Journal
Upton Noble is a niche British brand that specialise in designing wallpapers, lampshades and restoring antiques. We spoke with Viktoria Gruener, co-founder and creative director of Upton Noble about the brand; her career; and what inspires her.
For the Love of Wiltshire
In 2018, on a weekend break from the capital with her partner, Viktoria – design director for Upton Noble – fell in love with Wiltshire. Having spent a night away in a traditional thatched pub in the Cranborne Chase AONB Viktoria recalls; “I knew I had to move here! The countryside, the flora, fauna and light are all such an inspiration. She immediately returned to London and scoured the internet for property for sale and now divides her time between London and what she refers to as their “home in the Nadder Valley”; close to Tisbury.
Her career started with LVMH where she was involved in PR for Krug, and Verve Clicquot; “a lifetime ago” she recalls, “I had some amazing experiences working for those brands”.
She then moved to Hermes in Munich where she was again involved with PR and events. She recollects how as a company “there are no compromises, their attention to detail on every level is inspiring; as a brand they are simply all about quality”.
Interior Design
Deciding to take a break from PR she moved to London in 2014 to enrol in a year’s Interior Design course at KLC School of Design. It was during her time on this course that she started an internship with Allegra Hicks; unbeknown to her she was employed to assist with an interior design project for Anish Kapoor’s home in Chelsea; an incredible and enlightening experience which affirmed her love of interiors and helped boost her confidence during the final stages of her course.
However Hermes was too big a draw and the managing director, Bertrand Michaud, approached her to work in their London office, but this time to head up their Interior Design department; an opportunity too good to turn down. Bertrand became a mentor, and through his guidance she led the department for 4 years; working with wholesale and private accounts and selling the Hermes collection directly to interior designers. She learned so much; it was an incredible opportunity and one which helped drive her desire to start her own brand.
She eventually decided to leave Hermes, and after a short and unsuccessful stint at Mulberry, she became the UK commercial director for Ludwig Reiter; a 6th generation family owned Austrian shoe manufacturer.
Despite her successful career with luxury brands; that chance overnight visit to Wiltshire propelled her decision to take a step away from international sales and PR and focus her attention on interior design.
Relocation
Relocating to Wiltshire has opened up an entirely new world for her. Leaving London she found herself working in Marlborough for 4 years for Robert Kime; the collector, dealer and interior decorator who sadly passed away in 2022. She recalls with huge enthusiasm how amazing it was to work for him as head of development for his collections; working with Robert designing fabrics, wallpapers, furniture and lighting. “He was forthright but fun, inspiring and so respected. He totally believed in himself and was a total inspiration”.
Whilst working with Robert she asked if he would allow her to start designing for herself alongside her work for him; and so in 2019 Upton Noble was born. Asking her dear friend Sophie Troedssen to join her meant that all areas of the business would be covered.
Sophie and Viktoria met 20 years ago whilst working together at Hermes; each bringing different strengths and experiences to the business means that Viktoria can focus her attention on the design and production; while Sophie takes care of sales and marketing from her home in New York.
Both of them have small children and so their aim is to grow the business slowly and organically with the focus on their own wallpapers and lampshades as well as a selection of beautiful antiques that are re-upholstered or reconditioned; something that she learned to do when working with Robert Kime.
Inspiration
Upton Noble’s wallpaper designs take inspiration from the countryside; the natural light; nature’s palette and their travels throughout the South West of England. Every design is hand drawn in Viktoria’s sketchbook that she carries with her everywhere. She then translates her drawings into a repeat design for wallpaper.
The wallpaper is printed in the north of England on the highest quality Belgian paper; using latex tinted colours; they avoid using chemicals wherever possible. The quality of their work is apparent when you actually touch the paper; it is so good that you can wipe it to remove any marks or scuffs, making it an excellent choice for kitchens, bathrooms and back of house spaces. It is also strong enough that you can carefully iron out any fold marks. Each roll is printed to order and each lampshade is made by hand in Dorset using their wallpapers.
Viktoria is passionate about working with traditional crafts and tradespeople. She has amassed an incredible network of antique dealers, sculptors, artists and makers who all support her and Sophie on their journey. They are flexible and approachable and are a total pleasure to work with, which is why her philosophy for the brand is simple – “to craft designs that resonate with people”.
“Wallpaper Is Like a Beautiful Dress”!
When it comes to colour Viktoria encourages clients to take samples and hang them on the wall for a few days so that the light can play across them; “The morning light is different from the evening light; a north facing wall is different to a south facing one”. She goes on to say that the “Lily of the Valley” design has been designed specifically for country homes; the soft green hues found within the design’s colour ways change according to where they are hung.
The way Viktoria conveys her interpretation of wallpaper is delightful; “Wallpaper is like a beautiful dress; it dresses the room, but it shouldn’t overwhelm; whereas pictures and artwork are like the room’s jewellery. A wallpaper should enhance the space; you want to enjoy it for many years.”
Sophie and Viktoria’s focus is to grow Upton Noble organically; focusing on quality and detail. They like being a niche brand that people discover and have no intention of being a large corporation, taking pride in many of their orders coming from word of mouth or their strong relationships with interior designers.
When questioned about future plans; Viktoria says that she is considering a fabric collection; but she is juggling a young family and is keen to follow Robert Kime’s advice – to design collections when she is ready, not when the market expects her to. In the meantime she is determined to move to Wiltshire permanently and continue to be inspired by this beautiful understated county.
