PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Historic types of wallpaper and decorative schemes of interiors
In the late 19th century there was a revival of interest in
leather wall coverings. Demand prompted the development of
cheaper alternatives: “leather papers” and imitations in other
materials. 122 Besides European manufacturers, many convincing
imitations of leather wall coverings were produced by Japanese
companies for European clients, starting in the 1870s. Imitation
leathers, and other kinds of embossed and relief decoration, were
thought to be most suitable for halls, stairways, dining rooms,
studies and libraries. 123 (Fig. 32)
Modern ideas of interior design were introduced in the book
Die Kunst im Hause (1871), written by Jacob von Falke, a director
of the Österreichisches Museum für Kunst und Industrie in Vienna.
His ideas about the combination of form and function spread
throughout the German-speaking countries and Scandinavia.
Von Falke believed that a person who loved beauty should be
a collector, preferably of antiques. Since antiques tended to be
covered with patina and lost their fresh appearance, the resulting
colours of wallpaper were muted. Wine red, golden brown
and bottle green became the favourite colours of the era.
The same book describes fashionable and tasteful ways
of decorating a contemporary flat. The chapter Fussboden und
Wand focused on the ways of decorating a wall to best present
paintings and other artworks. Von Falke explained that a wall
was a background for life, movable objects and decorations.
If one imagined a room as an artistically arranged setting, it
was important that its effect not be too dominant, but rather
peaceful and shaded. In most cases, the patterns of wallpapers
or other wall covers needed to offer a peaceful background for
the eyes. They needed to have a lively and pleasant design in
harmony with the decoration, furniture and artworks in the
room. 124
According to von Falke, it was not recommended to use
light wall covers as a background for decorative objects, such
as sculptures, paintings and vases, since this would produce a
122
Saunders, Wallpaper in Interior Decoration, 123.
123
Ibid., 124.
124
von Falke, Die Kunst im Hause, 223; 227.
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