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Inside a converted garage on Pacific Street, wallpaper isn’t just decoration, it’s an experience.
At Flavor Paper, a Brooklyn-based wallpaper studio, walls are covered in bold prints, unexpected textures and even scents, like their scratch and sniff designs that release fragrances like cherry and banana.
Founder Jon Sherman has spent more than two decades pushing the boundaries of what wallpaper can be.
“We try and bring in things that aren’t expected in the wallpaper world,” Sherman said. “Things that add movement and action, rather than something flat and dead on the wall.”
Sherman didn’t start out in wallpaper. In 2003, he was given 24 hours to decide whether to take over equipment from a struggling business. He said yes, loaded the machinery onto a truck and taught himself how to use it.
“It was really just a happy accident,” he said.
The company moved from New Orleans to Brooklyn in 2007, closer to suppliers and the bulk of its customer base. Sherman purchased an old garage and transformed it into a print studio and showroom.
Today, Flavor Paper employs 16 people, including designers and screen printers, producing wallpaper seen in homes and businesses around the world.
Sherman said the company’s first client was musician Lenny Kravitz. Since then, its work has appeared in a range of high-profile spaces.
Many of the designs also reflect Brooklyn itself, from imagery of the Brooklyn Bridge to tributes to the Notorious B.I.G.
The company regularly opens its doors to the community, hosting tours and workshops, including visits from local students.
“We start with preschoolers, teaching them about color and getting them involved in the process,” Sherman said. “They can be part of making something in Brooklyn that ends up in someone’s home or a museum."
From a single truckload of equipment to a globally recognized brand, Flavor Paper continues to build its business, one wall at a time.