The company was founded by Claud Cecil Gurney in 1986, in the basement of his family's home.
[1][2] The company takes its name from the medieval French spelling of the Gurney family name.
[1] Gurney began the company after touring Chinese factories that specialized in hand-painting.
[3] de Gournay's wallpapers are produced mainly in China, at its Shanghai studio.
[4] The company has worked with designers such as India Mahdavi, John Stefanidis, Michael S. Smith, Kate Moss and Martyn Lawrence Bullard to create custom wallpaper designs.