DESIGN & TELL with Aux Abris

What inspired you to start your brand?
I moved into a large late 19th century house in the suburbs about 10 years ago. It had so much character, 7 fireplaces, a back staircase, nooks and crannies, it was screaming for loads of wallpaper. Even though I was an interior designer at the time, wallpaper for a large house was expensive and we just didn’t have the budget for it. So, I decided to order a large load of grasscloth that I was planning to hand stencil. By the time it arrived I had seen a video of someone printing grasscloth on a digital printer. Since I was pretty good at graphic design, I decided to buy a printer and print it myself. I already had some designs in my head that I was dying to see in print. So I spent the next 6 months experimenting and printing, then I started printing for my own house. But when I started hanging it, I realised that the colour wasn’t holding from one panel to the next. I realised I needed to buy a much bigger, more expensive printer. And my line was born. So in order to save money, I ended up spending MUCH more. I ran the business from my basement for a few years. But now, I am proud to say, I have 5 employees and a 7000 square foot studio with 6 machines. It has been quite a journey.

What's the story behind the name of your brand?
I pulled in an old friend as a partner who is French. My husband is also half french (my name is pronounced the French way) We often had our early meetings on Shelter Island, where we both had houses. Aux Abris means “Take Shelter”, so we thought it was a good idea since a house is a Shelter. My business partner is no longer with the company, but the name sticks even though it is very hard to pronounce for most English speaking people. I might choose differently if I could go back.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your collections?
Everywhere. I think I might have a bit of an obsessive brain, because everything I see reminds me of patterns, or a mural. For example I am in the middle of a mural with monkeys on it right now that I have been thinking about doing for years. Every flower and every tree I see is a possibility. I can’t sleep at night until I puzzle through how I will resolve the design. It is a labor of love, but also a bit of a torture.

Can you talk us through the process of creating one of your signature designs?
We are becoming known for our murals. I like them because they are unique, and very hard for anyone to copy. There is so much copying going on out there. I spend hundreds of hours on each one making sure they are absolutely perfect. I have a few elements painted for me (I’m not good at painting animals for example), but I paint many of the elements and scan them in. We keep them digital because that way I can modify each one for the height of the room and do minor customisations. For example, in our mural “The Garden of Eden”, we will remove the snakes if a client wishes. But because we do this digitally, the file becomes absolutely enormous. It is quite a challenge, but something we have become specialists at. We also like digital because then our designs can become quite complex. I don't really think of us as being competitive with the hand painted murals made in China, because they can only do a certain level of complexity. Our murals look every bit as wonderful as a hand painted mural, especially when it is printed on silk. But the prices are more competitive, and since the designs are more complex, It is a win win.

How important is craftmanship and material quality to your brand?
We are known for our innovative textures and our high quality substrates. We print on linen, silk, gold and silver leaf, as well as a myriad of other textures. It is not always easy, I have made some mistakes trying to print on things that ultimately fail. But I pride myself on finding new ways to use a digital printer, new things to print on, and techniques for making the design shine in an unusual way. We can do that because we print in house, so I can go in the printing room and play around with methods for hours at a time. Interior designers need a high quality unique product to present to their clients and to make their work shine. I hope they think of us as a valuable resource.

Have there been any standout projects or collaborations in recent years?
We are working on our first collaboration now, with Eve Ashcraft. She is a colourist here in the USA, known for helping Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren launch their paint lines. She is also known as a muralist. So we are working together to create a line which will debut in Paris for Design week in January. She is a lot of fun to work with, and she is bringing a unique perspective to our brand.

What's the most challenging part of running your business?
Wearing all of the different hats. When I first started in my basement, I had to run every aspect of the business, forming an LLC, figuring out how to import, do the bookkeeping etc. I am so lucky now that I have some employees who are helping with the parts I find the most challenging. That way I can finally concentrate on what I do best, design.

What's the most rewarding part of running your business?
I am so grateful when a designer that I have followed and admired for years orders my wallpaper. It is a sign of respect for my work that has finally gotten me past the imposter syndrome which I battled at the beginning of this endeavour.

What's next for your brand?
I have finally decided that I will not be launching fabrics, or anything else for that matter. I just want to do what we do best, create unusual, innovative, high-end wallpaper. The one thing that will change is we will offer more options for hospitality. We already stock 7 vinyl embosses so we are able to translate all of our designs onto vinyl. But we are in the process of working on a book for showcasing each design as a vinyl.