Paper Trail
Weitzner’s Forest Bathing collection (available from Altfield) includes these delicately beautiful paper tiles for the wall, a marriage of artisanal technique and innovation. Their raw material is abaca, a fibrous plant belonging to the banana family that is rapidly becoming a favourite among designers for its sustainability credentials. The fibres are made into pulp, before being moulded using hand-carved blocks, and then the paper is slowly dried and cut to a uniform 40cm square. Subtle variations in colour and texture are all part of the tiles’ appeal.
Pictured are the geometric ‘Calculus’ (above), ‘Leaflet’ (below centre) and ‘Palma’ (below right).
The patterns can be mixed and matched (a plain tile is also available to order) and there are also options for customisation: Weitzner can custom-dye the paper with no surcharge, or the tiles can be painted following installation.
The collection recently won a Livingetc award in the Best Wallpaper Innovation category. “Weitzner’s tiles show the future of wallpaper – highly sustainable and highly textural for ‘touch me’ walls that feel as good as they look,” remarked Livingetc‘s global editor in chief Pip Rich.
