Helen and Ben make wallpaper, by hand, in their studio in Martinborough…
A collection of traditional-style botanical sketches of some of the more… interesting substances in life: Juniper, Hops, Cocaine, Tobacco and Coffee.
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.
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.
