WALLPAPER

After an incredible abundance of colors and shapes in the 1960s, high-quality wall coverings were increasingly replaced by the widespread wood chip wallpaper. In the meantime, however, wallpaper has evolved into one of the main themes in materials. Traditional manufacturers are now employing renowned designers to create new patterns that are clearly inspired by current trends or even become trendsetters in their own right.

The architectural revolution of the 1920s precipitated the transformation of traditional figurative wallpaper into a medium for color and little else. As Le Corbusier proclaimed in 1925: "Aimer la pureté!" (Loving purity!). However, leaving the walls of his "machines for living" completely bare was too purist even for this acknowledged enemy of all decoration. Although he defined it as "machine painting", Le Corbusier went on to design his own collection of monochrome wallpaper. A little earlier, the Weimar Bauhaus group had launched the Bauhaus minimalist wallpaper line, characterized by innovative textured effects. The decline of ornament in favor of color made possible the dominance of wood chip wallpaper. The high and low extremes of the market have drifted further and further apart, with cheaper mass-produced varieties gradually replacing innovative designs. Then designers such as Ulf Moritz, Andrea Ptissnicker, Karim Rashid and many others made wallpaper innovative again. Their collections in recent years have worked with new techniques, including unusual optical effects and block printing. The current trend towards expressive wallpaper and individualized wall decor suggests that the pendulum may swing towards pattern and design once again.

Author: Joachim Fischer

Publisher: Ullmann

Editorial format: Paperback with flaps
Format: 18×23
Pages: 288
Language: GB-FD
Year: 2008

ISBN: 9783833147449