Promotion: according to wallpaper specialist Selected Wallpapers, wallcoverings are increasingly equipped with woven, sound-absorbing and embossed qualities, which is changing "what a wall is asked to do".

Selected Wallpapers explained that there is an increasing demand for tactile wallpapers, which now play a large part in how a space looks and feels.

As interior design trends have shifted toward calmer, more restrained spaces, the brand added that wallpapers have become the chosen surface where texture and a room's personality are expressed.

"There is a moment, walking into a well-considered room, when you sense it before you can explain it," said Selected Wallpapers. "The light settles differently on the walls; the surfaces have depth; and almost without thinking, you want to run a hand along them."

"That instinct – to touch a wall rather than simply look at it – has quietly become one of the defining forces in contemporary luxury interiors," it continued.

The brand highlighted Abaca Métal by CMO Paris, which is made using abaca weft with a subtle metallic finish that responds to changing light.

Another example is Parthénon – Rayures Jumelles by Élitis, a three-dimensional textile wallcovering featuring raised linear and curved forms, which give it acoustic properties.

According to Selected Wallpapers, the shift towards incorporating tactile walls into design projects, from residential to commercial, is a response to increasing screen time and screens being placed at the centre of a room.

The brand explained that as daily life has become increasingly digital, the physical qualities of an interior – the warmth of a space and the way a surface catches light – carry "new emotional value".

For example, natural fibres, wood veneer and grass cloth absorb and reflect light, which "rewards closeness" as people move throughout a room at different times of the day.

It added that designers are also increasingly interested in "how a room sounds" and that many tactile surfaces are also designed to absorb sound reverberation, without a visible acoustic panel in sight.

"Designers increasingly talk about how a room feels and sounds, not only how it looks," the brand added.

An example is Soft Surrounds by Phillip Jeffries, which has a large-scale geometric pattern and a teddy-like fabric. It has sound-absorption qualities and is also stain-repellent, combining tactility with functional performance.

Another example is Vinacoustic Polyform Galeo by Texdecor, which is equipped with raised surfaces and textures.

The three-dimensional construction gives the material depth while also providing acoustic performance, illustrating how contemporary wallcoverings can "combine surface design with a functional role".

Selected Wallpapers represents 55 of the world's leading wallpaper houses and works with architects and interior designers across Europe.

The company are experts on tactile and acoustic collections and advises architects on the right weave and fibre for a particular light, room and acoustics. The team also advises on how a surface will age.

To learn more about Selected Wallpapers, visit its website.

Partnership content

This article was written for Selected Wallpapers as part of a partnership. Find out more about our partnership content here.