This immersive design is available in four colorways and handmade by artisans in the UK.
Inspired by Cuban painter Wifredo Lam, Ambia, designer Natalia Miyar’s abstract curvilinear collaboration with home décor brand Fromental, elevates wallcoverings to the next level.
Tell us about the inspiration behind Ambia.
I was commissioned by the Masterpiece London art fair to design a dining room. Knowing my heritage, they asked me to do something with Cuban influence. Soon after, Tim Butcher, Fromental’s co-founder and creative director, approached me and said, “I’d love to do a wallpaper together.” So, I started creating this idea in my mind to have an enormous artwork on the walls inspired by Cuban painter Wifredo Lam’s work. And that is how this abstracted, curvilinear design came to be. It’s not a flat print—it’s got raised elements with buckskin textures and hand-foiling. There’s a rich depth to the colors.
What makes Fromental a unique partner?
Their enthusiasm for craft. My mother instilled a desire to not do what everybody else is doing, and Fromental is willing to be adventurous and elevate ideas. Tim even refers to himself as a weaver. There’s a handmade quality to Fromental’s work as if it came from the earth. Plus, there’s something fun about collaborating on a paper that’s different than anything either of us could do on our own.
How is designing a wallpaper and interior similar?
It always starts with the brief—a combination of client, geography, architecture, history of place—and the context that I’m working in. From there, it’s about how I express that in the most elevated way that makes sense for everyone.
