Inside the Tactile World of ÉLITIS
people • brand
Ariane Dalle approaches textiles as something far beyond decoration. As Textile Design Director at ÉLITIS, she helps shape the French maison’s distinctive visual language - one defined by tactile surfaces, instinctive colour palettes and a fearless approach to material experimentation.
Since its founding in 1988, Élitis has become known for collections that blur the boundaries between textiles, art and architecture, from paper-infused linens to sculptural wallcoverings and richly textured weaves. Guided by curiosity and emotion, the brand continues to explore how materials can shape atmosphere, memory and the feeling of a space.
In this conversation, Ariane reflects on the emotional power of textiles, the influence of Brutalist architecture and contemporary art, and why materiality remains one of the most instinctive forms of expression within interior design.
Words: designeers
may 2026
WEBSITE: elitis.fr
INSTAGRAM: @elitisfrance
DESIGNEERS
Élitis was founded in 1988 by Patrice Marraud des Grottes. What was the original vision, and how has it evolved over time?
Ariane Dalle
Patrice founded ÉLITIS with the idea that textiles and wallcoverings could become expressive materials rather than simply decorative finishes. From the beginning, the vision was to challenge traditional interior design codes through texture, colour and unexpected materiality.
Over time, that spirit of experimentation has only expanded. Élitis continues to explore unconventional materials such as raffia, paper and glass fibre, creating collections that sit somewhere between design, fashion and art. While the materials and techniques continue to evolve, the essence of the maison remains the same: creating immersive, tactile environments where emotion and materiality shape the experience of a space.
DESIGNEERS
When you begin a new collection, do you start with a material, a feeling, or an idea?
Ariane Dalle
A collection rarely begins with just one thing. More often, it starts with a feeling, a visual memory or an unexpected contrast that sparks curiosity. Material is always central, but less for its technical qualities than for the emotion it creates. A texture can immediately suggest rhythm, movement or atmosphere.
At ÉLITIS, curiosity drives the creative process. Nature is a constant source of inspiration - even the bark of a tree can reveal an entire design language. We see textiles as an emotional medium, capable of creating instinctive connections through touch, colour and sensation.
DESIGNEERS
From linen intertwined with paper to bamboo woven with metallic thread, your material combinations are striking. What drives these unexpected pairings?
Ariane Dalle
Textiles are deeply connected to human experience. They carry emotion, memory and identity - from the fabrics we wear to the materials that shape the spaces we inhabit. There is something instinctive in the way people respond to texture, colour and touch.
At ÉLITIS, material combinations are never created simply to surprise. They emerge from a desire to explore new dialogues between materials and to reveal unexpected forms of beauty. Whether combining linen with paper or bamboo with metallic thread, the intention is always to create surfaces that feel both tactile and emotionally resonant.
DESIGNEERS
Many of your collections feel inspired by travel and different cultures. How do those influences find their way into your designs without feeling literal?
Ariane Dalle
Travel influences us less in a literal sense and more through atmosphere, emotion and memory. It can come from the light of a landscape, the patina of a wall, a colour combination glimpsed in a market or the rhythm of a particular architecture.
At ÉLITIS, we try to avoid anything overly referential or folkloric. The goal is never to reproduce a culture, but to translate a feeling. Those impressions become filtered through material, texture and colour until they evolve into something more instinctive and timeless.
DESIGNEERS
Your collections sit somewhere between craft and innovation. How do you balance working with artisans and experimenting with new technologies?
Ariane Dalle
I’ve always been interested in the tension between opposing elements - natural and technical, raw and refined, tradition and innovation. Often, the most interesting ideas emerge from those unexpected combinations.
At ÉLITIS, innovation is never pursued simply for novelty. It has to feel intuitive and emotionally resonant. That balance is only possible through craftsmanship. Our artisans understand materials deeply, how far they can be pushed, when to let them breathe, and how to preserve their authenticity while transforming them into something unexpected.
