13 modern options for wallpaper, tile and upholstery
What’s new in wallpaper, tile and upholstery? Nothing and everything.
Tribute continues to be paid to the past — from Victorian nests of excess to disciplined Scandinavian lines and palettes. Our eyes continue to be dazzled by optical tricks, such as trompe l’oeil patterns that collapse dimensions. Couture still refuses to remain in the closet: If pearls complete the little black dress, think of what they could do for your living room walls. And more than ever, concerns about sustainability and health drive the development of the materials that surround us.
1. Moments, a woven wallcovering created from pandan leaves — a plant used in cooking and medicine and even as an air freshener — is a recent offering of Omexco, an ecoconscious Belgian company. Available through architects and designers in 36-inch-wide rolls, about 11 yards long; $175 per yard. omexco.com
2. Art Walls tiles by Italian company Flaviker are thin porcelain slabs that assume the aspect of other materials. The tiles called Metal have the look of sheet metal panels and the convenience of being tough, humidity resistant and easy to care for. Available in two sizes: 48 inches by 112 inches for $15.30 per square foot, and 24 inches by 48 inches for $9.20 per square foot. flavikerpisa.it/en
3. Ikea’s Halved rugs are hand loomed in India. The cheerful, striped floor covering, designed by sisters Petra and Nicole Kapitza, features a soil-resistant wool surface and cotton backing; 5 feet, 7 inches by 7 feet, 10 inches, $150. ikea. com
4. Piet Hein Eek, a Dutchman known for producing patchwork furniture from scrap wood, has designed a new wallpaper collection called Waste Tiles for his longtime collaborator NLXL. Made from discarded papers and inks, the wall covering is available in seven color combinations. A 52-square-foot roll is $389. nlxl.com
5. Chinoiserie, Persian gardens, Mughal painting motifs and art from Japan’s Edo period all make an appearance in Liberty of London’s Botanical Atlas collection. The fabrics are inspired by the 19th-century travels of the company’s founder, Arthur Lasenby Liberty. Available in April with prices starting at $150 per meter. libertyfabric.com
6. A sophisticated take on the perennial leopard pattern, the handwoven wool Jacquard called Tablu is part of the first collection of fabric house Sahco’s new creative director, Bengt Thornefors; $206 per yard. sahco.com
7. Hand-sewn embroidery adorns La Perle, a new cotton-and-linen fabric, which features clusters of pearls in the Black Pearl version. This fashion statement, which comes from the wallcovering company Arte, is 51 inches wide and $650 per linear yard. arte-international.com
8. Maharam worked with multimedia artist Jacob Hashimoto to create woven cotton-blend textiles for upholstery. The pattern called Beyond, which brims with botanical, technological and geometric references, is ultimately based on kites; $205 per yard. maharam.com
9. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Christopher Farr Cloth invited 21 designers, including Thomas Jayne, Robert Couturier and Markham Roberts, to recolor Carnival, one of its classic patterns. The artwork is screened on linen, but custom material options abound. Available through architects and designers; $280 per yard. christopherfarrcloth.com
10. Floral bouquets float across a solid-color woven Jacquard base in Botanic,
a rug by Chilewich, a company better known for place mats. A synthetic yarn called Terrastrand, which swaps in vegetable compounds for petroleum, is combined with latex in the production of the rugs. They are available in four colorways and six sizes. The smallest is 23 inches by 36 inches and $150; the largest is 72 inches by 106 inches and $1,000. chilewich.com
11. Caroline Lizarraga, a designer in San Francisco, worked with Parete to create Plastered: 10-foottall panels that have been painted with hot wax and are available in four colorways. The panels are $500 each and sold in units of four. paretewalls.com
12. Molten, the latest handmade custom wall covering from British company Fromental, was inspired by the work of Andrew Grima, a jeweler who rose to prominence in the 1960s. Silk-and-linen cloth adorned with gold foil and Japanese glass beads, the textile is $1,079 per square meter (about 10.8 square feet). fromental.co.uk
13. For Sunprints, a new wallpaper from Calico, the company’s founders, Rachel and Nick Cope, caught the images of fresh-cut flowers through the cameraless photography technique called cyanotype. The digitally printed wallpaper is available in 11- and 16-foothigh panels and costs $720 to $2,040. calicowallpaper. com