The newest design by Paperhands is a hand-drawn tribute to New Zealand’s delightful native parrot. In this pattern, the Kakapō hides amongst some of its favourite native foliage: kiwa kiwa, tupare, kio kio, poroporo and waekahu.

Paperhands features in the March/April issue of NZ Life & Leisure. Find a copy to read a little more about inspires Helen and Ben to craft wallpaper curiosities by hand.

The Paperhands workshop is located at Helen and Ben’s house, in a weatherboard building that was transported from Hawke’s Bay in 2019. It has a small showroom, and a large space with long tables where the rolls of paper are screenprinted by Ben and his assistant, Penny. This is where unique, handcrafted wallpaper curiosities are born.

A guide to installing Paperhands wallpaper…

Helen’s garden is formal and abundant. Functional but still fun. It was designed by Carterton-based landscape artist Hamish Moorhead. The centrepiece is a fountain, but really it’s all about vegetables.

In many ways, this house was the inspiration for Paperhands. It is a traditional villa that was re-located from Mauriceville to rural Martinborough in 2003. In 2007, Helen and Ben decided to renovate it.