Deus ex Gardenia x The British Museum

We are so excited to finally share this, our collaboration with the British Museum, a collection rooted in the extraordinary Indian art held within their walls. It has been a labour of love from the very beginning, and we hope it brings a little of that wonder into your home.

It started with a visit. Marco and I were at the British Museum, drawn there for inspiration  and I remember the thought arriving quite simply: imagine turning this into wallpaper. I've always designed from historic references, so a collaboration felt like a natural extension of how we work and what we love as a brand. At Deus Ex Gardenia, we've focused on wallcoverings that capture the wonder of nature since we founded the brand in 2022, it's there in the name, after all. Working with a collection as vast and as beautiful as the British Museum's felt like the most natural thing in the world.

The Museum is the first national public museum in the world, and its collection spans over two million years of human history across eight million objects. Among them, we found ourselves completely captivated by the Indian artworks, many of which aren't usually on display. Their exquisite brushwork, lush depictions of foliage and birds, and elaborate decorative borders stopped us in our tracks. We knew immediately that this was where the collection would begin.

Their team were wonderful to work with, sharing a curated guide of 1,200 objects arranged by culture and theme, which gave us a rich entry point into the collection. Often I'd discover one artist through that guide and then disappear down a rabbit hole, exploring everything else they'd ever made.

The process of choosing which works to draw from was deeply instinctive. I'd scroll through hundreds, sometimes thousands of pieces, and something would simply stop me. If it made me pause, I knew there was something there. Colour is often what catches me first, historical pigments have an extraordinary confidence to them, a saturation that feels almost bold by modern standards. With Savana, for example, I was initially drawn to the jungle scene as a whole, but looking more closely I noticed rainfall across the leaves. That kind of detail pulls you in further and further.

Seeing the works in person was another thing entirely. We visited the Museum's Prints and Drawings Study Room to view the Claude Gillot piece which inspired The Birds at Play wallpaper, and I remember being struck immediately by how small it was. The pigments have a depth that simply doesn't translate on a screen. You see the brushwork, the texture, and you appreciate it so much more. Being that close to an object that has survived centuries, with only a few other people around you, felt like a genuine privilege.

Interpreting these works for modern homes came with its own set of challenges and each piece had its own. Colour was one: some of the originals are intensely saturated, and while I didn't want to dilute them, certain tones needed tempering so they could live comfortably in a contemporary interior. It's a fine balance between honouring the original and making something that feels relevant today. We spent a long time perfecting every detail down to the precise shade of green in a single leaf making sure each design honours the spirit of the original while feeling fresh and approachable.

Scale was another consideration. Many of the works I was drawing from were miniatures, so translating that level of intricate detail into a much larger repeat requires real care. With Palamara and Frida, we worked from larger artworks where the full composition would have been almost overwhelming at scale, so we focused on particular elements within them, details that are still impactful, but liveable as a room. For Fablewood, a woodland scene that contained hunting details, I chose to focus on the quieter, more idyllic moments, the flora, the fauna, the stillness.

Throughout the whole process, we worked closely with the Museum's curatorial team to share ideas, develop concepts and ensure that the way we used these objects felt considered and respectful. As always, everything is printed in England on premium paper, luxurious, and kind to the environment.

The collection launches in three series, presented as botanicals, all-over prints, and murals, the collection moves between the atmospheric and the understated, bringing quiet depth and soul to modern interiors. We hope these designs spark joy, curiosity, and a renewed appreciation for the artistry of the past and we can't wait to see how you bring them to life in your own spaces.

Explore the full collection