Newsworthy combines age-old techniques with the modern notion of recycling. Woven on handlooms using the same technique as traditional grasscloth, the wallpaper is composed of 100% recycled newspaper and nylon filament.
The bulk of the world's grasscloth has always been made in Japan. Traditionally woven from the bark of the honeysuckle vine, grasscloth used as a wallcovering dates back hundreds of years where evidence of its use is found in ancient temples. The many stages of production slowly became standardized, and some mechanized, after Japan was introduced to Western markets. Grasscloth was first exported to the United States in the 1880s.
Newsworthy is woven in India on traditional handlooms using the coiled newsprint for the weft and nylon filaments as the warp. After being woven, the paper is shipped back to the United States where it is paper backed to facilitate being pasted to the wall. The finished product does not receive any additional surface treatment.
Wallpaper: Newsworthy, designed by Lori Weitzner, 2010. Gift of Lori Weitzner, 2010-15-1. Photo: Matt Flynn
