Elitis fabrics

Elitis fabric comes from Toulouse, in the south of France, where Patrice Marraud des Grottes founded the design house in 1988. Linen was the starting point, and it still sits at the center of the range.

From day one the house has treated textile as the material that gives a room its character, never as the last layer you add once the walls are done. You see it in the relief, in the color and in how a single cloth can hold a room on its own.

The story behind Elitis fabric

The name is a nod to Odysseas Elytis, the Greek poet who won the Nobel Prize and was a leading voice of the Generation of the 1930s, a group shaped by surrealism. That poetic streak runs through the house. Elitis chose its own route early and kept well away from the beaten track. Its reputation rests on daring and craftsmanship, and on techniques you rarely come across in other fabric houses: relief treatments, indoor-outdoor weaves, natural fibers reworked in new ways and details finished by laser. That appetite for experiment is why you can pick out an Elitis cloth even in a row of high-end textiles.

Weaves and textures of Elitis fabric

Expect relief, not flat and predictable weaves. Linen is crumpled, dyed, gilded or coated until it reads closer to plaster or beaten metal than to plain cloth. Because the texture lives in the weave, the color moves with the light. The same gray can look sandy at noon and almost bronze by evening.

The overall mood is lived-in and handmade, with the sun-washed Mediterranean feel of the brand's southern French home. Some designs carry no pattern at all, and thick and thin yarns, slubs and flecked threads do the work. Others add raised embroidery, ribbed velvet or small woven geometry. In the room settings you see cream diamond chains on navy, white triangles on a coarse rust ground and frayed strips of striped cloth stitched onto a dark navy curtain. The stripes run vertical, and the backdrop is almost always warm timber.

Signature Elitis fabric collections

Below is a selection of the Elitis fabric collections we carry. Each one has its own palette and texture, and many of them mix well.

• Prestige 4 — plain textured weaves in rust orange, beige, cognac and taupe, with no print.
• I'M Not Afraid — wheat ears, bundled lines, blocks and color gradients in ocher, coral and turquoise.
• Brera — raised embroidery, ribbed velvet and cord in a palette of ocher, rust and brown.
• Prestige 3 — nubby, looped weaves in cream and ivory, plus gray-blue spots and ocher zigzags.
• Anthologie — unpatterned weaves from ocher and caramel to taupe, with one dark blue exception.
• Moderna — rectangles in cream and browns, with rough or looped weave set against flat weave.
• Kanako — velvet with small repeating speckles, dashes and wavy lines in blue-green, navy and rust.
• Hiroko — chevrons, arrowheads, small blocks and grids woven in ocher, taupe, caramel and cream.

Where Elitis fabric works best

Start at the window. In a floor-to-ceiling curtain, the crinkle and raised yarn lines of Anthologie show from across the room. I'M Not Afraid is made for wrapping a whole window or wall in fabric. In a timber-framed room, the Erika and Miko designs work as folded Roman shades, their vertical bands lining up with posts and beams.

Elitis upholstery fabric is the bigger commitment: dining chairs, a sofa, a pair of armchairs, an ottoman. Kanako's small velvet repeats cover a full seat or cushion and read as one quiet surface from a few steps back. Many projects begin with cushions, because a single fabric already changes how a sofa reads. The indoor-outdoor weaves take that further, onto a covered porch.

Then the wall. Pair your fabric with Elitis wallpaper so the two support each other. Hang a plain curtain against a wall with relief, or put a bold fabric beside a calm wall. The same approach works in a family home and in a hotel lobby.

Choosing and caring for Elitis upholstery fabric

Match the cloth to the job. For seating, look at the heavier weaves and the velvets, such as the textured plains of Prestige 4 or the velvets of Kanako and Brera. Each product page lists the specifications, and for Elitis upholstery fabric abrasion resistance is the guide. Weigh it against how hard the piece will be used, since a breakfast nook bench takes more wear than a formal dining chair. For curtains, the lighter weaves give you an easier fall, and drape and width decide how a panel hangs.

Cleaning and lightfastness differ from one weave to the next. Follow the care instructions for each fabric and the color and texture will hold. Not sure which Elitis upholstery fabric suits your chair, or which weave suits your window? Our team will help you choose, work out the yardage with the width and pattern repeat in mind, and advise on how to have the fabric made up.

Buy Elitis fabric at Selected Wallpapers

Selected Wallpapers is an official Elitis dealer. For the United States, prices for Elitis are available on request. Send us the designs you have in mind and you will receive a quote in USD with shipping, duties and taxes included, so there are no surprises at delivery. You can read how it works on our US shipping page. Working on a full room or a larger project? Tell us about it, and our team will give you personal advice on which fabrics to choose and how to put them together.