Calico Wallpaper Introduces Diaphanous, a New Collection with Joe Doucet
Marking their first time collaborating, Calico Wallpaper and Joe Doucet capture the layered geometry of the outdoors through light, movement, and shadow.
.jpg "Diaphanous in colorway “Effloresce”")
New York, NY (October 15, 2026) — Calico Wallpaper introduces Diaphanous, a new collection designed in collaboration with industrial designer Joe Doucet. Developed as a study in light, movement, and shadow, Diaphanous explores the shifting patterns created by sunlight passing through trees and branches, also marking his debut wallpaper collection.
Rooted in the fleeting interplay of light and shadow cast onto walls, each design draws inspiration from the layered beauty of the outdoors, translating its transient moments into a stimulating visual composition. The collection seamlessly prolongs the meditative rhythm of nature, making it permanent indoors.
Soft gradients and translucent forms recreate the effect of branches undulating, shadows drifting, and the everchanging state of light throughout the day. Atmospheric yet architectural, the collection transforms walls into dynamic surfaces that feel shaped by natural light and motion.
“Throughout our collaboration, we longed to depict the calming air of trees through tonal variety,” says Rachel Cope, Creative Director of Calico Wallpaper. “Joe’s past works are composites of function and aesthetic appeal, and Diaphanous continues this legacy with its calming effects and obscured geometry.”
The collection reflects a shared exploration between Doucet and Calico Wallpaper, where innovation and materiality turn fleeting shadow play into immersive interior environments. Diaphanous portrays where light moves and shadows take shape.
.jpg "Doucet pictured in his studio")
“We’re surrounded by constant stimulation and visual noise. I wanted to create something that does the opposite,” says Doucet. “The dappled light cast by trees onto the walls of my home has always given me a sense of calm. I wasn’t interested in depicting nature. I wanted to recreate the feeling of living with it. It’s a quiet connection to the outdoors that lowers the volume of a room and, hopefully, of our minds.”
The designs are presented across seven distinct colorways - Efforesce, Effulgence, Elude, Incandescence, Lambent, Redolence, Transient - each offering a distinctive configuration of light and shadow.
.jpg "The process of creating Diaphanous")
Efforesce, Lambent, and Transient feel ethereal and quiet, blending cool tones with pale surfaces; Effulgence introduces a deep jewel-toned layering of silhouettes; Elude filters light through a mistful perspective; Incandescence lends a warm glow amid ambered hues; and Redolence anchors the palette with a grounded, moss-toned glow. Together, each of the colorways offer a spectrum of earth tones rich with movement and natural illumination.
MEDIA CONTACT
calicowallpaper@camronglobal.com
ABOUT CALICO WALLPAPER
Calico Wallpaper is a designer of bespoke wallpaper. The company was founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 2013 by creative and life partners Nicholas and Rachel Cope. Their process combines artisanal methods from the decorative arts, such as traditional marbling and dip-dyeing techniques, with innovative technologies. Calico Wallpaper works with a global roster of leading designers and architects. In addition to residential and hospitality projects, Calico Wallpaper’s designs have been exhibited internationally at Milan Design Week and London Design Festival and have obtained a place in the permanent collection at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. In 2021, Calico Wallpaper opened its first showroom at 57 Lispenard Street, New York, NY, with partner and furniture manufacturer Stellar Works.
ABOUT JOE DOUCET
Joe Doucet is a New York-based designer, entrepreneur, investor, and creative director recognized as one of America’s leading creative talents. A graduate of Arts Center College of Design, he blends function, beauty, and meaning in his work across product, furniture, environment, and technology. Doucet holds numerous patents and believes design thinking can drive innovation and problem-solving. His work has been exhibited globally and honored with awards such as the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, multiple Good Design Awards, and a World Technology Award. He has also been named Dezeen’s Designer of the Year nominee and one of Fast Company’s Most Important Design Companies.