INSPIRATION


Inspiration

Century Old Craftsman

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“Out with the old; in with the new,” mandates conventional wisdom – but real wisdom is rarely so black and white, says York Wallcoverings.

As America’s oldest and largest wallpaper manufacturer, York runs modern print presses alongside Surface presses dating to 1895, the year of York’s founding. The oldest form of machine printing, Surface designs “print wet and dry slowly, giving graphic patterns like Espalier (above) such softness and life,” says Ronald Redding, Design VP at York Wallcoverings.

A true labor of love, Surface printing requires the expertise of craftsmen who hone their skills the old-fashioned way: Through on-the-job apprenticeships. A craftsman’s eye for color becomes so keen he can precisely match a 12-color wallpaper to its original artwork in a single try; then mix each pigment by hand, unaided by a computer.

Luke Mathison, a craftsman printer who has for three decades coaxed York’s century-old Surface print machines to run innovative new papers and inks, says “I’m learning new things every day.” That wisdom manifests in uncommonly beautiful wallpapers – some even in black and white.