Becoming Odette

From a childhood home wallpapered in silver forests to late nights searching antique archives, our founder, Kelly shares the story of Odette – a romance with wallpaper, Paris and the pursuit of beauty that defies time. 

The Journey

I fell in love with wallpaper in the 1980s; my childhood home was plastered with it — grasscloth in the stairwell, earthy florals on the kitchen ceiling, and my favourite: a cloud of metallic butterflies that shimmered across the silvery walls of my parents’ bedroom. Each room was a world of its own, alive with personality and enchantment.

Throughout my career, I’ve returned to wallpaper as the element that lends rooms their most sensuous impact — setting mood, anchoring story, and evoking emotion in a way no paint or textile can.

This moody floral wallpaper by Sanderson brings tenure and weight to this moody dining room. 
Interior: Kelly Deck Design, Photo Ema Peters

A subtle print layers on luxury and ease in this timeless children's room.
Interior: Kelly Deck Design, Photo Ema Peters

For years I wanted to create my own collection, but the idea hovered somewhere between dream and distraction.

That changed in Paris in January 2024.

I travel to Paris every year, and each visit reminds me why I love design and the decorative arts. The city is a montage of eras — a world within worlds. Its ateliers are portals: tiny rooms filled with devotion and the courage to create something wholly original. 

On this trip, my colleague Mari and I spent our days slipping into shops, studios, and cafés that felt like treasure chests. One of our stops was Antoinette Poisson, a long-time favourite. Their beautiful products and wallpaper — steeped in the decorative arts of eighteenth-century France — always moves me. To our delight, that day founders Vincent Farelly and Jean-Baptiste Martin were in the shop, greeting patrons. They shared their story of resurrecting archival patterns and reviving the domino printing technique. Then, with evident pride, they showed us one of their newest creations — perfume-infused cards, replicas of antique playing cards they had found visiting an antiques dealer. The originals were delicate and time-worn, each inscribed with a sentimental message on the back and Vincent kindle showed them to us.  

Top left and right: Vignette and beautiful packaging from our visit to Antoinette Poisson Notre Boutique-Atelier
Bottom left, Vincent Farelly shows us the collection of playing cards that inspired their scented card decks (bottom right) 

Witnessing the creativity and innovation of Vincent and Jean-Baptiste ignited my determination to bring my dream into reality.

Each night, after I’d tucked my daughter into bed, I’d sit at my desk and comb through digital archives, chasing that feeling of discovering the perfect creative spark. One evening, I came across a document from the mid-1800s with several patterns in it — one of which was an unusual design using the house symbols from a card deck - hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. It reminded me of the beautiful cards from Antoinette Poisson. It felt like the “yes” I’d been waiting for. 

French textiles from Maison Robert, by Victor Ducroquet; 1863; Paris.

Over the next year, I immersed myself in learning how to create our wallpaper patterns. We used that archival document as a starting point — extracting motifs, redrawing elements, and composing new patterns. I worked closely with an expert in the UK to develop and colour every print. There were countless strike-offs and revisions; the learning curve was steep, but each refinement brought us closer to the depth and tactility I envisioned — papers with soul. Whether printed on eco-friendly paper or woven substrates, every pattern now carries a layered richness.

Odette the brand

Although Odette’s first collection draws from the 1800’s, the brand itself was born from my love of the early 1920s — that delicious moment when Art Nouveau began to evolve into Art Deco. I’m endlessly drawn to that intersection, where organic lines meet structure and ornament finds order. Beyond the architecture and objects of that time, I’ve always been enchanted by the covers of the famous French illustrated weekly magazine La Vie Parisienne: witty, irreverent illustrations of self-possessed women — smoking, laughing, entirely their own. Their bohemian defiance inspired the tone of Odette’s voice and personality. 

This illusive woman became our muse: romantic, witty, clever, rebellious, obsessive, and endlessly curious. She’s an invitation to be decorative, to tell strong stories through your interiors, to celebrate history without being bound by it.

1. La Vie Parisienne, 20 November, 1920. ‘Son Breviaire’, by Georges Léonnec
2. La Vie Parisienne, 31 August, 1918. ‘À Quoi Rêvent les Jeunes Filles’, by Georges Léonnec

Early brand exploration by Tardigrada Design Studio, logo sketch.

France has taught me that beauty and rebellion can live side by side — that the most compelling spaces are those that reveal both devotion and freedom.

When people encounter Odette wallpaper for the first time, I hope they feel as though they’ve resurrected a piece of history — in a way that feels modern and alive. I love the thought of our patterns mixed with contemporary architecture, layered with bold art, and used by people who are unafraid to play.

Looking ahead, my hope is that Odette continues to keep our patrons curious and inspired. I want it to feel like a living conversation — between past and present, designer and dreamer — where together we bring the patterns we imagine to life. Because, at its heart, Odette isn’t about conformity. It’s about affinity — about finding beauty that resonates, and letting it transform the world around you.