Dan's Papers - June 20, 2008 - L'art de Treillage Brings the Garden Indoors

Inspired by the posh precision of the trellised gardens at Versailles, around the turn of the century, decorator Elsie de Wolfe introduced the art of treillage to America. Ever since, the humble garden trellis has been a perennial fixture in haute home décor. After devising the interiors of New York's Colony Club, which featured a room adorned with panels of green trellis, the designer lamented having difficulty "finding workmen who could appreciate the importance of crossing and re-crossing little strips of green wood, or arranging them to form a mural decoration architectural in treatment." Fortunately, today's dilettante decorator does not have to waste time and effort painstakingly interweaving wood strips, but can choose from a variety of ready-made trellises in wood, paper, plastic or metal.

Decorative and elegant, trellis gives form to fantasy. Covering the walls of an entire room, trellises bring the garden indoors, with classy country charm. Latticework lends a plain room distinction and architectural definition, as flat pilasters, arches and panels provide detail and design interest. Masking uneven or cracked walls is an additional benefit of wooden treillage. As Elsie de Wolfe wrote in The House in Good Taste, "You may give your trellis any poetic shape your vision may take. Here indeed is a delightful medium for your fancy!"

Dollar-conscious design divas will be thrilled to discover the inexpensive modular metal trellises at Ikea. Purchase in multiples, spray-paint them any color, and attach to a wall for an eye-catching and economical floor-to-ceiling treatment. There might well be a way that plant pots could be hung from the Ikea trellises, as an arrangement of ferns or other trailing greenery would surely be stunning against the graphic forms. Here indeed is a deliciously thrifty means of plotting an eternal spring right in your home!

In choosing a color scheme for your trellised interiors, green lattice on a white background or white on a solid color is always appropriate. In any case, a sharp contrast between the trellis and the wall is a must. If you need inspiration, various other schemes can be found by breezing through web sites for fabric and wallpaper companies. Thibaut's Bamboo Chinoiserie lattice in white on coral has a Palm Beach feel, while Stroheim and Roman's Chinoiserie collection includes Cathay Treillage in cool celadon and cream.

Black trellis in the outdoor garden at designer Charlotte Moss' New York showroom evokes a more sophisticated sunroom, while white on white, with its own blithe spirit, is another possibility. In 1972, Barbara D'Arcy, creator of model rooms and head of store design at Bloomingdale's, dreamed up what The New York Times named an "all-white fantasy of many periods." An Edwardian-style domed pavilion furnished with plump contemporary white upholstered furniture and lush palms was constructed in the New York City Bloomingdale's. Suggesting a sunny day, the treillage walls and ceiling were backed by translucent plastic panels lit from behind. This display evinces with ease that a garden room needn't be outfitted with outdoor furniture, although, of course, wicker, bamboo, and metal garden seats and tables perfectly complement a light and airy ambience. Another creative, stylish and stylized all-white space was Cecil Beaton's design for the trellised film set of Henry Higgins' mother's house in the movie version of My Fair Lady.

My mother was an elementary school teacher and every year her eagerly anticipated sixth grade play featured wildly inventive scenery. A backdrop of trellis paper with a profusion of crepe paper roses and butterflies set the scene for her students' version of The Secret Garden. The most fashionable parent in the school asked my mom where she bought the paper, as she thought it would make for lovely wallpaper! Prom catalogues such as Stumpsprom.com or Andersonsevents.com were her vendors of choice. Paper lattice railings in black or white from Promnite.com could also be frugal and fashionable wall borders ready for your embellishment. While paper posies would surely droop and fade, why not adorn your chic and cheap treillage with a collage of decoupage flora and fauna.

In the past year, lavish classicist Juan Pablo Molyneux organized stunning set-pieces showcasing the furnishings of renowned Parisian antiquarians Benjamin and Bernard Steinitz, as well as the collection of tastemaker extraordinaire, antiques dealer Ariane Dandois, for sale at Christie's auctions. Many of the dramatic room settings were achieved with photomurals of noted French buildings as the backdrop, while paper printed with green trompe l'oeil treillage arches framed neoclassical statuary, an idea which could be carried through at home to set off a garden statue or wall fountain. At Christie's in New York during the spectacular Dandois sale, lattice-patterned walls made an appealing contrast to formal French furnishings, demonstrating that antiques don't have to be displayed in a room with 18th century carved boiserie paneling, but that treillage can add an inviting informality.

Designs of trellis wallpaper range from classic criss-cross lattice to bamboo fretwork, and colors vary from vivid to understated, from traditional green on white to groovy vintage-inspired patterns on shiny metallic Mylar. Some trellis wallpaper has a trompe-l'oeil effect, while others are fabulously faux, such as the 1950s wallpaper with morning glories and a black bamboo trellis on silver, available at Hannahstreasures.com, a wonderful source for vintage wall coverings. Ballard Designs and Jonathan Adler both sell traditional variants on trellis patterned wallpaper, while Walnut Wallpaper carries the bold, modern Brushed Trellis by influential Australian designer of the 1960s and 70s, Florence Broadhurst. For a magical garden room with an exotic Asian flair, Paul Montgomery Studio also hand-paints muted or vivid, but always atmospheric and devastatingly beautiful, paper wall panels.

In the 1860s, influenced by his medieval-style gardens, British Pre-Raphaelite artist William Morris designed Trellis, his first hand-blocked printed wallpaper. Twining rose vines enliven the geometric grid formed by the trellis, birds perch and peck, and tiny dragonflies flutter. Sanderson Fabrics in England still prints this historic pattern, which would lend a room presence and personality by creating an enchanting enclosed garden.

One of the new classics is Imperial Trellis by acclaimed interior designer Kelly Wearstler, known for her distinctive color palette and impeccable taste. Ubiquitous in popular decorating magazines and on Internet design blogs last year, the Imperial Trellis pattern has often been pictured in green on white. While this is a timeless color combination, the trendsetting wallpaper also comes in white on silver, white on charcoal, white on pale aqua, and a very au courant citrine on white. Like Morris' important design, perhaps this iconic pattern will be printed well over a century from now, too. Formal or funky, treillage is here to stay!