Passion for print leads to a new wallpaper business for Lynne Testoni
Creating her own wallpaper range has been “the most wonderful journey” for former journalist and marketer Lynne Testoni, managing director of Moore & Moore.
With a background in lifestyle magazines, she then worked in marketing for some large retailers including a paint company. “That’s where I was first exposed to wallpaper and I was immediately smitten! I could see how much you could do with it and how much fun it was!”
Lynne saw a fit with her magazine experience as she knew a lot about printing and I found it fascinating. She has spent the last year establishing the business, doing market research and developing the designs. Moore & Moore’s first collection was launched in January.
“One of the most challenging elements was to source the wallpaper base paper, which was created especially for me by Australian Paper, the last remaining paper company in Australia. They developed it just for me using the benchmarks I set after my research. This development took about four months but it was worth it. A local wallpaper hanger says it is the best paper he has ever worked with!”
The designs were created by artist KT Doyle, in collaboration with Lynne. The pair aimed for classic with an Australian twist, so the Damask design (a popular European style) was created using native Flannel Flowers. The Gum Leaves design is, of course, particularly Aussie.
The wallpaper is printed in Australia, giving Moore & Moore a massive advantage over other companies. “Because everything is sourced locally I can respond to local demand quickly, which is a real plus in the wallpaper market. Most wallpaper sold here is from overseas so many people have to wait for weeks for stocks and even samples. I can supply customers almost immediately, plus I think that I have sourced the sort of designs and colours that Australians are interested in. Many of the overseas papers are far busier and in stronger colours than what we usually like in this country.”
Photography of Lynne’s Sydney home by John Paul Urizar.
