Dupenny Wallpaper

Often named as one of the young influential designers in the UK and collaborating with many celebrated brands, the success of Emily Dupen was not a given.

A Londoner who fell in love with Brighton charm

Originally from London, where her parents still reside, Emily moved to the southern English seaside resort of Brighton at the turn of the millennium to study Illustration at the University of Brighton. She immediately fell in love with the town’s eclectic and artistic heritage, but what particularly drew her was the community spirit and vibe, which gave her the courage to experiment beyond her comfort zone.

Her Hove beach hut as a source of inspiration

There is a secret behind Emily’s love for classic pin-ups figures wearing vintage swimming costumes and it is to be found in Hove, the small town adjacent to Brighton where she lives. Whenever she needs inspiration or some time to relax, she heads to her 1940s beach hut on the Brighton promenade. The melange of retro energy and seaside vibes is well reflected in many of her motifs.

An eclectic and artistic couple

Creativity and a love for all arts run through Emily and her family. After a career as a singer, Emily found her call in the graphic arts, opening up her company studio in Brighton’s colourful London Road. Her husband Jarvis is an accomplished guitarist, playing local and national venues with his band “The Swing Ninjas”.

From hand-cutting and packing her initial orders by hand in her parents’ house to collaborating with established designers and winning awards, Dupenny’s road to success is the fascinating tale of how a young designer can turn her dreams into reality.

A humble start in her parent’s house

Like many other companies’ stories, Dupenny’s origins are quite humble. Having completed her bachelor’s degree in illustration, Emily began dreaming of bringing her concepts and ideas to wallpaper. Unfazed by criticism that her designs were too “wacky” for this industry, Emily moved back to her parents’ house in London. It’s here that the dream of transforming her doodled vintage pin-ups took shape as her first website was launched.

A low-key launch at 100% Design and a surprise grant get the company moving

Having started her little online shop, she began printing wallpaper lengths by hand in a London workshop, then cutting them up in her parents’ hallway. Knowing she needed funds to launch her company, she spent months preparing for the 100% Design Award. A surprise victory turned into a bursary grant that allowed Dupenny to become a company in its own right.

Where the name Dupenny originates

The name Dupenny is a play on words based on the family name Dupen. It was one of the nicknames her mother was known for. Emily loved the moniker and used it as the company name. It was meant to be just a temporary choice, a placeholder until something more definite was chosen. However, over time the name stuck, and remains the official company name to this day.

Emily Dupen’s artistry is no longer exclusively bound to her marvellous wallpapers but has spread to a variety of other products and was exhibited in prestigious art galleries and the world-famous V&A Museum.

An ever-increasing range of collaborations

Emily’s unique style and illustrations have not gone unnoticed, and her creative output has expanded beyond wallpaper, producing textiles, fashion apparels, and even tiles and art prints. Other labels have also harnessed her talents to create textiles for everything from underwear to upholstery. The Amy Winehouse foundation asked her to create the iconic singer’s portrait for a line of accessories.

A unique Brighton hotel, decorated with Dupenny wall décor

Perhaps the most symbolic realisation of Emily’s vision can be found in Brighton’s celebrated Hotel Pelirocco, a unique boutique establishment boasting the “Dupenny Boudoir” where Dupenny’s wallpaper, artworks and bathroom tiles were liberally used to showcase Emily’s love for all things retro and quirky. This utterly unique room is a true testament to her passion for burlesque and vintage pin-ups.

The recognition of her work at the V&A Museum and at the British Design Awards

With the growing success of her irreverent line of wallpapers came first commercial and then institutional recognition. Having been shortlisted for the Elle Decoration British Design Awards, Dupenny’s wall décor was first exhibited at the Whitworth Art Gallery along with the works of Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Damien Hirst and then received a definitive sign of validation when some of her wallpapers were chosen for the Wallpaper Archives of the famous V&A Museum in London.

Emily Dupen’s style has often been described as quirky, vintage, and bold. Her main source of inspiration is 1950s life and art, with a particular affinity for black-and-white Hollywood pin-ups, but there is always a hidden geometry that provides balance and beauty.

Her celebrated pin-ups

Emily’s passion and interest for the classic pin-up style of the 1940s and 1950s are evident in many of her wallpaper designs, as they feature illustrations of playful and flirtatious women in various poses and glamorous costumes. Her approach to this theme is characterised by tongue-in-cheek humour that seeks to play with this retro-inspired aesthetic rather than merely reproduce it.

A passion for monochrome illustrations

As Emily is an illustrator by trade, it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise that her hand-drawn designs tend to be extremely detailed and imaginative. To draw focus to the intricate nature of her work without overwhelming the beholder, most of Dupenny wallpapers tend to be monochrome or just feature a slash of colour here and there while leaving the motif’s silhouette in black.

Tongue-in-cheek geometries

What make Dupenny wallpaper immediately stand out is the level of playful cheekiness and the desire not to play by the rules. This is clearly evident in the way the motifs are positioned, creating intended geometries, like in the “Splash” model, where bathing beauties form circles, stars and polygons with their bodies.

Vintage Hollywood glamour

She might have been born and raised in Britain, but there is no denying that post-WWII Hollywood Americana is the main source of inspiration behind Emily’s work. Drawing on the nostalgia for the simplicity and optimism associated with this bygone era among those who did not experience it first-hand, Dupenny designs transform ordinary housewives into seductive Hollywood temptresses.

There is nothing casual about the beauty of Dupenny wallpaper models. From sustainable materials to vegetable inks and high-quality non-woven paper, each step is the result of a carefully considered decision.

Artisanal craftmanship

Unlike larger industrial labels, the approach followed by Dupenny in the production of their wallpaper is still refreshingly artisanal and based on craftmanship. Emily’s creativity is the starting point for all models, as she hand-draws the playful illustrations that will then become the motifs printed on the highest-grade paper.

Sustainable inks and FSC-certified materials

In line with her adopted town’s well-known progressive stance on ethical and ecological behaviour, all Dupenny wallpapers are produced in a sustainable way in the United Kingdom. The pulp that serves as basis for the non-woven material is sourced exclusively from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) managed forests. The motifs are printed using vegetable-based latex inks to guarantee that all wallpapers are free of dangerous volatile organic compounds.

Easy to install non-woven fibres

Dupenny’s no-nonsense modern approach to wall décor is reflected in their choice of carrier material, too. In order to make sure that their wallpapers can be put up without fuss or the need of a professional they are made from non-woven materials, so that each length can easily be cut and put up by just pasting the wall with wallpapering adhesive, i.e. without having to worry about soaking times or whether it will expand or shrink when drying.