Papermaker Friedrich Erfurt founded the company Erfurt & Sohn in Wuppertal in 1827. His grandson Hugo was actually a pharmacist – he enjoyed experimenting. In 1864, Hugo began to dye wood fibers and developed a textured paper. His invention was initially used to decorate shop windows. But Hugo, who had since taken over the paper factory from his parents, must have realized that his paper had even more potential: he soon switched from making his paper by hand to machine production.
In the early 20th century, more and more private individuals also discovered the advantage of the rough wall covering: due to its texture, it could be painted over multiple times. This opened up entirely new possibilities for interior design. In the Bauhaus era of the 1920s, woodchip wallpaper enjoyed its first boom. Since its renaissance in the 80s, it has been considered a classic among wall coverings.
Today, woodchip wallpaper usually consists of three layers of paper with wood fibers incorporated into them. These give the wallpaper a fine, medium, or coarse texture depending on the grain size. The latter can be painted over the most times, as its grain is visible for longer. Woodchip wallpaper can therefore play an important role in addressing today’s much-discussed sustainability challenge. Could Hugo Erfurt have envisaged that back in his day ...?
(Image: brat82 – fotolia.com)
