Wall coverings inspired by fashion and neoclassicism

Wall coverings from Arte that combine design and craftsmanship. L'Invité, a wallpaper collection from Essentials, one of the Belgian manufacturer’s brands, takes its inspiration from the world of fashion and from neoclassicism, the artistic movement that sought the purity of the classics. Its six designs combine patterns with luxurious touches and play with different geometric shapes, with a surprisingly modern colour palette that alternates with the look of natural materials and fabrics.

It is an elegant, accessible and welcoming collection, as well as versatile and adaptable to a wide range of settings. In this article we look at the six designs — Le Sommet, Le Papier Tissé, Le Rotin, Le Mythe, Le Prestige and L'Extase — their formats, colours and pattern matches according to Arte’s technical data sheets, and what to bear in mind when specifying them for homes and contract projects.

Fashion and neoclassicism on the wall

Arte launched L'Invité in 2021: the collection’s declaration of performance is dated August of that year and, in November, Hotel Designs magazine included it among the new products at the HIX show, highlighting its inspiration in French haute couture. The six designs are wallpapers on a non-woven backing and share the same technical performance; what changes from one to another is the pattern, the roll width and the pattern match.

The collection can be read as three families. Le Papier Tissé and Le Rotin reproduce natural materials — woven paper and rattan — with a realistic effect and soft tones. Le Sommet, Le Prestige and L'Extase are geometric patterns that recall lace, jacquard and ethnic motifs. Le Mythe is the only figurative design: a scene from ancient Greece drawn in the manner of toile de Jouy.

Le Sommet

An ethnic-inspired zigzag.

A pattern with a playful zigzag print. The design feels fresh thanks to its ethnic-inspired geometric motifs, which form diagonal bands on the wall and create a sense of height. It has a 64 cm straight match and is made in six colours: Sunrise, Eclipse, Ocean, Strawberry Field, Touch of Pink and Burgundy Sky.

Le Papier Tissé

The texture of woven paper.

A design inspired by woven paper. The fine structure of the paper strips reveals the natural fibres and creates a play of subtle colour nuances. Arte describes it as a timeless wallpaper with a realistic woven-paper effect.

It is the only design in the collection made in 90 cm wide rolls, and it has a free match. It comes in eight colours: Lavender, Honey, Bone, Chocolate, Eggshell, Hazelnut, Soft Sky and Pistache.

Le Rotin

Imitation rattan, tone on tone.

This tone-on-tone design is a natural imitation of rattan, barely distinguishable from the real thing. The interlacing of the fibres creates a nuanced play of light and dark shadows. The coloured background enhances this effect.

It is hung with a free match, respecting the 2.5 cm design height, and comes in seven colours: Midnight, Taupe, Eclipse, Peacock, Terracotta, Pistache and Sky.

Le Mythe

Ancient Greece in the manner of toile de Jouy.

This unusual wallpaper transports you to ancient Greece, with majestic temples and mysterious myths. The monochrome design is inspired by French toile de Jouy, a fabric known for its detailed, romantic designs: columns, ruins, palm trees and figures repeat on a plain ground, drawn in a single tone.

Toile de Jouy takes its name from the manufactory that Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf founded in 1760 in Jouy-en-Josas, which operated until 1843. Its figurative fabrics reflected the late 18th- and early 19th-century taste for pastoral, historical and literary scenes, the same period as the neoclassicism the collection refers to.

Le Mythe has a 128/64 cm offset match and five colours: Sand, Charcoal, Sahara, Skylight and Touch of Blush.

Le Prestige

Lace and jacquard with raised inks.

Wall coverings that exude luxury. The pattern nods to lace and jacquard fabrics. It plays with small geometric shapes combined with raised inks, which give the design relief.

It has a 16 cm straight match and six colours: Starry Night, Sunlight, Eclipse, Framboise, Touch of Blush and Cricket.

L'Extase

Closed shapes with movement.

Closed geometric shapes catch the eye in this pattern full of movement. It nods to lace, creating an instant sense of luxury. A design that is striking and welcoming at the same time.

It has a 9 cm straight match and six colours: Clay, Emerald, Sicilian Orange, Pistache, Plum and Onyx.

Formats, colours and pattern matches

The table summarises the data from Arte’s technical data sheets. The references match those in the collection’s declaration of performance (2021).

All the designs share the same composition and performance: wallpaper on a non-woven backing, washable, with good lightfastness and dry-strippable. For reaction to fire, Arte declares class B-s1, d0 under EN 13501-1 and Class A in the United States, and the collection holds IMO certification, meeting the International Maritime Organization’s requirements for materials used on ships.

Key points for specifying L'Invité

• Roll width: five designs are 0.70 m wide and Le Papier Tissé 0.90 m, all 8.50 m long. This is worth bearing in mind in the setting-out if designs are combined in the same project.
• Pattern match: designs with a straight or offset match (Le Sommet, Le Mythe, Le Prestige and L'Extase) require the motif to be aligned between drops, and the larger the repeat, the more material is lost in cutting. Le Papier Tissé and Le Rotin have a free match, although Arte advises respecting the design height (1.5 and 2.5 cm respectively).
• Hanging: the paste is applied to the wall, not the paper, using Arte’s Clearpro adhesive or a good-quality dispersion adhesive. Because it is dry-strippable, the paper can be removed without wetting it when the space is redecorated.
• Contract use: class B-s1, d0, IMO certification and the washable finish make it a candidate for hotels, restaurants and high-traffic spaces, as well as homes. Hotel Designs reported that Arte presented it as suitable for high-traffic residential and commercial areas.
• Batches: the batch number appears on each roll’s label. For a single wall, it is best to order all the rolls from the same batch and check this before hanging.

Arte, the manufacturer

Arte is a Belgian family company founded in 1981 by Jean Pierre Desart, who refocused the paint distribution business his father had started on wallpaper. It manufactures its wall coverings in Belgium; its declaration of performance gives the company, Arte NV, as based in Zonhoven. Under the Essentials brand it groups collections such as L'Invité.

At Matter we help you choose wall coverings for every project, from wallpapers to textiles and natural finishes, and compare textures, colours and performance with your technical team.