Buyer's guide · 2026
Top Designer Wallpaper Brands 2026
The nine heritage and contemporary houses Empire Wallpaper stocks in Montréal — with a note on what each does best, where they're made, and how fast we can ship from our showroom.
Since 1901, Empire Wallpaper has been Montréal's destination for premium wallcovering. Over more than a century of sourcing, we have learned which wallpaper houses produce work that endures — patterns that look as considered in a decade as they do on installation day. This guide is our 2026 shortlist: the designer wallpaper brands we sample daily in the showroom, specify on trade projects across Québec, and stand behind without hesitation. Whether you are decorating a single feature wall or wallpapering an entire residence, these are the collections worth knowing.
- 01
Cole & Son
- Country
- London, UK
- Speciality
- English heritage prints
- Materials
- Non-woven · hand-blocked · screen-printed
- Lead time
- Stocked in Montreal · 3–5 day ship
Cole & Son has been producing wallpaper in England since 1873, and their archive is one of the most referenced in the wallpaper industry. Their Fornasetti, Botanical Botanica, and Woods & Pears wallpaper collections are perennial favourites at Empire — patterns with enough visual weight to anchor a room without overwhelming it. The non-woven wallpaper substrate makes installation straightforward, and the hand-blocked colourways reward close inspection. For clients who want a wallpaper that reads as genuinely considered rather than trend-driven, Cole & Son is consistently the right answer.
- 02
Thibaut
- Country
- New Jersey, USA
- Speciality
- Documentary florals & chinoiserie
- Materials
- Non-woven · grasscloth · matching fabrics
- Lead time
- Stocked in Montreal · 5–7 day ship
Thibaut occupies a distinct position in the American wallpaper market: a house that produces documentary florals and chinoiserie wallpaper with the kind of archival rigour more often associated with European brands. Their Indienne, Dynasty, and Sojourn wallpaper collections translate well into both traditional and transitional interiors. The matching fabric program is a genuine asset for designers working on full-room treatments. Lead times from our Montréal stock are among the fastest in the wallpaper catalogue — an important consideration for renovation projects with firm completion dates.
- 03
Phillip Jeffries
- Country
- New Jersey, USA
- Speciality
- Designer grasscloth & natural fibre
- Materials
- Grasscloth · sisal · silk · performance vinyl
- Lead time
- Trade sampling · 2–3 week ship
No other wallpaper brand does natural fibre the way Phillip Jeffries does. Their grasscloth, sisal, jute, and silk wallpaper weaves bring a textural dimension to a wall that printed wallpaper simply cannot replicate. The material absorbs light rather than reflecting it, which softens acoustics and adds warmth to large, hard-surfaced spaces. Their performance vinyl wallpaper line extends the same aesthetic into hospitality and commercial environments where durability is non-negotiable. If a client asks for something that feels handmade and genuinely luxurious, Phillip Jeffries is the first wallpaper name we reach for.
- 04
Sanderson
- Country
- London, UK
- Speciality
- English country & Morris archive
- Materials
- Heavy non-woven · paste-the-wall · washable
- Lead time
- UK import · 2–3 week ship
Sanderson's strength is the Morris & Co. wallpaper archive — William Morris's original botanical and geometric designs, produced with the same commitment to colour and craft that defined them in the 1870s. The Willow Bough, Strawberry Thief, and Pimpernel wallpaper patterns have been in continuous production for over a century because they are genuinely timeless. The heavy non-woven substrate is paste-the-wall, which simplifies installation considerably. For clients decorating a bedroom, study, or reading room where the wallpaper is meant to feel like an heirloom, Sanderson delivers.
- 05
Morris & Co.
- Country
- London, UK
- Speciality
- Original William Morris archive
- Materials
- Heavy non-woven · paste-the-wall · documentary
- Lead time
- UK import · 2–3 week ship
Morris & Co. carries the original William Morris wallpaper archive as a standalone brand, distinct from Sanderson's broader offering. The patterns here are drawn directly from Morris's own designs — Acanthus, Bird, Seaweed — with colourways that honour the original vegetable dyes rather than modernising them into something more commercial. The result is wallpaper that reads as genuinely historical. For heritage properties, period restorations, and clients who want their walls to tell a story, Morris & Co. is unmatched.
