Msheireb
Townhouse


     



Msheireb Townhouse
The Future Perfect

Timeline
March - September 2020

Location
Executed remotely
Doha, Qatar

Role
Head designer & project lead

Team
Nora Woloszczuk, project manager
Joe Cassidy, lead wallpaper installer
Auditore, local architects

Project Overview
NYC-based gallery The Future Perfect asked Calico Wallpaper to design and manufacture a few custom gradients for a townhouse they were commissioned to decorate in Doha, Qatar. The main attractions:

  1. a custom 50 ft tall vertical gradient that wraps around the entire open stairwell of the 4 story townhouse as well as the hallways each floor opens out to
  2. custom radial gradient wallpapers that fully wrap 2 highly faceted living rooms

The design, development, printing, and installation of this project were conducted remotely during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in both the U.S. and Qatar.

Select Press
ELLE France︎︎︎ Galerie︎︎︎ Town & Country︎︎︎


All final installation photos by David Sierra







Msheireb Townhouse exterior

Objective


Calico Wallpaper was asked to design and manufacture a few custom gradients for The Future Perfect, who were commissioned to decorate a 4-story townhouse in a new development in Doha, Qatar. Although a design project at its core, the bulk of this project was spent on problem-solving. Spending months of back and forth determining the physical dimensions and defining the rules we would use to problem solve how to:

  1. Draw up floor plans and elevations based on images, incongruous documents from various local architects, and eventually videos measuring the built space to get the very specific dimensions of the area needed
  2. Design, print, and install a wallpaper vertical gradient that spans 50 ft in height over 4 floors and is visible from each
  3. Create, print, and install 2 wallpapers of radial gradients that would wrap around 2 highly faceted rooms without creating any harsh lines or repeats



1) Creating elevations
& floor plans remotely


This project began at the very beginning of the pandemic and was both crucial for guaranteeing revenue during an uncertain time, and impossible to access as it was on the other side of the world in Qatar. One of the biggest hurdles for this project was trying to get a hold of elevation drawings and getting all the correct dimensions. In order to properly determine how large the overall gradient mural would be, we needed precise measurements. I drew out elevation plans based on my understanding of the floor plans and photos they provided. After many rounds, we received videos of each area being measured so we could confirm what each area looked like and what the correct dimensions were.


 
(Left) Measurements being read out loud, video credit Auditore
(Right) Elevation mock-up of the continuous staircase






2) What does it mean
to “design” a vertical gradient?


A gradient is a series of colors that blend into one another. At Calico Wallpaper, one of the most popular collections is the Aurora Collection, a series of different vertical gradients. There is the more obvious initial design which is deciding what colors will mesh well together and create a beautiful blend; deciding where one color stops and the next begins. But the bulk of “designing” a gradient—of this height for a project of this size and complexity—is actually proactively thinking about potential issues and problem-solving.



STAIRCASE & HALLWAYS WRAPPED IN
CONTINUOUS CUSTOM VERTICAL GRADIENT






3) Radial gradients & room wrapping


Showcasing the work of artist Chris Wolston, The Future Perfect wanted to completely wrap 2 living room spaces in radial gradients with custom colors to set the mood for each space. Taking the Aura Collection as a base, I created new artwork that would be large enough to cover the entire space and would be able to fold back on itself without creating any visible breaks in the gradients. The biggest challenges were the variety of different niches, window insets, and header facets that had to be considered in creating the aural design. 




LIVING ROOMS WRAPPED IN
CONTINUOUS CUSTOM RADIAL GRADIENTS








© 2022 Emily Kim