Elitis wallpaper

Elitis wallpaper behaves differently on an American wall than most of what is sold here, and the reason is texture. Patrice Marraud des Grottes started the house in Toulouse in 1988, and it builds surfaces rather than prints: raffia, woven cloth, leaf metal, silky sheen. On smooth painted drywall, which hides nothing, that shows immediately.

What texture does on flat drywall

Rooms here are built from large unbroken planes of drywall, and the ceiling height leaves plenty of wall in view. A woven or raked surface breaks up that expanse without adding a single motif. Light traveling down a tall wall catches the structure at the top and settles lower down, which makes a stair wall or double-height entryway a good place to start with the collection.

Powder room, entryway or one wall in an open plan

In a powder room nothing competes for attention, so the wall carries it. In an open plan the logic reverses. Pick one plane: the chimney breast, the dining end, the ceiling over a reading nook. Leave the rest painted. Gold and brass tones sit warmly against traditional millwork; soft ecru or deep charcoal suits a loft. Drapery and upholstery can follow through the Elitis fabrics.

Washable vinyl rather than a delicate paper

Much of the range, including the familiar raffia wallpaper, runs on washable vinyl with a non-woven back. The warm natural appearance stays, the surface wipes clean and takes daily traffic. That is why these papers turn up in hallways, powder rooms and hospitality projects.

Elitis wallpaper collections to look at first

• Madagascar Arrowroot Raw Raffia: the raffia look the house is known for.
• Origine: organic shapes in earthy tones.
• Lanzarote: volcanic structure, Mediterranean warmth.
• Pamir: robust texture, muted color palettes.
• Elixir de Soies: silky sheen, held back.

European rolls and delivery to the US

This line ships from Europe, so the roll format is European: 20.9 in (53 cm) wide and about 33 ft (10.05 m) long, roughly what an American double roll covers. Count in rolls, not square feet, and order everything at once so it comes from one batch. US orders arrive with import duties and fees already paid, so nothing is settled at the door.

Buying Elitis wallpaper from a European specialist

We are an official Elitis dealer and keep samples online. Order one: sheen and structure never survive a screen. Our Room Visualizer puts a design on a photo of your own wall. Weighing two colorways, or wondering how a texture reads under recessed lighting? Write or call; you get someone who knows the range.