Shannon Cheung Typoflora

Typoflora textiles and wall covering offer stunning hand-drawn florals and botanicals with watercolour elements for interior designers and specifiers.

Typoflora’s head designer/illustrator, Shannon Cheung, is based in Sydney, Australia. Combining a love for beautiful flowers and illustrative design, Shannon creates delicately hand illustrated designs with flowers in full bloom. 

Drawing on her background in print design, she created Typoflora to showcase her sophisticated, bespoke designs for those who share a love of botanicals. Shannon’s exquisite line detail and use of colour combine to create modern whimsical textile and wall covering designs.

From wall murals to upholstery, Typoflora prints easily translate onto multiple base substrates, making them an easy choice for that special project. 

The inaugural collection consists of six print designs which can be produced on furnishing textiles or wall coverings and three wall mural designs which can be adapted to fit perfectly on your walls.

Q&A With Typoflora

We are thrilled to chat with Shannon about her design inspiration…

Bush Garden Wall Mural, Typoflora for Materialised
Tropical Leaves Mini in 'Lolly Pink', Typoflora
Tropical Leaves Mini in ‘Lolly Pink’ (4 colourways)

Typoflora tropical leaves, textiles and wall covering
Tropical Leaves Grande in ‘Forest’ (4 colourways)

Tell us a little about where you are from…

I was born in Hong Kong. Ever since I was little I have always loved all things pretty and cute, and being exposed to the Japanese animated cartoon culture especially, I grew to love all the cutest little Japanese anime characters.

When I was in year 9, I moved with my family to Sydney, Australia. This was a big change that meant a new school, making new friends and immersing myself in a new land so very different from the busy streets of Hong Kong that I was accustomed to.

From where did your love for botanicals grow?

With its beaches, national parks and picturesque landscapes, Australia has an abundance of natural beauty to offer, and this has definitely brought me closer to nature, in particular its native flowers. Banksias, wattles and flannel flowers are just a three of my favourites!

Shannon Cheung, Typoflora
Shannon Cheung, Typoflora

Tell us about your career path that led to Typoflora

After graduating in design from the university of New South Wales, I joined a textile design studio working with lots of patterns and prints on a daily basis for over ten years. Combining my love for beautiful flowers and illustrative design, I create delicate hand illustrated designs with flowers in full bloom. Drawing from my background in print design, I started Typoflora as a way to bring highly detailed bespoke design to other fellow flower lovers.

In 2016, Typoflora began offering a retail line of original sophisticated floral inspired stationery. This range of stationery features my botanical hand illustrations and are made with fine materials, and include greeting cards, art prints, notebooks, gift wraps, notepads and other everyday stationery. Through my design, my hope is to inspire others to the forgotten beauty of hand-written notes and the deep and personal connection they represent.

Typoflora

What is your process for when you feel creatively blocked?

I like to go to flower markets or spend time outdoors trying to spot new plants and flowers. Sometimes I will pop in to my favourite florists for some inspiration. I also have a great bunch of friends who I can rely on for a place to bounce my ideas off and for honest feedback.

Everyone experiences blunders during their career (we’re all human!) Describe something that you struggled with but learned from.

Time management is certainly the most challenging aspect of my day. Being able to maintain a balance between daily admin work, such as emailing, quoting, invoicing, doing the actual creative work and still being able to enjoy some leisure time! I’m getting better at it, but it’s something I am continually learning and evolving through experience. This is something I hope to improve on in 2019!

Typoflora
Typoflora peonies wall mural
Peonies wall mural

What is your all-time favourite design from your own collection?

This is a tough one. If I really have to pick one, I would pick the tropical paradise design, which gets translated into the jungle textile and wallpaper collection for Materialised. I just adore greenery. It’s my dream to have walls filled with shades of green.

This design was inspired by my trip to the Garden by the Bay in Singapore. I made a visit there last year and completely fell in love with their real foliage wall, covered by hundreds (if not thousands) of species of plants. I aim to translate this into my work through layering of textures, shades and hues.

Garden by the Bay, Singapore
Jungle, Forest, Typoflora
Jungle in ‘Forest’ (4 colourways)
Typoflora banana leaf print
Banana Leaf in ‘Sepia’ (4 colourways)

Can you share an image of a project / piece of upholstery you’ve seen using your designs which you absolutely love?

A few months ago, I collaborated with the talented Hahahaflorist who is based in Hong Kong. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to design custom hand illustrated floral designs for their new store.

This included creating designs for their stationery and retail products, such as packaging for brewed tea bottles, tea boxsets, menus etc. My favourite is the vending machine that sits at the front of the store, fully themed with my design. It is the most eye catching fixture in the area.

Typoflora Forest, textiles and wall covering
Monstera in ‘Forest’ (3 colourways)
Typoflora monstera, textiles and wall covering
Monstera Plain in ‘Lolly Pink’ (1 colourway)

What’s the most exciting thing about the next thing you’re doing?

Soon I will begin my design process for the new range of stationery for Typoflora. I am looking forward to exploring various drawing techniques and coming up with new and exciting concepts that I can apply to my products in the coming year.


Thank you so much to Shannon for an insight into her design life.

Keen on receiving samples of our Typoflora textiles and wall coverings? Please order online or speak with your Sales Rep.The amazing flexibility of digital printing enables you to select substrates to suit your budget or aesthetic – on demand and with low minimum quantities. For any assistance, you can contact us here.

Typofloral planner
Shannon Cheung, Typoflora
Rain forest wall mural, Typoflora
Rain Forest wall mural
Typoflora Rain Forest wall mural
Rain Forest wall mural

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