Wallpaper enters the third dimension

The German Wallpaper Institute has kicked off its “Year of the Wallpaper” with the slogan, “Get Wallpapering, Germany”. Digital printing is also playing a central role in the organisation’s campaign.

The German Wallpaper Institute is drawing attention to customised wall designs with a large marketing campaign that goes under the slogan of “Get Wallpapering, Germany”. The goal is to draw consumers’ attention more to materials, colours and designs.

Wallpaper trends should help people express their emotions and provide space for individuality and creativity in their variety. This can be done either with a large single photographic mural, or by a room containing a mix of patterned and plain wallpaper. What is important, however, is that the wallpaper engenders feelings of comfort and security. Last year’s trend colour, coral, is still popular. It has just been toned down somewhat and combined now with beige or black and white. Further combinations popular in 2020 include earth, sand and natural tones and a combination of blue and green.

With its 3D wallpaper designs, emboWall adds another dimension to wall coverings. The digital printing process used by the company – currently unique in Germany – enables you to produce embossed patterns and images to suit your individual requirements. The wallpaper is made of eco-fleece and created digitally using a latex printing method. The information for the haptic effect is applied to the surface as a fifth colour (structural coating) as an integral part of the printing process. In a second stage, the wallpaper is heated, and a negative image of the structural coating is embossed onto the surface of the wallpaper as a relief as it foams up. Thus, in contrast to the conventional way of embossing wallpaper, embo makes it possible to add a relief to your wall covering up to 1 millimetre thick. The fact that you can use up to four different layers means that you can create an unusual 3D effect, especially when the impact is reinforced by side lighting. As Lutz Vogt, CEO of Vechta-based emboWall, explains, “What is particularly fascinating here is that the embossing and 4-colour printing do not have to be congruent but can complement one another in order to enhance the 3D effect particularly effectively.

Alongside traditional matt fleece wallpapers and variations with mother-of-pearl effect, silver and gold effects has also been available as part of the company range since this year. embo is also able to adapt individual motifs so that they fit the wall in question perfectly. The service, called “emboprojects” embraces everything from advice through to actually applying the wallpaper on site. Embossed wallpapers are available in sizes from 1 sq. m upwards and can be manufactured, cut and numbered for the customer within a fortnight. The wallpapers can be used in all sorts of settings, from trade fairs and exhibitions to stores, hotels, restaurants, or also at home. embo is currently the only company on the German market offering a combination of embossing and digital printing. The manufacturer is also currently the sole exclusive supplier of its products.

Images
Rooms: German Wallpaper Institute
Embossed wallpapers: emboWall GmbH