An Illustrator’s Delicate Wallpaper That Looks Like Art
When a homewares brand we love is designed and manufactured locally, we like to shout it from the rooftops. Look over here! These creative people are doing a really cool thing, in a really thoughtful and responsible way! This is These Walls – a wallpaper and textile company based in Burleigh Heads, Queensland, that was started by illustrator Sarah Hingle in 2014. Each design is hand-drawn and made to order, printed locally on sustainably sourced materials. It’s the bees knees! The small side project biz has grown as grown to collaborating with artists such as Llewlyn Mejia and Mia Taninaka, and to stockists in the US. And we can see why!
Moderated by Tomas Kauer 
An Illustrator’s Delicate Wallpaper That Looks Like Art
Creative People
These Walls wallpaper and textiles are all hand-drawn by founder, Sarah Hingle. Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
The products themselves are designed and manufactured locally, and printed-to-order to minimise waste and excess stock. The footprint is small! Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
The designs are earthy and textural; the marks resemble the materiality of the substrate they are rendered on. Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
A very attractive room, featuring vintage furniture, brass tones and These Walls wallpaper. Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
The subtle designs create the perfect backdrop to sculptural design pieces. Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
Sarah likens her design process to a bowerbird, constantly collecting patterns and design inspiration she likes to slowly build the material for a collection. Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
Classic stripes give off an understated beachy look. Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
More elaborate, floral-like designs suit a feminine, grand-millennial aesthetic. Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
Here, the pale blue paper contrasts with dark colours and natural textures like jute here. Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
Sarah has collaborated with a few local artists on new collections, but otherwise designs all herself! Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
A perfectly styled, relaxed room. Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
Geometric patterns for a bold and refined look! Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
All their products are designed and manufactured locally on materials that are 30% recycled post-consumer waste and 70% renewable cellulose fibres (which are derived from plants, not plastic). Photo – Alicia Taylor. Stylist – Studio CD.
In a former life, Sarah Hingle was an editorial illustrator working on client briefs an in-house designs for publications around the world. When she had her son, she wanted work that could be easily scaled up and down as her parenting demands fluctuated.
‘I was motivated to start something of our own so I’d have flexibility as our kids grew,’ Sarah explains. ‘I wanted to nurture a business that I am passionate about, could dip my creative toes into and that we could grow organically, alongside our family!’
In the beginning, Sarah kept up her freelance illustration, but soon These Walls became big enough to sustain itself. With the addition of her husband Mike to the team (thanks to a pandemic pivot!), it’s now a full family affair.
Sarah creates nearly all the hand-drawn designs herself, sometimes collaborating with local artists such as Llewlyn Mejia and Mia Taninaka for different collections. Each pattern is created with ink, pens, charcoal or watercolour and then scanned and turned into a repeat pattern. From there, the colourway is chosen and designs are printed on either matte wallpaper or Belgian linen.
Conscious production is central to the These Walls ethos. All their products are designed and manufactured locally on materials that are 30% recycled post-consumer waste and 70% renewable cellulose fibres (which are derived from plants, not plastic).
The designs are also made-to-order, eliminating excess stock and waste.
On the design process in general, Sarah likens herself to a bowerbird, who is ‘constantly collecting colours, patterns, textures and images and stashing them away for when a creative brainstorm occurs.’
When that happens, a theme tends to emerge – and she can act on it for a new collection. The designs are earthy, calm and reposed – distinctly hand-drawn and textured with brushstrokes. Finally, these delicate designs are carefully selected to be consistent with the textures of the materials they’re rendered on. Heaven!
These Walls products are available to order here.
