You can do many things in the home to add some extra wow factor, but one of the simplest and most effective ways is to add some exquisite wallpaper. For this feature, we’re focusing on the Tropical Daze collection from Brand McKenzie, discovering how it went from paint to print.
The wallpaper market is rather crowded, and the new kid on the block, Brand McKenzie, was aware it had to make a splash and create something extraordinary to grab people’s attention.
“Tropical Daze is our debut collection and sets the tone for things to come,” explains Kerry McKenzie, founder of Brand McKenzie, along with her business partner Richard Brand. “Future collections will take their cue from a melting pot of influences, but they will always be rooted in our desire to help people step outside their comfort zone by making daring décor decisions.”
Tropical Daze features bold, bright and daring prints exporting those who experience it away from the humdrum of daily life to the colour and excitement of a tropical jungle.
To help them shape this first collection, Kerry and Richard turned to a group of brilliantly talented artists and designers. Three of them – Gemma Munday, Melanie Orzechowska and Lorraine Breger are featured below:
Melanie Orzechowska
Melanie has worked for famous textile designer Zandra Rhodes and has a background in fashion and interior design, and she is a perfect fit for Brand McKenzie. Originally from Yorkshire but now based in Devon, Melanie is a graduate of Northumbria University, and traditional printing and craftmanship is her passion. She employs old-school techniques as part of her design process, which feeds into her hand-crafted, homemade signature style.
Gemma Munday
Inspired by the natural world, and in particular botanicals and horticulture, the Tropical Daze collection was a dream collection for Gemma to work on. Gemma is new to the interiors world, having come from the fashion industry, where she started designing prints for womenswear. She trained in London as a screen printer and continues to be influenced in her contemporary, bold and diverse designs by traditional silk screen printing techniques.
Lorraine Breger
Holly Hunt, Pierre Frey, William Morris & Co and Zoffany are just a few of the prestigious brands Lorraine can list on her CV. Her position at Zoffany spanned 14 years, and she was responsible for many of its iconic designs. Whether working from an archive piece or originating her designs, Lorraine creates beautiful, authentic commissions. Her experience has given her even more appreciation for great design and an intuitive understanding of colour.
Above: The original design for Rice Terrace; Below: Rice Terrace wallpaper in Grass Green.
About Brand McKenzie
Brand McKenzie’s company name is the surnames of its founder Kerry McKenzie and her business partner Richard Brand. Between the two, they have almost two decades of interior design knowledge and experience. The company’s products are designed to engage the mind, captivate the heart and stimulate the mind. Kerry and Richard’s company mantra is to be outstanding and daring in design and use colour to inspire the current and next generation of wallpaper users.
The company’s debut collection, Tropical Daze, is said to be an imaginative journey through magical jungles and mystical islands. It comprises 17 designs with 44 SKUs, each hand-crafted with the utmost care and attention. By using a mixture of colour palettes, which includes hand-drawn foliage, animals and insects coupled with dynamic topography, the company is creating patterns that will introduce life-breathing energy into the home, bringing walls to life.
Brand McKenzie wallpapers are designed and digitally printed in the UK, starting from £160 per roll. For more information on the company and detailed information on its range of wallpapers, please visit https://brandmckenzie.com/.
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