When the balance feels right, the material begins to speak in a completely new way, while still retaining a sense of timelessness.
DESIGNEERS
Is there a material or technique you’re particularly obsessed with right now?
Ariane Dalle
More than a single material or technique, I’m increasingly focused on environmental responsibility and the return to more essential forms of creation - natural materials, natural dyes and processes that respect both craftsmanship and the environment.
With the new Racines collection, ÉLITIS pushed this philosophy further than ever before. Made in France using Merino wool from Arles, it marks our first fully natural upholstery collection. For us, this shift felt both necessary and long overdue.
Today, choosing a material is no longer simply an aesthetic decision; it is a conscious one. The materials we work with shape not only the object itself, but also the future we are designing toward.
“We see textiles as an emotional medium, capable of creating instinctive connections through touch, colour and sensation.”
Ariane Dalle
DESIGNEERS
What’s one unexpected reference, outside of design, that has recently influenced your work?
Ariane Dalle
The Polish textile sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has been a lasting influence on my work, and recently her work has resonated with me even more deeply. What fascinates me is the way she freed textiles from their decorative role, transforming fibre into something sculptural, immersive and almost primal.
Her Abakans possess a remarkable tension between fragility and strength, softness and monumentality. That sensibility has influenced the way I think about materials today - in a more instinctive and physical way, allowing texture, irregularity and volume to become part of the emotional language of a space.
DESIGNEeRS
What’s one detail people might overlook in your collections that you think is essential?
Ariane Dalle
What people may not immediately notice is the narrative behind each collection. Every collection is shaped by accumulated impressions - travels, books, exhibitions, architecture, fragments of conversations or landscapes that stay with me over time.
At ÉLITIS, we think of a collection almost as an invitation into a world. Beyond texture and colour, there is always an atmosphere, an emotion and a rhythm holding everything together. The challenge is creating something bold and unexpected while still allowing it to live naturally within an interior.
For me, the most important thing is that a collection carries a sense of feeling - something instinctive that people respond to before they even begin to analyse it.
DESIGNEERS
After more than 30 years, the brand still feels fresh and curious. How do you keep that energy alive?
Ariane Dalle
My role is to remain constantly attentive to the spirit of the times - observing evolving behaviours, emerging aesthetics and the subtle cultural shifts that shape how we live today. Curiosity is essential. I’m always searching for new references, materials and emotions that can inspire future collections.
At ÉLITIS, creativity cannot exist separately from reality. A collection must inspire emotion, but it also has to live within people’s interiors and resonate commercially. Behind every collection is an entire network of artisans, makers and collaborators whose work depends on that balance succeeding.
I often think of my role as navigating between intuition and responsibility - between artistic freedom and the practical reality of building something lasting. That tension is what keeps the brand evolving while preserving its identity.
DESIGNEeRS
Looking ahead, what new territories, materials, or ideas are you most excited to explore next?
Ariane Dalle
I’ve recently been deeply inspired by the architectural language of Brutalism, particularly the monumental structures of the 1950s to 1970s. There is something fascinating in the tension between their severity and their beauty - the way raw concrete, geometry, light and shadow can create such a powerful emotional presence.
This exploration shaped our Brutalist collection at ÉLITIS, where structured geometric forms are softened through tactile materials such as chenille, wool and cotton. I’m increasingly interested in this dialogue between graphic precision and sensory softness - spaces that feel both rigorous and deeply enveloping.
Looking ahead, I want to continue exploring materials and surfaces that evoke emotion through texture, volume and atmosphere, while pushing further toward more natural and responsible forms of creation.
DESIGNEERS
Finally, if you had to describe Élitis in three words today, what would they be?
Ariane Dalle
Bold, tactile and instinctive.
At ÉLITIS, there is always a desire to push creative boundaries while remaining deeply connected to emotion, materiality and the sensory experience of interiors.
