Cole & Son

What Cole & Son does

Cole & Son is a British luxury wallpaper and fabric manufacturer founded in 1875, legally Cole & Son (Wallpapers) Ltd, headquartered at 3 Jubilee Place in Chelsea, London. The company sells premium wallcoverings across material bases including 335+ non-woven, grasscloth, pure silk, mica, eco-base, and flock variants, alongside fabrics in cotton, jacquard, linen union, silk, and velvet. Manufacturing relies on traditional craft techniques (strié and moiré effects) combined with in-house hand-painted artwork produced at the Chelsea flagship, and incorporates an eco substrate innovation introduced with the Fungi Forest collaboration. Wallpaper rolls price from approximately £111 to £569 and fabrics from £117 to £3,122, with higher tiers for extra-wide formats such as Fungi Forest and Seasonal Woods Silk.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at cole-and-son.com with international shipping to the US, EU, Australia, the Middle East, and Asia, alongside the Chelsea flagship gallery open six days a week that doubles as a retail and design studio. A separate trade portal (etrade.cole-and-son.com) serves interior design professionals, supporting a B2B specification channel. Distribution is complemented by same-day diamond delivery on wallpaper orders to select London postcodes. Revenue derives entirely from one-time product sales across wallpaper, fabric, and a Ready to Style cushion add-on range, with no subscription, licensing, or recurring model disclosed.

Cole & Son sells to three identifiable customer segments: high-end residential consumers seeking heritage-grade decorative wallcoverings (primary); boutique hotels, restaurants, and hospitality venues (e.g., Obica Bahrain, Tigmiza Marrakech); and professional interior designers specifying the brand for client projects. Differentiation is anchored in 150+ years of brand heritage, a Royal Warrant held since 1961, an extensive in-house design archive, and ongoing collaborations with luxury partners including Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Fornasetti, Harrods, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, and Ardmore.

Name

Cole & Son

Legal name

Cole & Son (Wallpapers) Ltd

Website

https://cole-and-son.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1875

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cole & Son (Wallpapers) Ltd, founded in 1875 and headquartered in Chelsea, London, manufactures and sells luxury hand-crafted wallpaper and fabric collections globally via its e-commerce site, flagship gallery, and a B2B trade portal serving affluent residential consumers, hospitality projects, and interior designers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Wallcoverings and Fabrics

NAICS

Paint and Wallpaper Retailers (44412), Home Furnishings Retailers (44912)

SIC

Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores (5700)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Wallcoverings (Wallpaper, Vinyl, Fabric) (IMADAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Colored, Art & Premium Paper Manufacturing (IMAMAEAG)

Keywords

• Luxury wallcoverings
• Designer fabrics
• Wallpaper collections
• Interior decor materials
• Heritage home furnishings

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wallpaper Sales: One-time sale of wallpaper rolls in various sizes and materials. Wallpapers range from £111 to £569+ per roll depending on design and material complexity. Products include standard rolls, wide-width rolls (Fungi Forest is almost twice as wide as standard), and sample sizes.
2. Fabric Sales: Sale of luxury fabrics including cotton, linen union, silk, velvet, and jacquard materials. Fabric prices range from £117 for basic velvet to £3,122 for premium silk options.
3. Ready to Style Products: Pre-made cushion products and accessories sold alongside wallpapers and fabrics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cole & Son manufactures and sells luxury wallpapers and fabrics for residential and commercial interiors. The company offers over 30 wallpaper collections spanning hand-painted archival designs and high-profile designer collaborations (Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Fornasetti, Harrods), plus luxury fabric ranges in cotton, jacquard, linen union, silk, and velvet, complemented by ready-made cushions and accessories.

