In preparation for the King’s visit to Nääs Castle in 1890, a magnificent wallpaper was installed in the so-called Smoking Room. The wallpaper was created by the French wallpaper maker Paul Balin (1832-1898), the most skilled material imitator of his time regarding wallpapers. His wallpapers were all very costly and exclusive. The wallpaper at Nääs is one of the few, and perhaps the only, preserved wallpapers that remains in its entirety in its original setting from that period, and it is featured in “Tapetboken” (The Wallpaper Book) from 2004.
A replica of the wallpaper has been produced. Using the original as a model, the pattern was traced and rollers were ordered from the wallpaper manufacturers Lim & Handtryck in Mölndal. The project focused on pattern design and colors—achieving the embossed effect of the original through printing instead of embossing, and coming as close as possible to the original’s colors and expression. In December 2015, Lim & Handtryck’s version was presented alongside the original at Nääs for the press and heritage conservation institutions and organizations in West Sweden. The wallpaper is available for purchase at the building conservation shop at Slöjd & Byggnadsvård at Nääs.
In 2016, the wallpaper from Nääs was represented in Kassel, Germany, at the German Wallpaper Museum in a new gallery during the exhibition “Schöner Schein! Luxustapeten des Historismus von Paul Balin.” The wallpaper and the room at Nääs are also included in an exclusive and very extensive catalog published in connection with the exhibition.
Since 2017, a tray featuring the wallpaper pattern has been manufactured and is available for purchase at the reception/information desk at Nääs.
