Va-Va-Voutsa! Inside Its New Pop-Up Shop, Not Your Grandmother’s Wallpaper
Digitally-printed wallpaper has long gotten a bad rap, but thanks to young designers like George Venson, 31, founder of the label Voutsa, its traditional handmade counterparts are starting to look positively musty. Not that Venson can’t appreciate the floral, sylvan prints that have been popular for centuries—“but they all kind of look the same,” he said. “I wanted to make [ones] that were new, a little fiercer, a little more playful, not so much like your grandmother’s dining room.” That starts, of course, with technology: Venson creates his own large-scale paintings and watercolors, then weaves them together digitally so that some prints don’t repeat for up to almost 20 feet. As showcased at his new pop-up shop on the Lower East Side, Venson has a fresh take on where the prints end up, too: He’s collaborated with the designer Paul Marlow for several years now on a series of printed and luxuriously roomy caftans, tunics, and wrap skirts, which hang on mannequins at the store. They’re topped off with nun hat-inspired lampshades and surrounded by Venson’s original hand-drawn paintings, plus printed pillows, tote bags, and chairs. Take it all in, from Grecian urns and Prada-like lips, here—or just head to Fifth Avenue, where his designs are currently in the windows of Bergdorf’s. *Voutsa: The Vanity Project is open at 179 Mott Street from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until May 31st, 2016.*Voutsa: The Vanity Project is open at 179 Mott Street from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until May 31st, 2016.
Cafiero Select Home lamp, Voutsa lampshade, Voutsa Mimi wallpaper, and Voutsa x Paul Marlow clothing at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Paul Marlow clothing, jewelry by Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, Voutsa Pilu wallpaper, and Voutsa pillows at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Paul Marlow at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa pillows at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Cafiero Select Home lamp, Voutsa lampshade, and Voutsa Mimi wallpaper at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Paul Marlow clothing, jewelry by Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, Heliogabalus Voutsa wallpaper, and Voutsa x Sabahs shoes at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Cafiero Select Home urn lamp and Voutsa lampshade, Tzelan lamps (above), Voutsa x We-R2 Studio trays and tea towels, Voutsa totes, and Bellocq tea and candles at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Paul Marlow clothing, jewelry by Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, and George Voutsa wallpaper at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Paul Marlow clothing, jewelry by Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, and Baldasnakes Voutsa wallpaper at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Mother of Thousands Giant Mrs. Noodle pillow and giant Ballets Russes Voutsa lampshade at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Paul Marlow clothing, jewelry by Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, and Nunhats Voutsa wallpaper at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Paul Marlow clothing, jewelry by Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection, Voutsa lampshades, and chairs by Voutsa x Sasha Bikoff Interior Design at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Justin Vivian Bond collaborative wallpaper at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Paul Marlow clothing and jewelry by Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Paul Marlow clothing, Voutsa tote, and Voutsa x Sabah shoes at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Mother of Thousands chairs and Earrings, Diaghilev, and Octopussi wallpaper at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Voutsa x Mother of Thousands Giant Mrs. Noodle pillow at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
Cafiero Select Home lighting and Voutsa lampshades at Voutsa: The Vanity Project at 179 Mott Street, New York. Photo by Siyoung Song.