- 06
Zoffany
- Country
- London, UK
- Speciality
- English country-house archive
- Materials
- Heavy non-woven · documentary · trompe-l'œil
- Lead time
- UK import · 2–3 week ship
Zoffany produces wallpaper for rooms that are meant to be taken seriously. Their English country-house archive draws on centuries of decorative tradition — damasks, documentary prints, trompe-l'œil panels — executed on heavy non-woven substrates that hang with authority. The Deco and Rhapsody wallpaper collections have a graphic confidence that works well in dining rooms and entrance halls where the wallpaper is the dominant design statement. Zoffany is a brand for clients who understand that the best wallpaper is an investment, not a trend.
- 07
Arte
- Country
- Zonhoven, Belgium
- Speciality
- Natural-material wallcoverings
- Materials
- Paper weave · cork · mica · metal leaf
- Lead time
- Contract sampling · 3–4 week ship
Arte is the Belgian house that changed what natural-material wallpaper could be. Their paper weave, cork, mica, and metal-leaf wallpaper collections are produced with a level of material sophistication that makes them genuinely unlike anything else in the market. The Signature and Monochrome collections are particularly strong — surfaces that shift with the light and reward the kind of sustained attention that most wallpaper does not invite. Arte is the right choice for hospitality projects, executive spaces, and residential interiors where the brief calls for something that cannot be found in a standard wallpaper catalogue.
- 08
Brunschwig & Fils
- Country
- New York, USA
- Speciality
- Documentary American & European archive
- Materials
- Non-woven · grasscloth · matching fabrics
- Lead time
- Trade sampling · 2–3 week ship
Brunschwig & Fils has been producing documentary American and European archive wallpaper since 1925. Their Les Touches, Arbre de Matisse, and Crayfish wallpaper patterns are among the most recognised in the trade. The grasscloth and natural-fibre wallpaper offerings sit alongside printed non-woven collections, giving designers a single source for both textural and pattern-driven wallpaper. The matching fabric program is extensive. For clients who want a wallpaper house with genuine archival depth and a proven track record in high-end residential projects, Brunschwig & Fils belongs on the shortlist.
- 09
Clarke & Clarke
- Country
- Manchester, UK
- Speciality
- Volume British pattern & textiles
- Materials
- Non-woven · paste-the-wall · matching fabrics
- Lead time
- UK import · 2–3 week ship
Clarke & Clarke brings accessible British wallpaper pattern to the market without compromising on quality. Their botanical, geometric, and textural wallpaper collections cover a broad range of interior styles — from relaxed country to clean contemporary — at price points that make full-room treatments viable for a wider range of projects. The paste-the-wall non-woven substrate is consistent and easy to work with. For clients who want the aesthetic of a premium British wallpaper house without the lead times and price premiums of the heritage brands, Clarke & Clarke is the practical choice.
How to Choose the Right Wallpaper Brand for Your Project
The wallpaper brands on this list are not interchangeable. Each one has a distinct material language, a different relationship to pattern and archive, and a different set of practical considerations around lead time, installation, and durability.
If you are working on a heritage or period property, start with Morris & Co., Sanderson, or Zoffany — wallpaper houses whose archives were built for exactly that context. If the brief calls for natural texture and material warmth, Phillip Jeffries and Arte are the wallpaper specialists. For documentary American and European archive wallpaper, Thibaut and Brunschwig & Fils are the reference points. If you need a premium British wallpaper with fast availability from Montréal stock, Cole & Son and Clarke & Clarke are the most reliable options.
Empire Wallpaper carries all of these designer wallpaper brands in our Montréal showroom. Our trade team can source samples, confirm lead times, and advise on installation requirements for any wallpaper project in Québec and across Canada. Contact us to arrange a consultation or visit the showroom at our Montréal location.
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