Cole & Son is known for its authentic wallpapers based on traditional and modern British design and is one of the leading brands in the global wallpaper market. The brand is characterised by eccentric, innovative and artistic design.
Cole & Son is the wallpaper supplier by Royal Warrants of Appointment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and has a long tradition of furnishing palaces, castles and theatres in the UK, as well as outside the domestic market. Cole & Son’s wallpapers have, inter alia, been used in Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster.
Cole & Son was established in 1875 by John Perry in Islington, an area north London known for the 190 hand block printing companies that were active in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cole & Son was the supplier to several renowned printing companies in the 19th century and was particularly known for its high quality and well-made stripes and Jaspe technique. At an early stage, the Company developed production that was also able to handle pan-coating and flocking to enable the production of wallpaper that imitated cut velvet. In 1941, the Company was acquired by A P Cole and the merger entailed that the constellation became the custodians of the most significant collection of wooden printing blocks in the UK.
Today, the Cole & Son archive consists of approximately 1,800 block print designs, 350 screen print designs and a huge quantity of original drawings and wallpapers, representing all the styles from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Amongst these are some of the most iconic wallpaper designs, from which a special selection has been updated and re-launched. During the summer of 2019, several collections were also launched as textiles for furniture and curtains. During 2020 direct-to-consumer e-commerce was launched in London for Cole & Son and during 2021, the intention is to launch pillows in the brand’s iconic patterns.
