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Today’s Guest Editor: Natalie Ebel
Natalie Ebel is a cofounder of Backdrop, the cool-kid paint and wallpaper brand with delightfully unforgettable color names (Tanlines! Negroni!).
Current Mood
What I’m loving right now: All things trompe l’oeil. The technique dates back to the ancient Greeks and Old Masters, but it is increasingly popping up in contemporary design. It’s cheeky and fun, everything I love. And it involves something very near and dear to me—paint! The goal is to trick the viewer into momentarily mistaking the art for the real thing. Trompe l’oeil also instantly brings back memories of traveling around Europe, exactly where I want to be right now.
I’d recommend it to someone who also likes…antiquity and Art Nouveau. And anyone who wants to create architectural interest in their home without a full-blown remodel.
Where I’ve spotted it in the wild:
- All over the facades of buildings in Liguria, Italy. My 5-year-old daughter and I would play this game—“real or fake?” Highly recommend!
- An incredible mosaic I saw two summers ago at the Jean Cocteau Museum in Menton, France.
- At the stunning Hotel Peter & Paul in New Orleans (above), an Ash property where my friend and collaborator Xavier Donnelly is the creative director.
- On a vintage Hermès dress in a Life magazine shoot from 1952.
- Christian Bérard’s iconic 1930s design for the Institut Guerlain in Paris
- All over anything and everything from Gohar World, especially the very charming Tiny bowl.
Three real-life ways I’d try it:
- Wallpaper a room in Backdrop’s very own trompe l’oeil: Affogato or Taboo, the latter of which is inspired by Jean Cocteau’s murals at Villa Santo Sospir.