TATLER HOMES
Laura Cheung Wolf: Ecriture
December 2018
The Designer
Laura Cheung Wolf is the founder of Wan Chai-based home décor and lifestyle brand Lala Curio, known for its playful style, stylish hand-painted wallpaper, and the curious items on display there. Trained at New York’s Parsons School of Design and Sotheby’s Institute of Art, she is celebrated for her ornamental, colourful style and creative interpretations of China’s traditional decorative arts.
Work-in progress images of the hand-painted wallpaper
The Project Early Impressions
French restaurant Ecriture, which has perched at the top of H Queen’s in Central since it opened in April, was created by Cheung as part of a collaborative team, in which she worked closely alongside the client, chef and contractor. “It was interesting and challenging at the same time,” she admits, “but thankfully the dynamics were wonderful and it all came together smoothly.”
Inspiration
Cheung’s responsibility was to conceptualise the branding and soft decor elements, using aged copper as a core material. She interpreted this through kintsugi, the Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted with powdered gold or silver so as to highlight the imperfections. Delicate copper leaf hand-painted wallpaper was carefully painted on Thai silk wallpaper to create a continuous panoramic pattern at Ecriture, plus the floor and ceiling tiles reveal copper elements and the bar’s handcrafted copper tiles have a patina that gives them a naturally aged look. “Painting with copper leaf is a new technique that we developed for the project,” says Cheung. “We love exploring and creating new finishes, new designs, and new hand-painted wallpaper.”
Cheung was also responsible for the floral arrangements, styling books and accessories in the restaurant’s library, as well as the eatery’s logo and menu cover. The menus are upholstered in Thai silk with copper leafing, while custom-designed placemats in the same fabric are hand-stitched with the organic shapes of Arita ceramic tableware.
Thai silk hand-painted wallpaper decorated with copper leaf forms a continuous panoramic pattern
The greatest challenge, according to Cheung: “All the copper finishes had to match the base of the dining table, which we did not receive until quite late in the project,” she says. “That was challenging as there were so many elements and different applications of materiality, all having to match the tonality of an ageing copper sample.”
Cheung clearly enjoyed the challenge at Ecriture and has advice for others who embark on restaurant interior design projects. “It is always important to start with a clear concept,” she says. “Everything flows naturally from then on.”
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.