Why interior designers love grasscloth and how to use it
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The possibilities within the decorating world are truly endless. Just as you decide on which paint colour you fancy for you walls, along comes the option of covering them with fabric instead to turn your head once again. It's a choice many interior designers make (in their own homes as well as projects) as a fabric wallcovering has so much more texture, depth and interest than paint often can. The one we see time and again is grasscloth, which is the umbrella term for handloomed wall coverings made of fibres from the likes of hemp, seagrass and flax on a thin rice paper backing. It is handwoven, labour intensive and as a result, can be quite costly but the results are worth the expenditure.
“I’ve always loved the subtle impact that grasscloth can have,” says Ben Pentreath, who has used grasscloth in multiple rooms over the years, “especially in a room with less natural daylight – adding both texture and the gentlest sheen to a space. It works beautifully in darker colours where you are looking for something with more depth than paint, a bit more sophistication than hessian, a little bit more glamour than linen.” That's what it really does best – add a grown up, textural element to a room that allows any art or decoration hung on top of it to really shine. Grown up is a key word when it comes to grasscloth as it is incredibly delicate and prone to tears and stains if mistreated, so it is not advised to use it in high traffic rooms with lots of children or dogs around. Equally, it can be advised against in kitchens or bathrooms where splashes and stains would be hard to remove.
Negatives aside, grasscloth brings so much to a room and as Elizabeth Hay – another designer who favours it – explains, “it is a great option if you do not want to use a pattern on the walls but you do want a bit more texture and envelopment than a paint can offer. It creates a wonderful three-dimensional look and being made from natural fibres there is a beautiful variety in their colour and texture and there are subtle shifts in colour due to the natural fibres absorbing the dye unevenly. As soon as you paper a room in a grass cloth it is amazing how cosy it instantly feels and the calming effect it creates.” Beyond its calming effect – and it is amazing how it casts a sense of quiet and serenity on a space – it has real health benefits too, being made from natural materials that benefit both you and the environment. What's more, there's no new paint smell on installation but rather than heady, vegetal smell that a seagrass rug or similar also gives.
“We have examples of grasscloth being used from the 1870s to the 1970s,” details Jeffrey Bershad, CEO of Phillip Jeffries, who produce grasscloths beloved by the entire interior design community. “ It did go out of vogue in the 1980s when production moved from Japan and the poor quality that followed led designers to retreat from using grasscloth,” he continues but the brand spearheaded a return to quality in the 2000s that has seen it growing in popularity ever since.
In terms of where grasscloth works best, bedrooms and living rooms seem to be most commonplace within the pages of House & Garden, but interior designer Octavia Dickinson did take the plunge with a sky blue option in her London kitchen. “The grasscloth texture is so versatile it can be used anywhere,” enthuses Jeffrey, "from bedrooms to ballrooms, I've seen it all, and let’s not forget about the fifth wall, the ceiling”. “We use grasscloth on many projects in London and other cities – it feels much less of a rural finish, if I am honest,” says Ben, who uses it “very often in shades of turquoise, burnt umber, coral, caramel or olive green – all of my favourite colours in any event, but so good with that little extra lift that the grasscloth gives”. It is one of the decorating ideas that once you've seen it, can be very hard to get out of your head so if a grown up, textural wall appeals, scroll on for some beautiful examples on how to use it and where to buy it from the House & Garden archive.
Natalie Dinham1/18In this Tara Craig project, grasscloth walls provide a rich backdrop for the ‘Eltham’ sofa by Ensemblier in Le Manach’s ‘Zanzibar’. Victoria’s ‘Table Basse’ sits on a rug by Sandy Jones. The blinds are in Carolina Irving’s ‘Exotic Bloom’ linen from Tissus d’Hélène, and on the desk stands a bronze ‘Lampe Stela’ by Claudio Gonzalez for Victoria Stainow.
Simon Brown2/18Grasscloth walls bring the living space of this bijou flat by Beata Heuman together. It serves as a neutral but textural backdrop for an array of jewel colours throughout the flat.
3/18A judicious use of fabrics can bring a bit of sunshine into any interior. Beata Heuman has used her own ‘Palm Drop’ fabric in her London house, with the abstract palm print in green bringing a hit of colour and life to the scheme. The grasscloth wallcovering also has a distinct tropical feel, as does the white plaster sand dollar light, ‘a favorite of mine since working for Nicky Haslam,’ says Beata.
