Earlier this year, Charlotta Sandberg (founder of Swedish wallpaper brand Majvillan) got in touch to show us her beautiful wallpapers. Inspired by whimsical childhood memories and created with love to inspire little imaginations, Majvillan's ethos is so similar to Bobby Rabbit, it really was the perfect match! One look at her wallpaper and just like that - you find yourself transported straight into an imaginary world of make-believe and magic (telescopes optional).

In March 2019, we were thrilled to launch Majvillan's stunning new "Once Upon A Time" collection in our store - and not surprisingly, our customers have loved it ever since! Fairytale prints (think castles, dragons, forests, deer, clouds, unicorns, stars and even black panthers!), sophisticated colour shades and the most stunning chalky finish that you can actually touch and feel, Majvillan wallpaper really is something special.

So this week, we had a chat to Charlotta to find out more about the inspiration and story behind her wonderful brand and designs. Read on to discover more...

Tell me the story behind the brand!

Charlotta: Majvillan is a Swedish wallpaper brand, and was founded in 2012 by me, Charlotta Sandberg, the brand’s designer. In 2013, my first wallpaper collection was launched and this spring, our fourth collection, “Wish Upon Your Dreams” was introduced, with a tremendous response among our many resellers and dedicated followers. We value our independency and the freedom of following our heart in the design process, allowing it the time it needs to grow and blossom.

Our wallpaper is produced at Sweden’s oldest wallpaper factory, where they still use the old machines giving the product a beautiful surface where you can 'feel' the colour with your bare hand. I put a lot of effort into colour combinations, and we work closely with the colour masters in the factory to blend the perfect tones by hand. This genuine and authentic process and print technique is so important to us, and is part of the Majvillan DNA.

Where did the name Majvillan come from?

Charlotta: The name Majvillan comes from the name of our residential house in Sweden. 'Majvillan' means 'the house of May' in English. This was the perfect name for our home, as the month of May is a time of expectation, when nature awakens and the colours are light and bright. I wanted the brand to convey the same feeling, so choosing its name was pretty easy!

Your wallpaper collection is called “Wish upon your dreams” – we love this! Can you tell us why you chose this name?

Charlotta: The collection is created as a tribute to the fairytale, the imagination and childhood. I cherish the dreams and treasures I have been given throughout life in all my own childhood stories, pictures and wallpaper. I have captured them within, and they give me a lot of inspiration. My wish is to give our customers a story - an inspiring stage for dreams to wander free, sparking children's imaginations through the characters featured within the patterns.

Taking care of the environment is at the heart of your brand values. How do you ensure that Majvillan remains so eco-friendly?

Charlotta: We decided to produce our wallpaper in partnership with a print house in Sweden with good values for both sustainability and employees. They use traditional technology with the latest innovations to ensure a manufacturing process that is as eco-friendly as possible. The colours they use are waterbased and completely free from solvents and PVC. Being Swedish produced also means that we have short lead times so that we can order smaller volumes and minimise transportation.  And as a company we put effort into all different stages of our business to make sure that all we do is as eco-friendly as possible. 

Would you say that you are more of a trend follower or a trend leader?

Charlotta: I follow my heart. When I design patterns, I am inspired by the feeling that I want them to radiate, and I love creating small worlds and places to visit. But everything comes from something - nothing is really new anymore. I am of course inspired by the world around me and the brand must be in step with the current trends, but most importantly, it has to give the viewer (young or old) a feeling of love.

Which is your favourite design in the collection?

Charlotta: That is a hard one - all my patterns have a special place in my heart since I work with them for so long, even before I start creating them on paper! They all provide me with good feelings and associations, but the figurative patterns feel somehow closer to me as they create magical worlds full of life and love with all the characters within them.

And finally, what’s next for the Majvillan brand?

Charlotta: That is the biggest secret of them all... I have not worked that out yet even though there is a constant design process in my head. But you can be assured it will be many more wallpaper patterns, because I just love creating them!

Personally, we can't wait to see what Charlotta creates next. We're betting it will be simply magical.

Browse our Majvillan Wallpaper here. As always, samples are available so you can try before you buy.

We hope you love it as much as we do!