The Future Is Wow

As it becomes increasingly sophisticated, virtual reality is blurring the lines between designer and consumer.

- Shivani Vora

“I HAVE ALWAYS wanted to disrupt the traditional wallpaper industry,” says Julia Bancilhon, the founder of the London-based wallpaper brand Made of Matter. “Virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) have been my catalysts to drive this change.”

The collage artist’s animated wallpaper is among the most eye-catching AR and VR design products gaining traction in high-end residential and product composition. These technologies, which are still nascent, are powered by cutting-edge software platforms systems – mostly rendered in 3D – including Blender, Unreal Engine and Photoshop.

“AR and VR are starting to change the way that the deep-pocketed buy design pieces for their luxury homes,” explains David Azar, the founder of The Cryption, a site dedicated to Web3 technologies that incorporate the two techniques. “They’re also impacting how people build, sell and outfit these homes.”

To further clarify the definitions, Azar says that AR augments a real-life setting or object by imbuing it with digital elements – such as a three-dimensional visual of a sofa as it would look in your living room. VR, on the other hand, is a rendered 3D world, similar to a design of a house that hasn’t been built yet. Designers and architects today are turning to both approaches in imaginative ways.