The Project

Innovation and nostalgia are the two key components in a unique design created for Earls Restaurant on King Street in Toronto, Ontario. The company approached Rollout for the development of a custom wallpaper that would simultaneously reflect the brand and incorporate vintage elements in order to invoke reminiscence. Low-resolution scans from a set of original Earls menus were provided by the client, and the challenge was to include references to this imagery, while creating fresh visuals that were both contemporary and intriguing.

The Client

Over a 30-year period, Earls Kitchen + Bar has grown from a relaxed beer and burger joint adorned with green paint and parrots, to a casual upscale eatery with over 50 restaurants across Canada and the States. The company finds inspiration in popular global cuisine and adds their own unique twist—an approach that has lead to their evolution as a recognized staple in Western Canadian culture.

The Wallpaper

Many of Earls clientele have matured with the brand, and the purpose of this wallpaper design is to reflect the intrinsic memories associated with their personal experiences. This concept features a distressed effect that speaks of remembrances that both celebrate the future and the past. Innovative variables include customized colours for the men’s and women’s rooms, positive and negative variations of the design, as well as treatments that were applied to both the walls and the ceilings. Industrial elements pepper the interior of this location, and these are highlighted with the contrasting hand drawn feel of chalkboard illustrations. The final design is readable, relatable, and exceeded the expectations of the clients who gave Rollout the following feedback upon completion:

“The wallcovering has been a real big hit here at Head Office. They wanted to install it so badly at Earls Hornby that they ended up triggering a small reno of the washrooms because the existing finishes in the washrooms didn’t suit the wallcovering graphic. So now we are ripping out all the existing finishes to bring the washroom up to a state that looks appropriate with the wallcovering. So needless to say, THEY LOVE IT!”

Earls New Vintage wallpaper can now be found in multiple locations throughout North America (check an Earls near you).