Honoring Historic Buildings with Wallcovering
As exciting as new builds can be, there’s something to be said for the character and charm of older buildings. Architects and interior designers looking to renovate them listen to the client and what they want, and they also listen to what the building is telling them. Opting to keep elements of the historic building can be a powerful storytelling device within a space, giving those who inhabit the building a sense of place and connection to the local area. To accomplish this, designers may choose to use period-appropriate elements like furniture or lighting, but another way they lean into the building’s history is through wallcovering. Through our vintage wallpaper library and custom abilities, Astek has provided wallcovering to pay homage to these five historic buildings. As an added bonus, we’ve included one case study where our design team created a custom toile to connect a new build with local history.
J-Bar at Hotel Jerome
J-Bar is nestled inside Aspen’s Hotel Jerome, part of the Auberge Resorts collection. Built in the 1880s, the hotel was one of the first buildings west of the Mississippi to have full electric lighting, and the bar lays claim to the invention of the Aspen Crud (a spiked milkshake) during Prohibition. The Tenth Mountain Division made it their watering hole while they were training nearby, and journalist Hunter S. Thompson used the bar as his de facto office while he was running for sheriff. The bar still features its historic till, signed by every bartender who has worked it for the last hundred years, and the rest of the interior leans into the old west aesthetic: tin ceilings, leather chairs, and vintage-inspired wallpaper by Astek. Our Punk Rock Toile design makes a statement– at first glance, it appears to be a classic toile with old west scenes but look closer, and you’ll find irreverent punk elements added to the cowboys and horses. The Astek design team customized this pattern even further, changing the name of the inn pictured in the toile to “Aspen Times” to reflect the historic home of the Times next door to the Hotel Jerome.
Photos: Hotel Jerome
Cole’s French Dip
The debate over who really invented the French Dip sandwich has raged for years, with both Cole’s and Phillipe’s claiming the honor– but that’s not what we’re here for. Cole’s opened in 1908, making it one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles, and was housed in the Pacific Electric Building. As the center of the railway network, this building saw hundreds of thousands of daily passengers, many of which stopped by Cole’s on their commute. Cole’s claims to have invented the French Dip sandwich when chef Jack Garlinghouse dipped a sandwich into Au Jus to soften it for a customer with bad gums. The sandwich was delicious, and the rest was history. (Just don’t ask the folks at Phillipe’s.) In 1974, the restaurant was designated by the City of Los Angeles as Historical Landmark Site #104, and on its 100-year anniversary, 213 Hospitality (now Pouring with Heart) revived and restored the restaurant to its former glory. Astek’s Heirloom flocked damask covers the walls and compliments the rest of the antique-inspired decor, transporting sandwich enthusiasts back in time.
Photos: ColesFrenchDip & LA Downtowner
Old Post Office
Eastlake Studio worked with the State Historic Preservation Office to renovate this floor of the Old Post Office, which was a former mail sorting warehouse. Throughout the project, they aimed to keep the industrial-deco vibe of the building alive while creating a workspace that functioned effectively for post-COVID work. The new design of the space embraced features like huge factory-style casement windows, high ceilings, and concrete columns and included a feature wall displaying Postal Service relics. In the vintage-inspired seating areas, our Old Ads pattern (created from real vintage wallpaper and carefully digitized by our design team) adds a turn-of-the-century touch. Built in 1921, the Old Post Office has seen hundreds of workers come and go– and the current tenants (Codal, a UX design and development company) are now a part of that history.
Photos: Kendall McCaugherty, from Hall + Merrick + McCaugherty
Formosa Cafe
In 1925, prizefighter Jimmy Bernstein opened The Formosa Cafe in a red car trolley, and the restaurant quickly became a popular haunt for celebrities due to its close proximity to The United Artists studio lot. Twenty years later, Lem Quon went into partnership with Bernstein, and took full ownership of it in 1976 when Bernstein died. The Chinese-American restaurant stayed in the family, passing to Vince Jung, Quon’s grandson. The nostalgic, historic red-and-black interiors had a rough-around-the-edges charm, so longtime patrons were disappointed with a 2015 attempt to modernize it. The renovations came along with a menu update, swapping out the Chinese-American fave dishes with trendy menu items like avocado toast and craft beer. Negative reactions from the public prompted a redesign, and the cafe opened in 2021 with a refreshed interior. 1933 Group embraced the history of the space and added elements to tell the story of Chinese-Americans in Hollywood, including historic photo displays curated by filmmaker Arthur Dong. Custom red and gold flocked wallpaper by Astek rises above red leather banquettes, serving as the backdrop for Chinese lanterns and photos of the Formosa’s many celebrity guests over the years. In the hallway leading to the restrooms, illustrative black-and-gold chinoiserie (designed by Tina Charad and printed by Astek) creates a moody, dramatic feeling.
Photos: Maxim Shapovalov
Ito House
Built in 1962 by Josef Van der Kar, The Ito House is a mid-century modern dream. This post-and-beam home is nestled on a private lot in Laurel Canyon, allowing the many floor-to-ceiling windows to let light in unencumbered by curtains– there’s no need for them when the building has been situated without the possibility of seeing a neighbor. The windows (glass walls, really) allow for indoor and outdoor living to blend in a quintessentially Californian way. The current owners have renovated it, bringing it back to its original '60s floor plan and perfectly mod appointments. The interior is decidedly mid-century, with wood paneling and clean-lined furniture throughout; of course, wallpaper referencing the period is found in a number of rooms. In the living room, a custom orange and brown ogee pattern (created by designer Justin Lieb and printed by Astek) creates a groovy feature wall. Our Vaquero Valley pattern, digitally recreated from actual vintage wallpaper, adds a desert-inspired touch to one of the bedrooms.
Photos: Crosby Doe
The Cove at Covington
As a final treat, we’re featuring one of our favorite custom patterns. This toile was created by a member of the Astek design team for Banko Design’s vision for The Cove at Covington apartments, completed in the summer of 2024. These new-build luxury apartments were created for the young professionals and artists of Covington, with plenty of nods to local history throughout. The overall design of the space is modern, open, and airy, with soft textiles and occasional pops of earthy orange and navy blue. In the game room, our custom toile adds a vintage touch, not only in the classic mode of the toile pattern but also in the elements represented within it. The Town Center” and “City Pond” street signs reference the actual cross streets of The Cove, and the Covington clocktower and trolley car hearken back to local historical architecture. Covington itself has been featured in dozens of film and TV productions since the 1950s, earning it the name “the Hollywood of the South”– hence the film reel as part of the toile. The toile features vintage sewing machines, balls of yarn, and spools of thread, due to the city’s roots in fabric and yarn manufacturing. The whole design is tied together with Georgia peaches for an extra dose of Southern charm.