This month, meet Elizabeth Rees, creative visionary, pattern storyteller, and the entrepreneur redefining how we live with our walls.
A third-generation printer, Rees didn’t just inherit a craft, she reimagined it. Alongside her brother, she transformed her family’s printing legacy into something distinctly modern when they founded Chasing Paper, the design-forward wallcoverings brand that helped usher peel-and-stick wallpaper into a new era. What began in 2013 as a fresh take on removable wallpaper has since evolved into a leader in premium wallcoverings, known for thoughtful prints, artful collaborations, and a belief that rooms, and the people in them, are meant to change.
For Rees, wallpaper has never been just decorative. It’s emotional. Transformative. A storytelling tool. That philosophy comes to life in her debut book, Wall Flowers: A Love Letter to Wallpaper, where she celebrates the intimacy of interiors and the quiet power of pattern to shape how a space feels.
Based in Milwaukee, the Heartland city where Chasing Paper is rooted, Rees balances business ownership with family life, raising two daughters with her husband, Brian. Through it all, she continues to carry her family’s printing heritage forward, proving that tradition and innovation don’t just coexist, they make each other stronger.
Elizabeth in Her Own Words
What's your daily or life mantra?
We will always figure it out. I say it to myself, to my team and my daughters.
Best advice you received during your career journey?
One of my mentors, Walter, reminds me to always use both a microscope and a telescope. The microscope helps you focus on the day to day, being in-tune with your team and customers and the processes we are building as a company. But the telescope reminds you to lift your head, to look at where you’re going, and to keep the long view in mind. It’s so easy as a founder to get lost in one or the other as I often do. So easy to either obsess over the minutiae or drift into big-picture dreaming without grounding it in reality. I often find myself in the microscope most days but working toward having more of a balance.
Heels or flats?
Flats.
What women in history would you invite for an intimate dinner party?
Georgia O’Keeffe, my daughters have a book about her and we always chat about her ability to see beauty in the smallest things and for the courage to live and create on her own terms. She was a creative force and someone I admire!
Nancy Myers. Her ability to tell a story through a space is remarkable. How she uses a kitchen or a hallway or a perfectly imperfect bedroom to say something about a character. Her style is timeless and thoughtful and her movies are all my favorites and the ones I can watch a million times over and not get sick of them.
Oprah Winfrey: the Queen! I sat in my kitchen after school everyday in high school and watched her (it was the ultimate stress reliever). I have always been obsessed with her unmatched ability to hold space, to be so gracious and make people feel so at home.
My Daughters - Uma and Marlow! It is such a gift to be a mom of two such smart, confident girls and if I had these other great women at a dinner table it would be so important to me to have my daughters there to soak in their wisdom.
What's your guilty pleasure?
I’ve recently been trying to separate guilty from pleasure. There’s already enough mom guilt, entrepreneur guilt, really, just life guilt, to go around. I’m learning that joy doesn’t need to be justified. Whether it’s sneaking out for a long walk with a podcast, rearranging a room just because it feels good, or taking trips with my girl friends or sisters, I’m trying to let those moments simply be what they are: pleasure, no guilt attached.
What's your secret weapon?
My proclivity for urgency. I move quickly but try to do it with intention. As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that momentum is everything. So many great ideas stall in the space between indecision and overthinking. I’d rather make a choice, learn from it, and adjust than wait for the “perfect” plan. That sense of urgency has carried me through every chapter, from late nights launching new collections to reimagining what Chasing Paper could become. I think of it less as rushing and more as honoring the spark before it fades.
Any advice for the next generation of boss ladies?
Don’t confuse movement with progress. The world tells us to hustle harder, but the best entrepreneurs I know take them to pause, they question, recalibrate, and protect their time like it’s gold. Be decisive, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to build a business that reflects who you are, not what everyone else is doing. The most sustainable success comes from authenticity, not speed.
Let's toast to your success. Drink of choice?
I am not much of a drinker but I love a good fizzy water! Spindrift is a personal favorite!
And yes, her personal style lives up to the vision. Effortlessly chic and thoughtfully curated, Elizabeth dresses the way she designs, with intention, confidence, and an eye for timeless detail. In the shoot, she’s wearing our Evening Sky Loop Sandal with our Twiggy strap in gold, an elegant, endlessly versatile look that pairs with everything yet still makes a statement, much like her beautiful, story-rich wallpapers. SHOP HER LOOK!
Follow her journey: @chasingpaper
Discover your next wallpaper: Chasing Paper
Read her book: Wall Flowers: A Love Letter to Wallpaper
Exclusive for Alterre fans: Use code ALTERRE10 for 10% off your next
Chasing Paper purchase!
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