beachy keen: gray malin xo black crow studios wallpaper

Lisbon Umbrellas

In 2011, I was very happy to meet California-based wallpaper designer Tracy Hiner during the Architectural Digest Home Design Show at the Javits Center and chat with her for a while, because her work is amazing.

It’s bright, it’s bold, it’s abstract, it’s textural—it’s not for the faint of heart. Tracy’s designs are as much art as they are wall coverings. Specializing in artistic wallpapers and custom wall murals, her company Black Crow Studios thrives on bespoke projects where creativity can run rampant, and patterns have no repeat, at least not in the traditional sense.

When Tracy posted a picture of the paper shown above coming off the printer, I immediately wrote her to tell her how much I loved it. I couldn’t wait to share it here.   

After two chance meetings with a young, talented (and extremely brave!) photographer named Gray Malin, the pair came together to adapt Malin's beautiful images on a large scale as the Gray Malin xo Black Crow Studios collection of designer wallpapers. Tracy has collaborated with designers before, but this latest collection marks the first time she has worked with a photographer. 

I wish I could say I knew of Malin before two weeks ago, but I will be constantly be coveting his work from now on. He shoots aerial photos of landscapes—beaches, in particular—by hanging out the side of a door-less helicopter to capture these stunning shots. (The idea of this terrifies me.)

His work is captivating—I really can't get enough of the saturated colors and the umbrellas, people, and paraphernalia unconsciously creating patterns along the beach. 

The original photo by Malin, shot above a beach in Lisbon, Portugal.

I love images that relate to pool and beach culture (à la Slim Aarons), so I had to find out more about this gorgeous wallpaper that made me swoon. A select few images from Malin’s À La Plage series, shot from various heights above six continents, have been interpreted into photo-realistic scenes on three different surface materials, including one that is removable.

The colors are so vivid I will admit I kept looking for evidence that they were enhanced, but the settings depicted are really just that beautiful.

See? This photo taken by Malin above Coogee Beach, Australia.

Below, are about half of the styles from the new collection: Another design inspired by an original photo and several of the geometric and striped patterns Malin conceived based on the umbrellas and cabanas always in his lens.

Lisbon Patterned Medium

photo-realistic Waves of Cape Town

Amalfi Coast Medium

close up of St. Tropez

Hamptons Stripe

Sydney Square Stripe

Such artistry does not come cheap, but at least fantasizing is free. (Or you could start small by purchasing prints of Malin's work.)


wallpaper images via black crow studios
original photographs via maison gray


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