Lalique and Fromental Collaborate on a Stunning Wallpaper Design

When the team at Lalique was looking to refresh its London atelier, it turned to Fromental’s masterful chinoiserie wall coverings, which showcase the flowers and birds popular in the crystal maker’s oeuvre, to help transform the space. That collaboration led to Fromental’s latest highly decorative design, Hirondelles, featuring Lalique’s 130th anniversary swallow and Belle Epoque dahlia, hand-painted and hand-embroidered on silk. “It was a brilliant way to pay homage to René Lalique’s first sketches,” says Lizzie Deshayes, cofounder and design director of Fromental. “The adaptation manages to bridge our traditional chinoiserie style and Lalique sculpture.”

Detail of the Fromental wallpaper design with the Lalique crystal swallow and Belle Epoque dahlia. Photo: David Jensen

The pattern made its U.S. debut at November’s Salon Art & Design in New York in a breathtaking display that combined the Fromental wallpaper, perfectly matched wall-mounted Lalique dahlias and Hirondelles that are dusted with 18K gold, and a handwoven rug that translates the romantic look into a floor covering, which was crafted in Burgundy, France, by Manufacture de Tapis de Bourgogne. “An important part of this is to remind us all how incredibly influential René Lalique was to the history of decorative arts,” says Gwen Carlton, head of interiors and special projects at Lalique. “What you also see here is just a reminder of how impactful he continues to be on design.”

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Lalique and Fromental’s Hirondelles collection. Photo: David Jensen

Detail of the swallow dusted with 18K gold. Photo: Karine Faby

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2019 Winter Issue under the headline “Crystal Bridge.” Subscribe to the magazine.