In an old factory near Accrington, Lancashire, an enormous cast-iron surface printing machine, dating back to the early 1900s, is in full flow. It is printing wallpaper for 1838 Wallcoverings’ collection, which is being produced in collaboration with the V&A (the brand’s name references the year the first such wallpaper machine was invented, just a few miles away). Much of the sound of the machinery is drowned out by the constant din from ovens that sit above the printer, helping to dry the paper in less than a minute. All of the paints used in the design have been mixed by hand in buckets and colour-matched by an expert eye. During the printing