Product overview

Cole & Son is a luxury wallpaper and fabric manufacturer established in 1875, holding a Royal Warrant by appointment to His Majesty the King since 1961. The company offers a diverse portfolio of products centered around two core offerings: Wallpaper Collections (featuring over 30 distinct collections including designer collaborations such as Cole & Son x Vivienne Westwood, Fornasetti Senza Tempo II, Couture Carousel with Harrods, and Fungi Forest with Stella McCartney) and Fabrics (luxury textiles in cotton, jacquard, linen union, silk, and velvet materials, including The Gardens Fabrics and The Contemporary Collection). The product line is complemented by Ready to Style cushions. The company is distinguished by hand-painted designs, traditional craftsmanship methods including strié and moiré techniques, and sustainable innovations such as eco substrates in the Fungi Forest collection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cole & Son x Vivienne Westwood: Wallcovering collaboration featuring iconic British design with Vivienne Westwood's print archives and hand-drawn graphics.
• Cole & Son x Stella McCartney
• Cole & Son x Harrods
• Fornasetti Senza Tempo
• Ardmore Collection
• Selection of Hummingbirds
• The Gardens
• Shinrin Yoku

Products and services

• Wallpaper Collections Over 30 distinct wallpaper collections including designer collaborations (Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Fornasetti, Harrods, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Ardmore), archival designs, and contemporary patterns across multiple substrates (non-woven, grasscloth, silk, mica, eco base, flock). Designed for luxury residential interiors and premium commercial spaces.
• Fabrics Luxury fabric collection including cotton, jacquard, linen union, silk, and velvet materials. Includes The Gardens Fabrics, The Contemporary Collection Fabrics, and Selection of Hummingbirds textiles, designed to coordinate with wallpaper ranges for upholstery, soft furnishings, and drapery.
• Ready to Style Cushions Pre-made cushion products and accessories sold alongside wallpapers and fabrics, including collaborations such as Couture Carousel cushions.
• Cole & Son x Vivienne Westwood Capsule wallpaper collection featuring iconic British design reimagined through the Vivienne Westwood lens. Eight designs over 31 colourways including hand-rendered stripes, trompe-l'oeil tartans, graphic leopard prints, and squiggles, designed, hand-painted, and printed within Great Britain.
• Fornasetti Senza Tempo II Wallcovering collection from the partnership between Cole & Son and Milanese atelier Fornasetti, transforming collector's curiosities into distinguished wallcoverings.
• Couture Carousel Collection Wallcovering and cushion collection commemorating Harrods' 175th anniversary, featuring fashion illustrations in vibrant and muted watercolours inspired by vintage Harrods magazine covers.
• Fungi Forest Cole & Son x Stella McCartney collaboration wallpaper featuring the Summer 2022 Fungi Forest toile de Jouy print, printed on eco substrate derived from 79% renewable fibres with 30% less greenhouse gas emissions than traditional non-woven wallcoverings.
• Selection of Hummingbirds Celebration of Cole & Son's most beloved design icon originally created in the 1780s, featuring hummingbird motifs in wallpapers and coordinating textiles (cotton poplins, raw silks, embroidered silks).
• The Gardens Wallpaper and fabric collection featuring nature's panoramas rendered through the artist's brush. Hand-drawn and hand-painted epic landscape designs in multiple panels plus millefleur patterns, available on non-woven, grasscloth, pure silk, and mica substrates.
• Shinrin Yoku Fall/Winter 2024 collection inspired by 'Forest Bathing,' the Japanese practice of connecting with nature, featuring Japanese-inspired designs including gardens, traditions, arts and crafts, and modern fashion.
• Ardmore Collection South African-inspired wallpaper collection featuring bold animal prints, vibrant colours, and exotic flora, including sub-collections Baobab and Jabula.
• Botanical Botanica Botanical wallpaper collection featuring botanical illustrations and nature-inspired designs.
• Classics Collection Vol.I & Vol.II Archival wallpaper collection featuring Cole & Son's beloved designs from over 150 years of heritage, including Paradise Tree and other historic patterns.
• Martyn Lawrence Bullard Collection Wallpaper collection collaboration with interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, featuring his distinctive eclectic, jet-set style and glamorous Hollywood Regency aesthetic.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fungi Forest uses eco substrate with 30% less greenhouse gas emissions than traditional non-woven wallcoverings
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• Stella McCartneyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Cole & Son x Stella McCartney collaboration launched at Salone del Mobile 2022. The Fungi Forest wallpaper adapts Stella McCartney's Summer 2022 Fungi Forest toile de Jouy print as a wallcovering in rich tones of Burgundy and Navy. Featured at Stella McCartney's Future of Fashion exhibition. This is Cole & Son's most sustainable wallpaper to date, using an eco substrate from 79% renewable fibres.
