Laura Cheung Wolf is fueled by ancient artisanship. The founder of wallcovering brand Lala Curio—who splits her time between Washington, D.C., and Hong Kong—is on a mission to revive forgotten arts for future generations. “Art runs deep in my bones,” she tells Business of Home. “I have always longed to create beauty and artisanal work through my lens.”
Born in Australia and raised in Hong Kong, Cheung Wolf was exposed to historical handicrafts at a young age. Her grandmother specialized in cloisonné, a centuries-old metalwork-enameling technique, and her father’s side of the family manufactured hand-carved rosewood furniture pieces.
As an adult, Cheung Wolf studied interior design at Parsons School of Design in New York, before earning a master’s in fine arts from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. After graduation, she moved back to New York and worked in event production for fashionable clients including Tom Ford, Estée Lauder, Vogue and the Museum of Modern Art, traveling to remote parts of Asia in her free time to work with local artisans on her own bespoke decor line. “My family lineage opened doors to artisans who create the most exquisite works of art, and I am committed to share their stories with the design industry,” she says.
In 2013, she launched Lala Curio with Pagoda, a collection of reimagined chinoiseries adorned in markedly modern hand-painted illustrations, such as empresses in customary imperial Chinese garb taking a selfie or jogging in headphones. “We wanted humor in our work,” she says. “I strive to be a part of a new chapter for chinoiserie in the 21st century.”
Cheung Wolf and her team employ an array of dexterous old-school methods when crafting their designs. Typically cast on silk, the intricate wallcoverings showcase everything from hand-painted gongbi-style brushwork to haute-couture-quality beading and embroidery. “Every little detail takes hours to refine,” she says.
In addition to wallpapers, Lala Curio offers an assortment of gilded cloisonné tiles inspired by the styles her grandmother used to create. “Each wire is bent into shape to create cloisons where pigments are filled in by hand to create vivid gradations in the subtle changes in shades of colors,” she explains. “However, we have made them more project-friendly, with a much lighter, waterproof substrate.”
She debuted her latest launch, Feuillage, at Paris Design Week in January. An ode to Japan’s Yakushima Island, the series offers 10 highly detailed wall panels, including the spangled and embroidered Fuki Leaf, the hand-painted Cabinet of Curiosities, and the line’s raffia- and paillette-covered namesake style. “Each panel in this collection utilizes different materialities to show the breadth of what we do,” Cheung Wolf says. “Falling Fuki, for example, features hand-embroidered organza leaves with wire borders sewn onto the wallpaper as an appliqué, which can be sculpted to create three-dimensional shapes that cast striking shadows.”
Looking ahead, Cheung Wolf plans to open the doors to Lala Curio’s newest showroom at the Peninsula Hong Kong hotel this spring. (She’s available stateside through Rue IV.) She’s now hard at work on a handful of product collaborations, including lighting and dinnerware lines. “We are also in talks to collaborate with a few designers for upcoming showhouse projects,” she says. “We love creating bespoke pieces that are completely customized to a unique room.”
