Wall to Notebook

The wallpaper of 14 Henrietta Street tells us a lot about how people lived in Ireland during the 20th century. When this house was renovated, layers of wallpaper were often found underneath newer ones. These layers show how styles and tastes changed over time, and how families adapted their homes. Usually to save time or money wallpaper was put directly over the previous layer.

From the samples found in the house, they were recreated and hand screen-printed by David Skinner, the renowned wallpaper maker, conservator and researcher. As part of the conservation project, Dublin City Council commissioned David Skinner to recreate the historic papers found in the house. These beautifully recreated papers can be found hanging on the walls of the house today. It is also this recreated wallpaper that has been used as the covering material for the Henrietta Street notebooks, creating a visually stunning and unique notebook.

Our hand-bound bespoke notebooks are made in Dublin 1 at the Five Lamps by Duffy Bookbinders. The cover design is an authentic recreation of the stylized floral motif wallpaper that was found in our playroom (ground floor) and Mrs. Dowling's room at 14 Henrietta Street.

All Duffy's notebooks are bound to the highest standard in their family bindery on Seville Terrace, Dublin. They are a traditional bindery where most of the process is still completed by hand. The notebooks consist of unruled 160gm ivory paper, perfect for both writing and drawing.

You can buy a notebook for yourself or to give as a gift here.

Watch our video below to see the work involved in preserving Mrs. Dowling's room and how a sample of the original wallpaper was found and then recreated for the museum.