Meet the maker: Maggie Lam, wallpaper designer

Often, she is busy with a paint brush or pencil bringing to life her bespoke range of fabrics and wallpapers with delightful sketches.

When a senior designer for high-end Canadian department store Holt Renfrew approached Maggie Lam to create a bespoke pattern for its Christmas holiday campaign, her initial reaction was: “No way! Why me?”

But looking at the designer’s portfolio comprising joyous hand-drawn scenes evocative of quaint English countryside, Chinoiserie landscapes of ponds and pergolas, exotic animals and highly detailed fruits and florals, it’s clear why she was given the job: her talent is special.

The Holt Renfrew design, based on Maggie’s signature Toile de Jouy motifs, later found its way onto luxury designer Manolo Blahnik shoes.

Although Maggie has always believed in the notion of dreaming big, she admits being a creative comes with self-doubt.

“Most – if not all – creative people tend to be very sensitive about what others think of their work,” she says. “I’m still learning to be an artist and how to run my business, but if I get to share my thoughts with those wanting to pave a career in the creative industry, I tell them that there are many different styles of art and that people have different tastes in art. Not everyone is going to love your style; you just have to find your tribe. Then keep creating, keep moving forward.”

With that philosophy Maggie has built a varied portfolio and clientele who appreciate her intricate Toile de Jouy style, the pastoral design which garnered global attention during the 18th Century when German entrepreneur Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf set up a printed textile manufactory in Jouy-en-Josas, France. The pattern has stood the test of time due to its storytelling qualities; contemporary creatives put their own spin on it with locales close to their hearts.

For Maggie, born in Hong Kong’s Kowloon, it’s memories of shopping with her mother and sister that inspire her.

“Most of my life in Hong Kong was influenced by the British Government which ruled during the era I grew up in,” she says. “My mum loved fashion just as much as I do and would often take my sister and me to department stores like Marks & Spencer to buy us patterned dresses,” Maggie recalls. “My work is quite largely influenced by that.”

Despite having never travelled to Britain, Maggie’s fantasies can take her to the English countryside; her daydreams unfold across her textiles which detail whimsical foxes, rabbits and hedgehogs, and willow tree-lined millponds home to fluffy ducklings. Other motifs depict the Southern Cross star constellation and woodland inspired by Auckland’s Maungakiekie One Tree Hill.

Hand-drawn or painted on paper in her Auckland studio, using watercolour, gouache, ink and sometimes charcoal, these designs are scanned and digitalised then pieced together in repeat patterns using Adobe Photoshop. The result is then transformed into quality wallpapers printed in New Zealand, Australia, USA and the UK, as well as onto linen for curtains and upholstery.

Bespoke projects begin with creating a mood board with clients, brainstorming motifs and their meanings and colourway options. The purpose of the pattern will determine whether it’s produced in small- or large-scale.

On launching her surface design brand in 2015, Maggie was advised by a mentor to allow herself to dream big. However, that ethos seemed to have been already engrained in her, as she had left the home comforts of Hong Kong at just 16 to come to New Zealand as an international student. Here, she found the curriculum supported her strengths. She excelled in design and fine art and was awarded a scholarship, going on to become a town planner. Ultimately, that career did not tick her creative boxes and so, with a leap of faith, she pivoted.

“I achieved big dreams when I engaged with a luxury department store on the opposite side of the world, so my business goals for the future are huge,” Maggie says. “I want to bring my wallpapers and fabrics to the UK, USA and Hong Kong. I want people all over the world see my work.”