I worked at a small publishing company and taught myself the various design programs so I could pursue the world of graphic design,” she says.
She eventually landed a job as art director at Armani Exchange, where she spent the next seven years providing creative direction for the fashion brand’s seasonal ad campaigns, marketing materials and monthly editorial shoots. In 2016, Baker launched her namesake New York–based studio, offering everything from branding services to portrait photography and bespoke oil paintings. “I started to sell my photography as part of Serena & Lily’s online art collection, and did a lot of work for Burberry, traveling across the country for live-painting store events,” she says. “Eventually I started to take on more event jobs, creating hand-painted designs for wedding invitation suites.”
Baker started percolating on the idea of releasing a wallpaper line during the pandemic, while sequestered with her family on Shelter Island. She designed her first pattern, Silver Beach, a toile-esque design adorned with hand-illustrated nautical motifs such as tugboats, seagulls and lighthouses, and built a full collection from there. “I looked back at my library of watercolor paintings and reenvisioned some as contemporary coastal patterns,” she says. “From riding the ferry to sailing and swimming, I wanted to maintain a sense of nostalgia throughout each design.”
All of Baker’s wallpaper offerings begin as original watercolor paintings that she scans and turns into digital repeats in multiple colorways. Each pattern is then printed on textured paper with a matte finish, much like fine artwork, to ensure a painterly appearance. “Textiles felt like the most accessible way of sharing my art with a broader audience,” she says. “I have always loved wallpaper for its ability to completely transform a space.”
After years of dreaming of moving to Europe, Baker and her family moved to Portugal in 2021, where she and her husband are able to work remotely. In addition to the candy-colored umbrella-clad Beach Club and the botanical Trellis, her latest introductions include the beautifully banded Cabana Stripes and Dunes, an earthy number accented with sand fences and patches of beach grass. “I am currently working on patterns that are a bit more grounded than some of my previous coastal designs,” she says. “I don’t have a name for it quite yet, but the imagery is inspired by my life here in Portugal, and includes florals, tiles, and of course, a new toile with local scenes.”
Baker is also hard at work on an interior designer–commissioned wall mural, as well as an array of restaurant branding jobs ranging from hand-illustrated menus to curated gallery walls. “I have worked with interior designers over the years on custom pieces,” she says. “It is hard to tear myself away from my wallpaper patterns, but I have had so much fun putting together bespoke designs for their clients.”
