Roses, Royalty & Revival: The Story Behind Our Randolph Rose Pattern

As we continue our behind-the-scene series of our Williamsburg Collection, we are diving into our Randolph Rose suite!

This beautiful pattern was first created by France’s most famous wallpaper maker in the late 1700s. The story of Jean-Baptiste Réveillon is fascinating —a man who started out making wallpaper and somehow ended up tied to hot-air balloons, celebrity endorsements, and even the French Revolution!

In 18th-century France, Réveillon made wallpaper beautiful and accessible. His designs caught everyone’s eye —even Marie Antoinette’s. When she used his most famous wallpaper design in her Versailles apartments, his business soared. It was one of the earliest examples of celebrity influence —long before Instagram!

Then, his wallpaper, quite literally, took flight! The first hot-air balloon lifted off from his garden, wrapped in his brightly colored paper, turning heads and capturing imaginations—a marketing stunt like no other!

But soon, France itself was about to ignite. A misunderstood comment he made about bread prices sparked riots that destroyed his home and factory —one of the very first uprisings leading into the French Revolution.

Réveillon survived, but his story is a reminder of how art, innovation, and history can unexpectedly intertwine —from wallpaper to flight to revolution.

The pattern in our Randolph Rose Suite features the white roses and medallions on a rich crimson background. It was designed to mimic luxurious silk damask —the kind once reserved for the aristocracy. Its architectural details echo carved plasterwork, a look that stayed stylish all through the late 1700s. We currently offer it in a beautiful crimson rose for holiday cards, but keep a look out –we have a gorgeous sage green and a deep blue coming out in our 2026 Spring Collection!

And if architectural elements aren’t quite your thing, we also created a beautiful, softer border from the original art –the same historical feel, just a little reimagined.

We photographed the Randolph Rose suite onsite in Williamsburg, in the beautiful Alexander Purdie Architectural Garden. Our Christmas Brunch tablescape was designed to inspire your own holiday gatherings and showcase how pieces from our Williamsburg Collection bring timeless charm to any celebration.