The Cooper Hewitt has over 50 wallpapers by the little-known German company Hosel Tapeten. Centered in the town of Hosel, situated partway between Düsseldorf and Essen in the northwest of the country, the company’s output was very typical of post-World War II German papers. The period saw an increase in the amount of cheap, mass-produced...

This unobtrusive sidewall was designed c.1954 – 1955 by Rolf Middelboe for the Danske Tapetfabbriker company, and it is a great example of midcentury “Danish Modern” design. Thin white lines wander over the paper, sometimes angular sometimes curvilinear, creating a patchwork of abstract polygons. The shapes are filled with muted tones of grays and greens,...