FIRST U.S. WALLPAPER SHOWROOM
LALA CURIO is an uber-stylish home décor brand that is distinguished by the thread of playfulness woven through its designs. "Our creations combine ancient artisanship with a froth of whimsy, which is a valuable commodity in today’s world," says Laura Cheung Wolf, founder of LALA CURIO. Wolf is the architect of that merger, with a degree in interior design from Parsons School of Design in New York and a Masters in Fine and Decorative Arts from Sotheby's Institute of Art in London.
What Wolf also has is three generations of expertise and deep knowledge in Oriental decorative arts. After completing her education, Wolf spent two years exploring forgotten crafts in Asia for product development before she decided to establish the LALA CURIO luxury home décor brand in 2014.
The Hong Kong company employs veteran artisans to handcraft 3 types of luxury wallpapers: embellished wallpaper with paillettes and pearls, embroidered wallpaper and hand-painted wallpaper while another group of artisans produces cloisonné tile.
The creative mind behind it all is Wolf, a savvy design practitioner with a talent for narrative. Her latest wallcovering collection is about the underwater world that she is passionate about protecting. The Thai silk hand-painted wallpaper, Underwater Jewels features embroideries of a variety of sea life, against a backdrop of coral and seaweed, embellished in order to bring the whole scene to life with unrealistic beautiful hand-painted wallpaper.
While she stays true to traditional Chinoiserie backdrops, some of Wolf's designs are modern pastiches, spiked with contemporary references and humor, as well as a fashionable color palette.
“I desire to portray the 18th-century fantasy of the Orient in a modern way, without losing the romance and poetic spirit,” says Wolf. “The Pagoda series, belong to hand-painted wallpaper collection, depicts imperial court life with the fantastical leisurely frolics of today, such as a group of empresses taking selfies, jogging with their headphones on, having macarons for tea … and an Empress Poppin flying in on an umbrella.“
Marry Me is a fanciful take on a traditional leafy chinoiserie hand-painted wallpaper pattern, with lovers in a bamboo forest spiked with the emblems of marriage (rings, wedding cake, bow tie, champagne and more).
"The wallpapers are uniquely different than anything in the design market, whether beaded, embroidered or hand-painted wallpaper," says designer Kamini Ezralow, founder of Studio Kamini. “
As a designer, I strive to bring the unexpected to my projects. Sourcing unique products not only is inspiring for me but equally important, also brings my clients something inimitable that they can enjoy and be proud of. The wondrous, whimsical products from LALA CURIO do just that. And while the wall coverings and cloisonné are steeped in age-old craftsmanship and quality, this atelier has taken it to the next level.
“One of Kamini's favorites is Blossom, which she ordered in black and installed in a client's powder room.
Another craft that Wolf is resuscitating is cloisonné, the technique of creating designs on metal with colored enamel that is placed within the lines of metal wire that create the design.
Cloisonné was an imperial craft, traditionally reserved for the use of the emperor only. Wolf’s grandmother was among an elite group of specialists dealing in cloisonné in the 1950s.
“My thesis at Sotheby’s was on cloisonné, and my professor asked me why I wrote about something that was so passé even his grandparents didn’t care about it,” Wolf quips. “But I hope to make cloisonné fashionable once more, as we see a revival of long-forgotten crafts.”
LALA CURIO has launched a series of cloisonné tile collections, which are available at Studio Kamini.
Currently on view at Studio Kamini in Los Angeles are LALA CURIO hand-painted and embellished wall coverings and cloisonné tiles, including a magnificent pink cloisonné panel (above left) that exemplifies the company’s artisanry skills.
Studio Kamini is located at:
906 N. La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90069
ABOUT THE FOUNDER OF LALA CURIO | LAURA CHEUNG WOLF
Designer Laura Cheung Wolf is the founder of home décor brand LALA CURIO. Laura’s mission is to reinvent ancient artisanship with whimsicality for contemporary living. Born in Sydney and raised in Hong Kong and England, Laura graduated from Parsons School of Design for Interior Design in New York, where she received the Parsons Interior Design Award. With a passion for fine and decorative arts, she further pursued her Masters at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London.
Laura’s diverse design journey began in New York with museum exhibition design for Samsung Global Brand Showcase and World Expositions leading into a design director role in fashion event production with clients such as Tom Ford, Esteé Lauder, Vogue, and MoMA.
Upon her return to Asia, Laura spent two years exploring rare crafts in remote areas for product development. In 2014, Laura established her home décor brand, opening the LALA CURIO flagship in Hong Kong, followed by retail presence in the prestigious Landmark Prince’s Building Hong Kong, Bergdorf Goodman in NYC, and La Rinascente in Milan. In 2017, LALA CURIO embarked on a joint venture for China expansion with luxury retail group Riqing Enterprise.
LALA CURIO continues to expand globally through annual design exhibitions at Maison et Objet Paris, Decorex London and Salone del Mobile Milan, with wallpaper showrooms in London, Paris, Istanbul, Bangkok and Los Angeles. Laura has been the icon of women entrepreneurship for the cover of Tatler magazine, served on the board of Entrepreneur Organization, and bestowed the 40 under 40 design award by Perspective Magazine. Her work has been featured in AD China, Elle Décor, Harper’s Bazaar and numerous other design publications. As the creative mind behind LALA CURIO, Laura leads the production of unique hand-made decorative surfaces, hand-painted wallpaper, and curates theatrical interiors with materials and techniques culled from across cultures and across time, woven into unique creations and brought into the scene in everyday living.
For further information about LALA CURIO, visit www.lalacurio.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tamar Mashigian | Designing P.R. | [email protected] | 310-276-5001
Founder and interior designer, Laura Cheung Wolf’s house is an art itself. This place is a combination of love, family, and her view of art. Laura decorates every corner precisely by using refined decorations, chinoiserie furniture, and hand-painted wallpaper.