Off the Wall: Wonderful Wall Coverings of the Twentieth Century [Paperback]

Lena Lenek (Author), Gideon Bosker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003

Hypnotic flowering vines, black-and-white Op Art odysseys, and seas of patriotic warships are just some of the beautiful, strange, and fantastic patterns that have adorned the walls of homes the world over. In the tradition of best-seller Fabulous Fabrics of the 50s, this home decor reference book entertains while it inspires with flawless reproductions of 150 classic and unique wallpapers; many of which are drawn from the collections of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Covering every decade of the century, Off the Wall celebrates robust pattern and detail in all their manifestations. Lively text and captions help to capture the designers, trends, and world events relevant to each piece, and the broader evolution of the genre, from a 1948 mural of rural America, replete with plump livestock and ripening fields, to the boldly colored abstractions produced in the 1950s by Herman Miller for MOMA. A useful resource for collectors, designers, decorators, and artists, Off the Wall is a colorful and captivating tribute to a widely appreciated medium.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The editors of Beach: Stories by the Sand and Sea turn their attention indoors in a colorful celebration of wallpaper. Once considered a kitschy relic of post-war America, wallpaper is experiencing a rebirth among contemporary designers and decorators. Len?ek and Bosker provide a brief, informative history of wall-coverings since the 15th century before diving into their retrospective of 20th-century papers largely British, American and French in origin. They explored the archives of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt collection and the National Design Museum, as well as the vaults of many private manufacturing companies, to compile this book, which suggests that wallpaper often reflects the cultural zeitgeist of the period in which it was produced. Quaint, Sputnik-era paper featuring spaceships, flying saucers and UFOs offers some charming proof. Neo-traditionalists will thrill to the nursery panoramas of the baby-boomer era: barnyard scenes in hushed tones and playful circus friezes capture the timeless charms of childhood. The explosion of teen culture in the 1960s is chronicled in youthful paper patterns depicting athletes at play and "rec room" parties with phonographs and stacks of records. And while there are plenty of toile, floral and geometric designs represented here, the section on "High Art" is the book’s standout chapter. It features wallpaper produced in concert with artistic luminaries such as Alexander Calder and Henri Matisse (though the latter’s mustard-yellow and black-patterned sample would be considered decidedly loud by most modern tastes). The samples are presented in captivating, full-bleed reproductions throughout and are meant to serve largely as a springboard to inspiration—some readers, however, will wish this were a catalogue.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Gideon Bosker is a writer, photographer, and devoted pop culture connoisseur who has collaborated on many fine books. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Lena Lencek has collaborated with Gideon Bosker on a wide range of projects, from Fabulous Fabrics of the 50s and Patio Daddy-O (0-8118-0871-8) to Pilgrimage: The Spirit of Place (0-8118-3473-5). They live in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1st edition (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811835731
• ISBN-13: 978-0811835732
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun trip through 20th century wallpaper design, April 25, 2010

By 

S. Smith-Peter (Staten Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Off the Wall: Wonderful Wall Coverings of the Twentieth Century (Paperback)

This is a thoroughly fun book about wallpaper design from roughly 1900 to the 1960s. It is divided up thematically, so the chapters are on florals, narrative wallpaper, natural scenes, and so on. The writing is both scholarly and entertaining. You'll learn quite a bit about design and culture trends during this period. It's true that these are not mainly high end papers (although there is a chapter on high art and major artists designing wallpaper), but it does provide a neat introduction to the kinds of wallpaper that the vast majority of people would have experienced during this period.

In addition, the book is wonderfully designed so that it's a pleasure to read and look at. If you have any interest in wallpaper or in 20th century design in general, this is a book worth reading.

9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not so wonderful, March 10, 2006

By 

Constant "Reader" (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Off the Wall: Wonderful Wall Coverings of the Twentieth Century (Paperback)

I dont think this book of wall paper pictures collection reflects the beauty, width and depth of the wallpaper design in 20th century. I have seen (and used) much better, detailed, artistic and representative examples myself.
All of the examples are from the 1920-60 period. Nothing after 1960. The book doesnt include any of the glamorous examples either. Another negative thing is all of the examples look like they are printed patterns, they give no idea about the texture, embossing and the paper type used.
If you are into the history of wallpapers this book may give you information but not much inspiring for graphic designers.
I wouldnt have bought it if i had the chance to see more pages because what you see at the Amazon.com "seach inside" feature is all this book about, same style, same not so good examples all through the book.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wall papers design, May 8, 2007

By 

Daphne Livne "textile designer" (israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Off the Wall: Wonderful Wall Coverings of the Twentieth Century (Paperback)

this book is very useful for all kinds of designers. wall papers are very modern today as well as they were in the past.
today we use wall papers every where in every possibale space even in fashion stores, coffe shops and not only at houses.
this book gives us a review on the 20th century and which we can find very modern again today.