Florence Broadhurst

Florence Broadhurst is being nominated as she was a female designer her made her way in business in the early C20th century to create wallpaper company that demonstrated innovation. Her impact has been lasting as other designers either use or reinterpret her designs today. 

Florence Broadhurst was born in rural Queensland, Australia in 1899. In 1959 Broadhurst had established Australian (Hand Printed) Wallpapers Pty Ltd, ’...she designed, manufactured and marketed locally produced, high-quality, handcrafted wallpapers in luxurious, oversized patterns with vivid combinations of colours, inspired by an eclectic range of sources….Innovations included printing onto metallic surfaces, the development of a washable, vinyl-coating finish and a drying rack system that allowed her wallpapers to be produced in large quantities.’ In 1969, the company Florence Broadhurst Wallpapers Pty Ltd was established.

In recognition of her talent and contribution to the design world, The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, holds a collection of her work and The Broadhurst collection is distributed now by Signature Prints Pty Ltd. Some of her fabric prints have been reinterpreted by Akira Isogawa, Nicole Zimmermann and other leading Australian fashion designers.