A passion for wallpaper since 1861
From Bramsche to the whole world
Our philosophy
Rasch wallpapers ...
... transform every room – by emphasizing and simultaneously dissolving its boundaries.
... are both an illusion – and often a better reality.
… are an ideal means of expressing individual style and personality.
1861
1861 Founding of “J. H. Lücke & Rasch, Tapeten und Rouleauxfabrik” by Johann Heinrich Lücke and Hermann Wilhelm Gottfried Rasch.
1897 Founding of Hannoversche Tapetenfabrik Gebrüder After a major fire in 1905, the factory is rebuilt at its current location.
By 1900, Rasch already offers a diverse selection. Wallpaper in a historicist style with neo-Renaissance or neo-baroque patterns, classic marble designs, and numerous fabric imitations with light scattered flowers. The latest trend is generous leaf tendrils with decorative flowers and sweeping lines. The entire floral world of Art Nouveau is captured here in pastel colors on paper.
Manual production of wallpaper in single sheets
Rotating on a large drum, the wallpaper strip is passed over several smaller rollers printing in different colors, before finally running onto a trailer device to dry thoroughly in large loops extending from the ceiling to the floor.
1910
The Bramsche factory is one of the largest and best-equipped wallpaper factories in Germany. The company has offices in Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and London.
In 1912, the opening of “branches” in Melbourne and Sydney is announced.
The collection grows rapidly. In addition to Art Nouveau designs, the first small patterns appear. However, the tone is set by neo-Biedermeier wallpapers with stripes and floral borders. Clear contours and strong contrasting colors characterize the designs. The walls are once again being reinforced in the classic manner , based on architectural considerations, and divided into a base, surface, and frieze.
Papiermaschinen läuten Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts eine neue Ära ein.
Je farbiger die Tapete konzipiert ist, desto mehr Druckvorgänge mit unterschiedlichen Modeln werden nötig. Zwischen den Druckgängen müssen die Bahnen trocknen, sonst laufen die Farben ineinander.
1920
Extravagant shapes and colors dominated the decade. A fireworks display of bizarre ornaments spread across the walls. The first artist collections were printed by Rasch, such as the 1926 card “Neuartige Eigenheim Tapeten” (New Home Wallpaper) by the Cologne artist workshop JEKU with Paul Jessen and Alfred Kutzer. Also in 1926, the special card “Princess Eitel Friedrich of Prussia” by Duchess Sophie Charlotte of Oldenburg appeared, and a year later, also by Charlotte von Oldenburg, the “Modern Wall Art.”
The end of the 1920s and the beginning of the following decade were marked by the search for calm walls.
1930
Together with the legendary Bauhaus art school in Dessau, Rasch develops a new generation of wallpaper, the “Bauhaus wallpaper.” Despite initial difficulties, the Bauhaus initially rejected wallpaper as a substitute, Dr. Emil Rasch succeeded in presenting the first Bauhaus card for the 1930 season in the fall of 1929. Surprisingly, they no longer featured patterns, but only textures in a wide range of colors. Through large-scale advertising campaigns and advertising brochures sent directly to architects with original wallpapers, Bauhaus wallpapers also became popular with consumers.
After the Bauhaus was dissolved, Rasch acquired the rights to the brand name from Mies van der Rohe in 1933 and has been successfully continuing the collections under its own management ever since. The classic wallpaper patterns are making a comeback and are being colored in restrained, muted colors.
1940
The “Bauhaus,” “Weimar,” and “May” collections become the standard range for contemporary interior design. The Bauhaus wallpaper stands for neutral elegance. The Weimar wallpaper, with its links to historical models, is considered representative of the gentleman, while the floral May wallpaper by the renowned designer of the same name, Maria May, embodies the light, airy style of the woman. In 1939, Rasch launched the “Wiener Künstlertapeten” (Viennese Artists' Wallpaper) collection under the direction and with the collaboration of Josef Hoffmann, co-founder of the Vienna Secession. The first wallpapers by Tea Ernst were shown as an appendix. In the following years, she celebrated great success with her figurative wallpapers, including “Robinson,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” and “The Magic Flute.”
