Heritage
Montréal walls have always had stories to tell.
Empire Papier Peint began with a British mandate to bring wallpaper to Canada, and for more than a century has helped homeowners, designers, and trade professionals choose walls with presence.
Empire's origins are British: the company was granted a mandate to sell wallpaper in Canada, a commission that came by royal authority. In 1901, that mandate took shape in Montréal with a showroom at 3455 Avenue du Parc, established in partnership with Reed Paper Mills.
At Empire Papier Peint, every roll, sample book, mural, texture, and colour recommendation begins with a simple belief: a wall is never just a surface. It is a backdrop for family life, a signature for a commercial space, and often the first design element that gives a room its character.
From paper products and early wallpaper rolls, the business grew into a North American retail house. The Chamburg family and Sunworthy Wallpaper Company carried the brand and team forward, extending Empire's reach across Canada and the United States and building a reputation for breadth, service, and quality.
A showroom built on selection, service, and taste.
Empire's heritage is measured in the thousands of decisions its team has helped clients make: the mural that brings warmth to a family dining room, the durable wallcovering specified for a boutique hotel, the paint colour that completes a designer's palette, and the custom treatment that transforms a heritage home without erasing its character.
With access to more than 1,000 catalogues in store, Empire offers one of the most extensive wallcovering resources available to Montréal clients. Our library includes refined European houses, established North American brands, contemporary mural studios, textured natural materials, commercial-grade solutions, and distinctive patterns for residential projects of every scale.
| What Empire brings to each project | How it helps clients |
|---|---|
| Curated wallpaper and mural catalogues | Clients can compare patterns, textures, scales, and finishes in person before committing. |
| Décor and specification guidance | Homeowners, designers, and trade partners receive practical help with style, quantity, suitability, and coordination. |
| Benjamin Moore paint expertise | Wallpaper, murals, trim, and wall colour can be coordinated in one visit. |
| Window treatment solutions | Blinds, curtains, and motorized systems can be planned alongside the room's full decorative direction. |
| Residential and commercial experience | Empire supports family homes, condos, heritage interiors, offices, hospitality spaces, retail spaces, and trade projects. |
From pattern to atmosphere.
The world of wallpaper has changed dramatically. Today's wallcoverings are refined, architectural, expressive, durable, and often easier to install and maintain than older generations of paper. Murals can create depth, botanicals can soften a room, geometrics can add rhythm, grasscloths can introduce texture, and commercial vinyls can bring performance to high-traffic spaces.
Empire has remained part of that evolution because the heart of the work has never changed. Clients still need someone who can translate inspiration into the right material, the right scale, the right quantity, and the right installation approach. Our role is to make that process clearer, more creative, and more confident.
A Montréal institution for modern interiors.
By the 1980s, the larger North American retail network had closed most of its shops outside Quebec and Ontario. In 1984, the original flagship showroom at 3455 Avenue du Parc was purchased by Pierre Ghannoum, who brought paint suppliers, window treatments, and a host of artisanal decorative products into the Empire catalog. Those additions remain central to the showroom today.
Empire continues to serve the city from 3455 Avenue du Parc, welcoming homeowners, decorators, architects, builders, set designers, and commercial clients who want more than an online catalogue. In the showroom, clients can see colour honestly, feel texture, compare finishes, and receive experienced advice before ordering.
Whether you are restoring the dignity of a heritage interior, designing a powder room with personality, specifying finishes for a commercial project, or searching for a single accent wall that changes the entire mood of a space, Empire is here to help you create walls with presence.
Visit our Montréal showroom or contact Empire to begin your wallpaper, paint, or window treatment project.