Whether you live in an industrial conversion or simply want to channel a heritage aesthetic, a vintage look is readily achievable with carefully chosen prints and charts. You'll want to save these papers.
With a love for vintage artworks and other foraged treasures found on frequent trips to archives and antique stores, Australian company Erstwhile create well preserved, high quality reproductions of unique and collectible vintage artworks.
From beautifully preserved heritage maps to scientific illustrations of centuries past, Erstwhile’s extensive catalogue of wall charts and prints are the ideal accompaniment to the raw concrete and exposed brickwork featured in industrial schemes and warehouse homes across the globe. A disruption to a world of mass produced design, Erstwhile’s passion for vintage art lies in “the beauty of imperfection and decay that comes with time and use”. This is achieved by either reproducing the print in its found condition or by restoring it to its original form. Exclusively licensed, each reproduction is printed on to Airtex canvas, brilliant colour and accurate detail replenished. The artwork is then mounted between two aged timber batons and fit with a pure cotton or hemp rope, ready to hang.
Inspired by the current trend for lush jungle prints, we hang out with Erstwhile, selecting our favourite pieces from their botanical and zoological collections. Read on to see what we discover as well as our tips on how you can style these impressive artworks at home. To explore the full collection visit Erstwhile.
This is a Warehouse Home promotion. We only collaborate with partners who represent the Warehouse Home aesthetic and are of expected genuine interest to our readers.
PROPORTION
(Above) Consider dimensions and select a print to correctly fill them. Here, this botanical illustration of cacti and succulents is carefully balanced with vintage industrial originals. The featuring artwork was sourced from the “German Meyers Konversations Lexikon”. A German encyclopedia published between 1893-1897.
COLOUR
(Left) When considering colour, opt for shades complementary to your existing interior scheme. This charming reproduction of plumage illustrations features blues, greens and brown evocative of the industrial backdrop it sits against.
POSITION
(Below) Be creative and use wall art to create a feature. “Album 80x Vilmoring; Les Plantes potageres” or “The Vegetable Garden” adds playful vintage panache to an industrial kitchen scheme. Accurate detail in reproduction captures over 100 years of character.
REAL OR FAUX
(Below) Use greenery to complement botanical prints and continue the story throughout your space. Preservation of this original botanical illustration is enhanced with the wear and tear from over 100 years of use.
IMPACT
(Below) For a bold statement look for stronger forms or contrasting colours. With scientific impact, this reproduction is one of eight taken from the set of American Frohse Anatomical wall charts showing musculature of the human body. It was first published in 1918.