Boz Gagovski4/18In the spare bedroom of Stella Weatherall's flat, the walls are covered in Phillip Jeffries' ‘Manila Hemp Pomegranate’ grasscloth. It was whilst working on a project at Flora Soames that she came across the this and says. “I fell in love with it. As soon as I committed to the grasscloth, everything else came together.”
Paul Massey5/18The rich red tones of this room in this house by Peter Mikic look spectacular when lit up at night. The grasscloth wallcovering is by Stereo and the sofas are part of the owners’ collection of antique furniture.
Kensington Leverne6/18A grasscloth wallcovering from Altfield and oak shelves are the backdrop for a custom Hossack & Gray loveseat in a Turnell & Gigon fabric and a table from Frankbros in this Studio Ashby London house.
Kensington Leverne7/18Cushions in Brook Perdigon Textiles’ brick ‘Staccato Stripe’ and a bedcover from Soho Home contrast with a headboard in Pierre Frey mohair and Innovations grasscloth wallcovering in the bedroom.
Dean Hearne8/18In our food editor Blanche Vaughan's Devon house, the snug is papered in a patterned green grasscloth by the designer Totty Lowther. It's rare to see a use of grasscloth that isn't a plain colour and it works extremely well with the grouping of botanical art on top.
Paul Massey9/18In her London house, Octavia Dickinson has used the ‘Sri Lanka’ grasscloth wallcovering in a sky blue from Innovations in the kitchen. It makes for a bold combination when considered from the living room next door, which is painted a rich, lipstick shade of coral from Papers and Paints.
James Merrell10/18The grasscloth in this bedroom of an Ashley Hicks project here is a Phillip Jeffries design, which he also used in the drawing room. It works very well with the gilt frames of the art.
Paul Massey11/18Walls in Altfield grasscloth and curtains in 'Isabella' from Jasper by Michael S Smith decorate the dining room of this Brandon Schubert project.
Paul Massey12/18In the top floor spare room, André Lanskoy lithographs stand out against walls in 'Manila Hemp' grasscloth in the camel colourway from Phillip Jeffries. A rug from Retrouvius and a Toast quilit introduce complementary earthy tones.
Paul Massey13/18The greeny-brown grasscloth in this room is in the colour referred to by Ben as "freshly laid cowpat". ‘I love the richness that grasscloth brings; it has so much more depth than a flat paint,’ he says. He has used grasscloths in a number of rooms in this London house, including Altfield’s ‘Minka’ and Phillip Jeffries’ ‘Manila Hemp’. ‘You do have to warn clients that the joins between panels are visible, but I’ve never minded the effect,’ adds Ben.
Paul Massey14/18The dining room features a dark brown grasscloth that is so rich and add to the overall glamour of the space.
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Matthew Kissiday15/18In the sitting room of this Elizabeth Hay house in Connecticut, a grasscloth wallcovering by Phillip Jeffries adds texture to the scheme, while the curtains and blinds are in Robert Kime's ‘Tashkent’ pattern. The ottoman is covered in Clarence House's ‘Pienza’ weave.
Christopher Horwood16/18Different textures were used to create layering in the sitting room of this Mayfair apartment by Salvesen Graham from the grasscloth wall covering from Phillip Jeffries to cushion fabrics from George Spencer, Soane, Pierre Frey and Robert Kime. “We chose a grasscloth walling to stop the walls from feeling flat in this very long room,” says Nicole. The wallcovering from Phillip Jeffries is an excellent backdrop for all the contemporary British art, which was selected with the help of Rebecca Gordon Art Advisory.
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Paul Massey17/18In the main bedroom of this Beata Heuman project in Sussex, seagrass wallpaper from Abbott + Boyd creates a subtle backdrop for linen curtains by John Boyd Textiles in the chirp colourway, an armchair in ‘Greenbrier’ linen by Nicky Haslam Design and Vaughan’s ‘Compiegne Leaf Chandelier’.
Lauryn Ishak18/18On the walls of the dining room in this Elizabeth Hay project in Singapore, a navy blue grasscloth by Stereo is offset by Beata Heuman’s ‘Palm Drop’ fabric. Dining chairs from Ton surround a table designed by Elizabeth. The wall sconce is by Aerin Lauder and the ‘Branching Bubble’ chandelier is by Lindsey Adelman.
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