• Vivienne WestwoodflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCole & Son x Vivienne Westwood is a new wallcovering collaboration launched in 2024, reimagining fabrics, prints and hand-drawn graphics from Vivienne Westwood's creative archives. The capsule collection comprises eight designs over 31 colourways including hand-rendered stripes, trompe-l'oeil tartans, graphic leopard prints, and expansive squiggles. Designed, hand-painted, and printed entirely within Great Britain using traditional methods including strié and moiré techniques.
• HarrodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCole & Son collaborated with Harrods Interior Design to create the Couture Carousel wallcovering and cushion collection commemorating Harrods' 175th anniversary. The collection features croquis drawings accented against Harrods' signature windows, inspired by vintage Harrods magazine covers with fashion illustrations in watercolours.
• FornasettiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnduring partnership between Cole & Son and the Milanese Atelier Fornasetti. The Fornasetti Senza Tempo II collection represents the latest volume in this ongoing collaboration, transforming Fornasetti's collector's curiosities into distinguished wallcoverings. Designs feature fruits of nature, shells, lush foliage, curious creatures, and sky themes.
• Martyn Lawrence BullardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMartyn Lawrence Bullard is a celebrated interior designer with a dedicated Cole & Son collection featuring his distinctive eclectic, jet-set style. The collection brings his glamorous Hollywood Regency aesthetic to Cole & Son's wallpaper portfolio.
• Historic Royal PalacescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCole & Son collaborated with Historic Royal Palaces to create the Great Masters collection, featuring designs inspired by historical wallcoverings found in royal residences including Hampton Court and the Tower of London.
• Ardmore DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCole & Son x Ardmore collaboration featuring South African-inspired designs including the Baobab and Jabula collections. Ardmore's signature bold, vibrant African aesthetic translated into Cole & Son's wallpaper designs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zoffany: Luxury British wallpaper and fabric house with an archival/decorative-art sensibility, serving interior designers and high-end residential customers worldwide. Overlaps directly with Cole & Son's archival and design-led positioning.
• Pierre Frey: French heritage fabric and wallpaper house selling globally to designers and luxury residential clients. Comparable product mix (wallpapers + decorative fabrics), heritage positioning, and trade-designer channel.
• Farrow & Ball: British heritage paint and wallpaper brand serving the same high-end residential and interior design market with comparable premium positioning, DTC e-commerce, and global shipping. Closest UK-based direct competitor with similar Royal-adjacent brand equity.
• Sanderson (part of Morris & Co): UK heritage wallpaper and fabric house with archival designs and a trade-designer channel, directly competing in the same luxury residential segment as Cole & Son. Shares British design heritage, Royal Warrant heritage, and wholesale interior-design distribution.
• Schumacher: US-based luxury fabric and wallpaper brand with a long heritage (founded 1889), serving interior designers and luxury residential. Closest large-scale US analogue to Cole & Son's designer-trade and direct-to-consumer model.
• Osborne & Little: British designer-driven wallpaper and fabric brand, sold through trade showrooms and DTC, targeting the same interior designer and luxury residential segment as Cole & Son.
• de Gournay: Hand-painted luxury wallcoverings and panels serving ultra-luxury residential and hospitality globally. Comparable to Cole & Son on craftsmanship-led, artist-produced wallcoverings at the top of the price pyramid.
• Scalamandre: US heritage textile house (founded 1929) producing luxury fabrics, wallcoverings, and trimmings for designers and luxury hospitality. Comparable heritage, trade-designer focus, and premium price points.
• Morris & Co (William Morris): Iconic British heritage wallpaper and fabric brand, founded on William Morris archive designs, serving the same luxury residential and design-trade customers. Direct competitor in the heritage/archival wallpaper category.

Emerging players

• House of Hackney: Contemporary British wallpaper and homeware brand with bold patterns and a strong DTC/Instagram presence. Competes for the same design-conscious affluent customer but with a more modern, less archival aesthetic.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cole_and_son_wallpapers
• Xx.com/cole_and_son

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cole & Son