Changing with the times: Wall&decò's 2023 collection

In today’s globalised world, we are more connected than ever before. It’s more common than not to be collaborating with clients internationally across borders and cultures, and it is the fusing of cross-cultural collaboration that results in many fascinating and progressive responses to space. Even so, designing for the multiplicity and diversity of ways of living across the planet can be challenging – cultural colour theories, social dynamics, preferences of geometry, symbolism and mood, and the geographical fluctuation of trends, all have an impact on interior spaces.

To meet this challenge, Italian wall coverings brand Wall&decò presents broad, fast-evolving collections of aesthetic styles – all informed by annual cultural and trend research and designed by a wide pool of international designers. By offering made-to-measure products with unlimited customisation and the highest quality of technical innovation, Wall&decò continues to find relevance and success across the world, wherever and whatever the latest interior approach.

Wall&decò’s new Contemporary Wallpaper Collection 2023 features three moods and 71 graphic styles, which Christian Benini, Wall&decò founder and creative director, describes as a ‘map of styles and colours’. The three moods anticipate the latest global trends of 2023: ‘Virtual Aesthetics’ celebrates the vivid technicolour experience of the digital universe; ‘Cocoon’ explores nature for peaceful domestic settings; while ‘Post Metaverse’ combines these two worlds with rhythmic grey-scale patterns that are both neutral and intriguing to the eye.

Benini explains that while the colourful and bold ‘Virtual Aesthetic’ mood is closest to the Italian DNA of Wall&decò, and currently popular across the European markets as seen at this year’s Maison&Objet, their broad spectrum of aesthetics is their USP. ‘Metaverse for example, is a reflection on current contemporary design in the Far East, from China to Southeast Asia, where our research highlights interest in cool grey tones, reflective surfaces and blended schemes that play with our curiosity,’ he says. 

As well as research, the strength of the Contemporary Wallpaper Collection 2023 lies in the ‘chorus’ of design identities behind it, says Benini. ‘This collection results from the contributions of more than 25 designers, who work continuously with Wall&decò and are part of the family. Each family member has a completely different perspective, and in most cases, they don’t have previous experience in wall covering design; they are artists, stylists, designers, architects – they each look at the wall in a completely new way, resulting in many unique visions across one collection.’

Always looking forwards means that Wall&decò is quick to evolve, offering responsive designs with fresh new takes on the exhilarating diversity and demands of ever-evolving global cultures.

As well as aesthetic styles, the Wall&decò team has always kept a close eye on how wall coverings are being used across cultures over the company’s 18 years of experience. ‘International approaches to wall coverings have evolved dramatically over this time. There’s been a wall-covering revolution in European countries such as Italy and Spain, changing the way we experience interior space – whereas in the UK where wallpaper has been historically prevalent, we now see a growth of interest in the feature wall. In 2023, wall coverings are now being considered internationally as a central element of the interior, established from the very beginning in a very sophisticated way.’

From browsing the portfolio of Wall&decò, it can be seen that today wall coverings can be found in many unexpected and creative interior spaces: to highlight elegant contrasts with history in heritage buildings; on ceilings in restaurants, shifting the dimensions of space in combination with the furniture and lighting; or in hotels, creating highly decorative and sensual atmospheres of comfort. ‘As a company, Wall&decò tends to be daring. We like to push the limits of design and give rise to interiors that rouse emotions through colour and creativity,’ concludes Benini.

© Architonic

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