1950
The “Rasch-KÜNSTLER-Tapeten” wallpaper range launched in 1950 marks the beginning of a new success story. The first designers included architects Fritz August Breuhaus, Hans Schwippert, and Josef Hoffmann once again, as well as designers Maria May, Tea Ernst, and Margret Hildebrand. In total, over 50 artists, architects, and designers worked for Rasch as freelancers in the 1950s. Cheerful figurative wallpapers alongside clear graphic patterns dominated the scene. The highlight was the release of the KÜNSTLER wallpapers in 1956 for the exhibition “Artistic Creation – Industrial Design. Artists around the Rasch Wallpaper Factory” at the Municipal Museum in Osnabrück. Twenty-eight artists from ten countries participated in the exhibition, including Bele Bachem, Arnold Bode, Letzia Cerio, Lucienne Day, Tea Ernst, Cuno Fischer, Margret Hildebrand, Alfred Mahlau, Bruno Munari, Renè Sintenis, Skinkichi Tajiri, Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart, and the artist community “junger westen” with Gustav Deppe, Thomas Grochowiak, Ernst Hermanns, Emil Schumacher, and Hans Werdehaus.
Rasch Textil was founded in 1957 and has since become known for wallpaper and decorative fabrics in a fascinating variety of designs, colors, and quality.
The Rasch Textil Group, headquartered in Bramsche, Germany, is part of the Rasch Group. This includes, among others, the Gebr. Rasch wallpaper factory and the Rasch printing company. In addition to Rasch Textil, the Rasch Textil Group also includes the production company Kupferoth Interiors.
1960
The circle of artists featured in the regularly reissued “Rasch-KÜNSTLER-Tapeten” wallpaper collection is constantly expanding. The most prominent names now include Salvador Dali, Bernard Schultze, Jean de Botton, and illustrator Raimond Peynet. With “Country” , Rasch launched its first wallpaper fabric collection. Each country-style wallpaper was accompanied by a fabric in a matching color and pattern. The collection was particularly successful in England, France, Italy, Switzerland, and the USA, and was followed by another fabric collection, “Maison.”
“Practica” introduced consumer-friendly innovations. The wallpapers were seamless and washable, packaged in foil with the pattern visible on the outside, and the edges were trimmed, which until then had borne the artist's name or the imprint “Ein Rasch-Erzeugnis” (A Rasch product).
1970
Under the influence of pop and op art, Wolf Bauer and Klaus Dombrowski designed oversized patterns for the “Avan'Garde” and “Contempora” collections, which were complemented by color-coordinated small patterns, striped wallpapers, and fabrics in keeping with the set concept. The KÜNSTLER collections of this period also changed their appearance, inspired by the success of Avan'Garde. They featured oversized decorations in wallpaper width, combined with contrasting colors in black, white, or silver. With “Screen,” Rasch launched the first vinyl wallpaper collection on the market. It was washable and had special gloss effects and was designed for the export market.
In den 70er Jahren wird neuerdings das Tiefdruckverfahren angewandt. Der Tiefdruck ist eines von vielen Druckverfahren, bei dem die druckenden Muster in die Druckform eingetieft sind. Das bedeutet, dass das Muster der Tapete als Vertiefung in dem Formzylinder abgebildet ist. Dabei wird der Formzylinder vollständig mit Farbe versehen. Mit einem Rakel wird die Druckfarbe von der glatten Oberfläche des Musters entfernt, es bleibt also nur Farbe an den tiefer gelegten Stellen übrig, welche das Muster darstellen. Die Übertragung der Farbe finden nur durch einen hohen Anpressdruck und die Saugkraft des Papiers statt.
1980
Screen printing is added to the process in the 1980s. The new three-dimensional look of relief wallpaper triggers a positive development.
