Custom Coloring

An inspired choice of color is easily as important as the specific pattern when selecting wallpaper. At Adelphi Paper Hangings, each order is printed individually, allowing us to tailor the palette to the client’s needs.
The primary image of each available pattern shown on this website depicts its document colorway and is referred to as the A colorway; for most patterns there are also images of alternative colorways. The B colorway uses color appropriate for the time period of the pattern. Colorways C and D are not necessarily historic but have been created to reflect more contemporary sensibilities.
The choices, however, are not limited to these examples.
Additional colorways can be devised in any number of ways, including:
- Choosing one or more alternative colors from the Adelphi Paper Hangings Studio Color Book. The book contains many of the colors we have formulated over the years, from sedate beiges and greys initially used as ground colors in the Janes and Bolles collection, to the high pitched yellows and acid greens from the golden age of French wallpapers. One or more of these can be substituted in any pattern at no additional charge. (A “loaner” copy of the color book is available for a $50. deposit.)
- Any color from any Adelphi pattern may be used in a custom color project, even though it may not appear in the Color Book.
- Coordinating a pattern with existing design colors. Adelphi Paper Hangings will gladly color match to color or paint chips provided by the clients. (The fee for color matching is $100. per color)
Strike Offs
Depending on the complexity and degree of color substitutions it is advisable to order a strike off, or test print, of a custom colored pattern before placing an order. Generally, we provide a strike off with several pattern repeats. The fee for strike offs is $60. per printed color.
NOTE: Strike offs are simply a test for color compatibility; the print quality may be less refined than the final product.
A less expensive alternative to a strike off is a simple “color sketch,” which gives a general sense of how the pattern and the new colorway interact. (Color sketches will suggest the size and proportion of the color areas of a pattern but do not reproduce pattern details.)