As you know, Dodo Toucan was born from my love for ceramics, color, and everything that the hand can shape or draw! For several years, I have mainly worked with clay – I model, I paint, I create objects that tell simple and poetic stories. But beyond ceramics, my journey is profoundly artistic and multidisciplinary: I draw, I paint, and I have always enjoyed exploring different mediums, from clay to stationery.
So when Maison Bonami offered me a collaboration around a wallpaper, I immediately said yes.
Normally, I play small!
Charms, small vases, and other miniatures are the playground I’ve explored since the creation of Dodo Toucan. But, a few years ago, surely seized by delusions of grandeur, I had painted a fresco on the workshop wall… 4 days dedicated to painting by hand and literally immersing myself in color, a challenge but also a true joy. However, with the time spent on this project and its incompatibility with the sometimes bustling life of a small business, I realized that perhaps other solutions were needed to invest in large spaces. So, imagining a pattern designed to be printed on wallpaper was both a challenge and a waking dream.
From drawing to printing
It all started as it often does: a brush, gouache, and the desire to create a soft and colorful botanical world, populated by birds. After a first quick sketch, I painted each element by hand on large sheets, working with simple but lively shapes, and resonating color combinations. Then, I scanned these elements to digitally recompose the pattern, while keeping the artisanal spirit of the original drawing.
The objective was clear: to create a wallpaper that brings joy, that introduces a stylized and poetic nature into interiors, without ever overloading the space. A pattern that breathes.
The day I saw the pattern printed for the first time, life-size, I was super happy. Not only is the quality of the colors incredibly faithful to the original painting, but there was something unprecedented in seeing my world spread across an entire wall. It was no longer a small object held in the hand, but an enveloping, immersive presence. It was a different language, but always the same intention: to create something beautiful, soft, and alive.
An ecological wallpaper
Working with Maison Bonami was a true joy. Their high quality standards immediately resonated with me. The prints are made in France, with particular attention paid to materials and processes. The paper comes from eco-managed forests, contains no harmful substances, and the inks are 100% natural latex. These are details that matter immensely to me, as they extend the values I defend with Dodo Toucan: doing things with care, locally, with respect for people and the environment.
And now?
We've hung it in our shop, of course! So you can see it in real life and even order it on site. It's also available at Maison Bonami, and I'm truly proud that it can live in other interiors, bringing its light and colors elsewhere than in my studio.
If you love working with color, if you're looking for a poetic touch for your home, I hope this design speaks to you as much as I loved creating it.
Thank you to Maison Bonami for this wonderful collaboration, and thank you for following my work, in all its forms.
Sara – Dodo Toucan