1990
The new “Young & Happy” collection series, which creates the so-called “young living” wallpaper style, is an expression of the spirit of the times. The ‘Portofino’ and “Fiesta” paper collections feature new colors that can be combined with matching wallpapers and borders in various widths and decorative fabrics. The vinyl hot-stamping technique introduced in the early 1990s, which creates a light-reflecting structure, is becoming increasingly important, not only in the new Eastern European markets but also in the classic export markets. Collections with neo-classical echoes such as “Palace,” “Eden,” and “Arcade” are being created, aimed at a prestigious style of living. With the “Zeitwände” wallpaper collection, designed by internationally renowned designers and architects Berghoff/Landes/Rang, Ginbande-Design, Wolfgang Laubersheimer, Alessandro Mendini, Nathalie du Pasquier, Borek Sipek, Ettore Sottsass, Matteo Thun, George J. Sowden, and Matteo Thun, Rasch is building on its earlier successes in design history. The collection has received awards from the German Design Club and the Art Directors Club Germany and is now on display in leading museums, including the Neue Sammlung in Munich, the Museum of Art in San Francisco, and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.
2000 - 2003
Elbersdrucke is a company with a long tradition in textiles. Founded in 1822 as a blue dyeing and colored weaving mill and later expanded into a fabric printing company, Elbersdrucke successfully produced a wide range of fabrics in Hagen, Westphalia, until 1997. Elbersdrucke has been part of the Rasch Textil Group since 2002. The brand is known for trendy and marketable products with strong designs and high-quality, diverse materials.
At Heimtextil 2003, Rasch heralded the digital printing era in wallpaper. With COSMOPOLITAN, Rasch presented the world's first digitally printed wallpapers in the form of wall panels. This collection received the first European Design Award for Wallpaper in 2003, and designer B. Holzapfel was nominated for the ELLE Decoration International Design Award (EDIDA) 2004 in the Wallpaper category.
2005
This was followed by the wallpaper collection “COLORFLAGE by Rasch” by internationally renowned designer Markus Benesch, who works in Munich and Milan for renowned clients such as Paul Smith (London), Bennetton (Milan), C&Y (Japan), as well as the MAGIC WALLS collection, which includes photographic wall murals in sizes up to 6 square meters with huge flower motifs, landscapes, etc.
2008
The Iris Maschek wallpaper design collection (digitally printed wallpaper) was launched in 2008. Her creations were sophisticated, unique, and beautiful. The 39-year-old has been developing exclusively computer-animated creations for interior design since 1997. Maschek's works are 1.80 m or 3.72 m wide and 3 m high.
With “Phosphorwall,” the French design duo Ich & Kar presents a wallpaper collection with extraordinary designs. Exhibited at the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, it was unanimously voted the winner of “Wallpaperlab 2008.” A special feature was the accents that glow at night.
2015
Sophie Charlotte, 2015 sees the revival of the artist collection that was so popular in 1926. With contemporary colors, the Bramsche studio breathes new life into the antique, but by no means outdated, patterns. The special highlight: Rasch is taking a promising step forward with this collection and producing these wallpapers in a CO²-neutral manner. The wallpaper factory supports a reforestation project in Panama and is committed to preserving our forests in addition to beautifying our homes.
2018
Almost 90 years ago, the first wallpaper collection developed in collaboration with Rasch was a resounding success. Today, shortly before the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Weimar art school, the company is building on this successful concept and developing a new collection together with Sikkens that is entirely in keeping with the Bauhaus philosophy: bauhaus TAPETE Struktur + Farbe.
A special feature, however, is the individual combinability of textures from Rasch and colors from the premium brand Sikkens. Intensive laboratory tests lasting several months were required before the unique Bauhaus collection was approved. The result is an impressive symbiosis of surface designs and a wide range of colors from the Sikkens color concept for a perfect finish.
2020
The new label “Emil & Hugo” from Rasch Textil pays homage to the founding fathers of the wallpaper factory of the same name. Their sensitivity to the spirit of the times and the new spirit of Art Deco, coupled with the necessary pioneering spirit, gave the family business its typical design and color signature early on. Knowing where we come from allows us to shape future-proof product development with a wealth of experience, courage, and confidence. The Zanzibar archipelago, formerly known as the Spice Islands, is considered the gateway to the Indian Ocean thanks to the influences of numerous cultures and offers creative minds a wealth of inspiration.