Digitally enhanced wall panels recreate Earth’s precious gems

Murals and panelling are both ancient ways to enhance the walls in a room, and in recent years, designers' and manufacturers' embrace of maximalism, pattern and colour has created ever more sophisticated ways to adorn our spaces. Italian wallpaper and decorative panel expert Tecnografica Italian Wallcoverings has been at the forefront of these trends. Initially dedicated to creating designs for the ceramic industry, since 2014 the company produces both wallpapers as well as decorative glass and polycarbonate panels. Such panels offer highly resilient wall coverings for a range of applications, creating durable and decorative feature walls that stand out.

This year, the company expanded its Super Preziosi collection with four new designs, and also presented a new metallic finish for its wallpaper range. Both were recently launched at the Coverings fair in Orlando, Florida, where Tecnografica made its debut, as well as at Salone del Mobile in Milan, which also happened in April. The Super Preziosi collection is inspired by the precious stones and minerals found in nature. More than a simple facsimile or a reproduction, the range consists of digitally enhanced, super high-resolution scans of gemstones and minerals found beneath our feet which can be printed in extremely high fidelity on the different types of decorative panels.

The four new patterns, called Aguarico, Rift, Paramé and Yalobi all take different places and crystals as a starting point and add to the six existing patterns. Aguarico features a green crystalline structure interspersed with layered blue and earth-toned fragments embedded within the surface while Paramé features a more uniformly green, yet still richly textured plane. Rift is dark and mysterious, with warm orange and gold veins and speckles on its face. Yalobi, on the other hand, showcases a captivating blend of warm sand and cerulean tones seamlessly merging into each other.

Tecnografica's research department acquires and scans these rare natural stones, which are then further enhanced by the company's designers. The decorative glass panels are laminated – which not only increases their sturdiness and safety, but also ensures a visual depth to the finished product. In-house graphic designers have the ability to digitally enhance the artistic peculiarities of each stone. The resulting bold patterns and colours are then reproduced in large dimensions, showcasing every detail.

Thanks to advances in technology, Tecnografica's wall panels can be made up to 3 metres tall, and can be used to cover feature walls and countertops in kitchens or hospitality spaces, create custom space dividers, or form part of wardrobes or more intimate spaces such as bathrooms. The scalability of the product also allows smaller applications.

The four new patterns are available in all the usual finishes, including glass (Dècora Glass), glossy and matt polycarbonate (Smart Panel Glossy and Matt), Dècora Glass Backlit and Dècora LED – a patented, integrated panel technology to ensure easy installation and even diffusion of light through the surface. This integrated LED lighting system can be combined with the panels and is designed to spread the light evenly, making the bright points completely invisible compared to the rest of the surface. As a result, the panel is uniformly and thoroughly illuminated, including those closest to the edges. Furthermore, unlike the Dècora Glass Backlit, the Dècora LED does not require a frame and lighting can be controlled and programmed through a dedicated app, giving a high degree of customisation.

At 2.5mm, the polycarbonate panels have a large degree of flexibility, enough to wrap around columns and other curved surfaces, and are ideal for wet spaces like showers and bathrooms. Meanwhile, the glass panels are sturdy enough to be used on yachts, yet are only 8.7mm thick. The versatility and high resolution of Tecnografica wall panels make them particularly suited to projects where both the appearance and performance of wall surfaces are critical to success. These striking panels, which recreate a range of bold natural materials, can be used to bring precision-engineered opulence to any interior.

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