About Nicola
A creative life between colors, shapes and crafts.
I'm Nicola Mulryan, the designer behind Multebær. This is where many years of experience in graphic design meet, a curiosity about new materials, digital tools and a love of patterns with history.
From Liverpool to Oslo
I was born on the outskirts of Liverpool, England, and moved to Oslo at a young age. Here I have worked for many years in graphic design, photography, web design and advertising.
After a long experience in graphic design, surface design became a natural path forward. Pattern design and placement print — illustrations made for a specific location — opened up a new space for my creativity. I feel that there is still much to explore.
I particularly enjoy covering small and large surfaces: textiles, fabric for lampshades and walls with customer-specific wallpapers, patterns and expressions. The visual work takes on a new dimension when it becomes part of a material or a space.
The past is always there
Nicola is a graphic designer and pattern designer based in Oslo, where she runs her independent design studio, Multebær Norway.
Design is central to everything she creates. Through a combination of illustration, collage and digital techniques, Nicola develops distinctive designs for textiles, wallpapers, interiors, packaging and printed matter. Her work is inspired by botanical motifs, nature, vintage illustrations, contemporary art, Scandinavian design and the rich decorative traditions of Norwegian folk art.
She has a particular fascination with art and design from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, as well as Art Deco and Art Nouveau. Historical textile designers such as James Leman and May Morris, William Morris, Walter Crane, John Henry Dearle, Allan Francis Vigers have inspired her way of bringing traditional motifs and decorative expressions into the present.
Nicola specializes in developing original patterns, placement prints, coordinated collections and bespoke designs to suit the client's brand, product or creative vision. Existing designs can also be re-colored, resized or adapted to different products and applications.
Curiosity as a driving force
I like to experiment and push boundaries. For me, creativity reflects something personal: a desire to explore different forms, materials and media. I find joy in taking creative risks and developing something new and unique.
The variety in my work stems from this curiosity — and from a need to continue learning, growing, and creating.
Adobe tools have been an important part of my digital workflow since the early 1990s. Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop are central tools in my work. They allow me to realize ideas and explore creative expression; for me, they are among the most important tools in graphic and digital design.
I have also held many courses and creative workshops for private participants and companies in Norway. The experience of communicating the subject is part of the expertise I bring with me into new projects.
Reuse and new expressions
Finding, making and restoring vintage lamps and lampshades has become part of the same creative process. An existing lamp can be given new life through a new design. The work goes hand in hand with the textiles and wallpapers I develop and offer through Spoonflower.
I follow creative developments both in Norway and internationally, and build on my craft knowledge through specialized courses. Among the courses I have completed is an online course in making gathered lampshades.
From hand drawing to pattern
Print and Pattern — Repeat patterns from hand-drawn to product
A live online course over six evening weeks, ending in January 2025, with Swedish designer and artist Cecilia Pettersson. She works with surface design for textiles, wallpaper, gift wrap and clothing, among other things.
From hand drawing to pattern
Finished pattern design from course with blacksmith Cecilia Pettersson
A detailed pattern design from Multebær Norway, inspired by Nicola's childhood in England, holidays to Southern Ireland where her Irish mother is from, and visits to remote beaches in Wales and Ireland.
The ocean has always been an important part of Nicola’s life, especially since she grew up near the coast. Exploring tide pools was a favorite childhood activity, along with swimming as deep as possible underwater to discover hidden rocks, marine life, and underwater habitats — an escape into a whole other world.
Fascinated by seahorses, starfish, shells, floating seaweed and the movement of the ocean, Ocean Garden reflects both the beauty and vulnerability of marine life. Nicola often describes it as an “underwater garden” — full of intriguing details, organic textures and soft movements beneath the sea.
Back to paper and pencil
Fundamentals of Graphic Design — part of a Graphic Design Specialisation
After many years of graphic design, mainly digital, I wanted a refresher course. The course with Michael Worthington challenged me to start with paper and pencil for most of the assignments.
It had been a long time since I had worked this much in this way, and I had to step out of my comfort zone. I completed the course and all the assignments, and really enjoyed the process. Going back to basics can open up new ideas and help us think outside established patterns.
About Michael Worthington
Michael Worthington is co-founder of Counterspace in Los Angeles , a graphic design studio specializing in editorial design and identity work for cultural actors. The course review highlights the book designs A New Sculpturalism, Made in LA 2012, and More Real, along with catalogs for Mark Bradford, William Leavitt, Amanda Ross-Ho, Meleko Mokgosi, Alice Konitz, and Samara Golden.
His work has been widely published and exhibited in Belgium, Italy, England, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Japan, France, China, and the United States. He has lectured in Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, England, France, Mexico, and throughout the United States. He has been a juror for the California Design Biennial, Output, AIGA, and ADC, and curated “Two Lines Align” at REDCAT.
His writing has been published in Eye, Print, Slanted, Threaded, and several design books, including Earthquakes, Mudslides, Fires and Riots: California and Graphic Design 1936–86. According to the course description, he has taught at the California Institute of the Arts since 1995.
Digital Textile Design — online course with Laura Baker, London
The course, which I completed towards the end of 2022, provided space to investigate algae, seaweed, botany, sustainability, dyeing, the future, colors, metallic expressions, and water.
The work followed three tracks: brainstorming and research, basic form experiments, and development of placement prints and repetitive patterns.
About Laura Baker
Laura Baker is described as an experienced lecturer on the Textiles programme at Central Saint Martins and a specialist in two-dimensional printing and surface patterning for fashion and textiles. She has worked as a textile designer in industry and as a freelancer for international fashion and interior design companies. She is also the author of Laser Cutting for Fashion and Textiles.
What can we create together?
Graphic design and surface design
Do you have a big or small project that needs a creative eye? I help with logos, reports, website layouts, illustrations, fabric and wallpaper design, wall art and printed materials. Creative brainstorming and finding solutions together is one of my strengths.
Patterns for textile, wallpaper and interior
On Spoonflower, you can explore a selection of my original patterns and order directly. Many patterns can be customized in size and color. I also offer commercial licensing and custom patterns for businesses, brands, and individual projects.
Lamps and lampshades
Maybe you want a special lamp or lampshade — or have a lamp that deserves a new lease of life? Let's talk about your needs and the ideas you want to explore.
Contact:
multebaer@multebaer.no
+47 904 00 577