A Neo-Gothic Portal Becomes Wallpaper
Domkyrkan is one of Linköping's strongest symbols. We became drawn to the carved framework on the south and west portals. Made when Helgo Zettervall restored the cathedral to its current neo-Gothic form in the second half of the 1800s.
Could this beautiful portal become a Linlava pattern?
After deep dives and experiments we came out with three patterns, three sizes, three visual textures, and four colorways. The answer must be yes.
Abstraction: Simplify & use of negative space.
We abstracted, stylized, simplified. And then we started to add.
Two less obvious choices were made in the stylization. First, the iron studs were merged with the forms around them, using negative space to create a new shape and a new focal point. Simplification through combination. Second: we used the depth of the deep wood carvings as form itself. Look at the pattern and you'll see that the line weights vary. The shadows cast by the raised carving are not applied as an effect. They are drawn as part of the shape, widening the forms on one side. The pattern doesn't depict the door. It remembers the door's depth. This is most visible in our flat patterns evoking woodblock printing on linen.
Trompe-l'œil: Depth Through Illusion
We've been exploring letterpress and relief effects lately. Here we took it several steps deeper, simulating carving in stone and plaster. Terracotta, Velvet, and Verdigris Stone all carry trompe-l'œil effects. Not to shock, but to create a quiet sense of permanence. The geometry appears to rise gently from the surface, catching light in a way that feels crafted, substantial, real.
Visual Texture Creates Ambiance
The patterns are further shaped by the textures we chose for them.
- Linen gives weave and softness.
- Velvet gives depth and richness.
- Terracotta simulates hand-troweled lime plaster, warm and tactile.
- Verdigris Stone brings the cathedral's own materiality onto the wall: limestone and oxidized copper, cool and monumental.
When we have staged these wallpapers, it makes us happy to see how much difference in ambiance a change in texture creates. Same geometry. Very different room.
Get your samples from our Domkyrkan Portal exploration
Keep exploring
Swedish Nostalgia
We explore the feeling and atmosphere of Swedish cottages, homes, and cherished moments from the past.
Textile & Texture: Different Fabrics Evoke Different Atmospheres
Exploring the Visual and Emotional Difference in Damask Weaving on Coarse Textiles Versus Block Print on a Finer Textile.