“An Explosion of Flowers”
Vittorio Accornero (1896-1982)
Photo from 1943
In my previous post I featured the magic Vittorio Accornero created in illustrating children’s books and the beautiful memories he helped create from my childhood. It is no wonder that as I grew older I began to recognize his work in a different venue and he began to inspire in a new way. It was his floral printed scarves that instilled in me a greater love for flower prints and gardens!
During the 1960’s and 70’s, Vittorio designed dozens of scarves for Gucci. His most famous design is ‘Flora.’ The story behind this design is that Princess Grace of Monaco visited Gucci’s shop in Milan set on purchasing a floral printed scarf for a last minute gift for a friend. They did not have one at the time so at Rodolfo Gucci request Vittorio began to design a scarf fitting for this Princess who had such a passion for flowers.
The theme was to be not just flowers but ‘an explosion of flowers’ and after several sketches the ‘Flora’ pattern was born! Vittorio’s botanical design reflected the Princess beautifully; lilies, tulips, iris, buttercups, holly, carnations, daisies and wild flowers in an intricate design. Not only flowers, but there are also butterflies, dragonflies, grasshopper, beetles and even lady bugs, every living thing that you might find in a true flower garden. He used 37 different colors within the design. Still today, more than forty years later, Flora is a beloved and sought after design by collectors all over the world.
Each year, Wallpaper magazine sponsors a handmade exhibition at the Milan Furniture Fair in which designers and firms are commissioned to create pieces to be featured at the show and then possibly produced. It was Wallpaper magazine’s idea to turn the “Flora” pattern into a wallpaper for this year’s exhibition, and a collaboration soon began between Gucci and Cole and Sons. Cole & Son, based in London has been producing exquisite wallpaper since 1875 and their inventory even includes the original wood block designs of William Morris that I use.
Terry Sullivan Interiors is making the wallpaper design available to our clients. Using custom colors we can help you bring a room to life using a timeless creation from this great artist. The wallpaper will be digitally re-produced to design specifications by Cole and Sons. It would be lovely in a bedroom with white and pink or green accents. A ten roll minimum is required. Each roll is measures 32 inch width x 11 yard length.
Please contact us if you would like a quote for the reproduction of this archive paper. We would be happy to assist you in adding beauty to your home.
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