Modern living room featuring innovative wallcoverings, enhancing space with texture, sound absorption, and light diffusion.

Innovative Wallcoverings Transform Interiors: A Look at Texture, Sound, and Light

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Written by John Oliver

2026-09-10

Creating texture and warmth in modern spaces with innovative wallcoverings

Tactile wallcoverings are revolutionizing interior spaces, as noted by the specialists at Selected Wallpapers. These innovations often feature woven, sound-absorbing, and embossed qualities, redefining the purpose of walls in our living areas with these coverings.

As design trends embrace tranquil and refined environments, these solutions offer a crucial medium for adding character and texture to a space. Selected Wallpapers highlights that the urge to touch rather than merely observe these surfaces is a significant aspect in luxury interiors today. “The light settles differently on the walls; the surfaces have depth; and almost without thinking, you want to run a hand along them,” the company observes.

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Woven raffia wallcovering with a grid pattern by CMO Paris.
Raphia Cadre by CMO Paris is a woven raffia wallcovering with a grid pattern. Top image: Soft Surrounds by Phillip Jeffries

Exploring sophisticated designs through innovative wallcoverings

Products like Abaca Métal by CMO Paris, with its abaca weft and subtle metallic glow, and Parthénon – Rayures Jumelles by Élitis, featuring raised linear and curved forms, both illustrate this tactile appeal. These designs, such as Parthénon by Élitis, possess acoustic properties that modulate sound within a room.

Gray wallcovering with striped design, providing sound absorption by Élitis.
Parthénon – Rayures Jumelles by Élitis has acoustic properties that help absorb sound

Selected Wallpapers notes the shift towards tactile walls is driven by the digital age—where increased screen time makes physical textures in environments more valuable. Using materials like natural fibers and grass cloth, these coverings skillfully play with light, rewarding observers with warmth and depth as they move throughout the day.

Function meets aesthetics in innovative wallcoverings

Designers today prioritize how a room feels and sounds, introducing surfaces that absorb sound and enhance acoustics without the need for visible panels. Soft Surrounds by Phillip Jeffries, combining a geometric pattern with sound-absorbing and stain-resistant properties, exemplifies this dual function.

Textured gold wallcovering made with abaca by CMO Paris.
Abaca Métal by CMO Paris is made with abaca weft

Vinacoustic Polyform Galeo by Texdecor adds another dimension with its textured, raised surfaces, offering both depth and acoustic enhancements.

Highlighted examples from 55 leading wallpaper houses within Selected Wallpapers’ portfolio display how modern wallcoverings are no longer just decorative but interact dynamically with light and sound, creating a cohesive sensory experience.

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Textured wall panel with acoustic qualities, in a neutral color by Texdecor.
Vinacoustic Polyform Galeo by Texdecor also has acoustic qualities

Expert guidance for architectural excellence through innovative wallcoverings

Representing an array of top wallpaper creators, Selected Wallpapers collaborates with architects and designers across Europe. Their expertise in tactile and acoustic collections offers essential insight into selecting the appropriate weave, fiber, and light interplay in spaces. This knowledge ensures that surfaces not only fit current designs but also gracefully age over time.

Selected Wallpapers emphasizes these transformative coverings, combining aesthetic innovation with practical benefits to redefine interior design with this advanced approach.

Source: dezeen.com

Frequently asked questions

How are tactile wallcoverings transforming interiors?

Tactile wallcoverings are transforming interiors by creating texture and warmth, often featuring woven, sound-absorbing, and embossed qualities. They redefine the purpose of walls in living spaces and are a crucial medium for adding character, enhancing aesthetics, and engaging the senses. The urge to touch these surfaces is a significant aspect in luxury interiors.

What is driving the shift towards tactile walls?

The shift towards tactile walls is driven by the digital age, where increased screen time makes physical textures in environments more valuable. Tactile walls use materials like natural fibers and grass cloth, playing with light to offer warmth and depth throughout the day.

What are examples of designs with acoustic properties?

Products like Parthénon by Élitis have acoustic properties that modulate sound within a room. Another example is Soft Surrounds by Phillip Jeffries, which combines a geometric pattern with sound-absorbing properties. Vinacoustic Polyform Galeo by Texdecor also offers acoustic enhancements with its textured, raised surfaces.