I've long admired the refined and warm interiors of designer, Josh Greene. So naturally, when Josh reached out to share his new collection of wallpapers I was not only eager to see them but thrilled that he was interested in having a home for them at Temple. Patterns are unique for all of their visual splendor of course, but it is often the inspiration behind the collection that really hooks me. Below is a further look at Josh's gorgeous designs and a bit about his process and inspiration too.
xo
Kate
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JOSH GREENE
Over the years I have been filing away ideas I’ve had that would make great textile or wallpaper patterns. These ranged the gamut from an old coworkers tribal sleeve tattoo to an overhead view of a Korean industrial complex. Similar to my furniture collection, and though I have now lived in NYC longer than anywhere else, my inspiration really draws on my West Coast upbringing (California and the Pacific Northwest) both architecturally and landscape-wise.
PALM TREES
I love them. Have always loved them. Never get tired of them. They’re the cutest. Also references Ed Ruscha’s "A Few Palm Trees" from 1971.
See Palms →
OFFCUT
The original inspiration for this pattern were tribal tattoos, like when you see someone’s entire arm fully tattooed as well as Pacific Northwest Indian wood carvings. The idea morphed into Offcut because the final pattern looks like wood offcuts. The pattern feels vaguely 1970s like you might have found it in a kitchen or bathroom in an old house.
See Offcut →
AERIAL
When I was flying to Manila through Seoul, I noticed this amazing industrial complex and thought it would make a super interesting pattern. It had multiple colored silos rectangular buildings but it was out of left field for this collection. I’m also obsessed with flying over Los Angeles and looking down at the landscape, seeing the winding streets, the terracotta tile roofs, the swimming pools, the oak and palm trees. We started this pattern as a freeform LA neighborhood (San Marino, to be exact, where I grew up in LA) but the pattern became too child-like. During the pandemic, I was constantly looking at real estate in the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area) on Google Maps and this is a mid-century development inside Indian Wells Country Club, which is on a straight grid and in the end, becomes a plaid.
See Aerial →
ARROYO
I was always planning on adding a floral to the collection and was thinking I wanted a modern, Japanese-esque design. But I had so many different inspirations so the designer and I decided to wait to add one at the end that worked with the rest of the designs. But I fell in love with these leaves which felt more masculine and reminded me of the all the fallen and dried up Sycamore and Oak leaves in the Arroyo Seco area of Pasadena, near where I grew up.
See Arroyo →
CYPRESS TREES
My parents lived in SF after college, and I have always loved the windblown cypress trees on the northern California coast, especially in the Presidio. I also love California Arts & Crafts and woodblock prints. I wanted a repeating pattern, similar to how art nouveau patterns are connected and spill into one another.
See Cypress →
BANDA
I had another pattern based on Brutalist architecture and this geometric stripe came out of that. I eliminated the Brutalist one because it just wasn’t working, it was less dynamic than the others. But I loved this version and don’t see many loose geometric stripes out there in such odd color combinations.
See Banda →
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Shop Josh Greene Design.
