Natural Fibers: Types, Advantages, Properties & More

Front facing bed against all natural grasscloth wallpaper
Design by A.I. Interiors

 

Prioritizing natural materials in your design choices can lead to more elegant outcomes, with the added benefit of being a more environmentally sustainable process. But the line between natural and synthetic materials can be blurry–and often, it’s hard to truly know if the products you’re working with are as natural as they claim to be. In this article, we’ll explore the difference between natural fibers and manmade fibers and discuss the natural ingredients and ethical production process of our various types of grasscloth wallpaper.

 

Natural Fibers: Types, Advantages, Properties & More

Prioritizing natural materials in your design choices can lead to more elegant outcomes, with the added benefit of being a more environmentally sustainable process. But the line between natural and synthetic materials can be blurry–and often, it’s hard to truly know if the products you’re working with are as natural as they claim to be. In this article, we’ll explore the difference between natural fibers and manmade fibers and discuss the natural ingredients and ethical production process of our various types of grasscloth wallpaper.

 

Ripe cotton bolls in a field, their natural fibers fluffy and ready for harvest.
Raw Cotton
Close up of the natural fibers in the seed heads and the delicate strands of the plant.
Raw Linen
A close-up of fluffy, white, fibrous material with small, curly textures reminiscent of wool, highlighting the beauty of natural fibers.
Synthetic Fibers

What’s the difference between natural and synthetic fibers?

Many products will reference being made from natural materials or fibers, but how are natural fibers different from manufactured fibers? Natural and man made fibers differ in that the former are harvested from sources like plants, or other materials in nature, and the latter are made of chemical compounds. So what are natural fibers? Some examples of natural fibers include cotton or linen, both of which come from plants. In contrast to these natural fiber types, some examples of synthetic materials are polyester, rayon, and spandex.

 

Why are natural fibers better?

Most often, when choosing a material, natural fiber fabrics are better than their synthetic counterparts because of their lower carbon emissions and biodegradable nature. These natural fibers advantages make them generally more eco-friendly and sustainable, though there is a place for synthetic materials in some situations where you may need elasticity or water resistance, for example. But it’s important to be intentional when you stray away from natural fibers in your material choices.

 

Strands of natural fibers hanging on bamboo poles to dry in an outdoor setting.
 

Is grasscloth made of natural fibers?

Yes, here at twenty2 grasscloth, we are deeply committed to our environmental responsibility, so our products are made of natural fibers, which means that unlike synthetic products, they will break-down over time. In today’s world, it can be challenging to avoid overly man-made, harmful processes in production, but we embrace the challenge to make earth-friendly choices to minimize our environmental impact. All of our grasscloth products are manufactured sustainably, throughout all phases of the production process. And, unlike their synthetic counterparts, our natural grasscloth wallpapers don’t off-gas.

 

A large pile of natural fibers, resembling raw jute or hemp, sits on a concrete floor in an industrial setting.

Popular types of natural fiber materials in grasscloth wallpaper

Before we discuss the specific natural fiber properties of our various grasscloth types, let’s review the production process and the natural fibers uses that are at the heart of each product. In general, the paper type is defined by the natural fibers used:

• Sisal is made from agave

• Abaca is made from a type of banana leaf

• Arrowroot, hemp and jute are made from their respective plants.

• Paperweave wallcoverings are made from various types of wood pulp.

If you’re wondering how natural fibers are obtained, in the production process, natural fibers are harvested and then sun-dried, maintaining a low-energy process. Then, the raw materials are organized and bundled before they are hand-dyed using natural, water-based vegetable dyes that give each colorway a unique hue. The dry, dyed fibers are then woven to create that signature grasscloth surface texture. In the case of paperweave, rather than using plant fibers, they are made from wood pulp that is turned into paper strands and dyed. Each mesh weave is then backed with biodegradable paper. You can learn more in-depth about our production process in our how it’s made statement.

 

A field of agave plants growing in rows under a partly cloudy sky, with a distant mountain range in the background.

Sisal

As we mentioned, Sisal grasscloth is made from agave natural fibers. The agave plant creates a stiff material that then gets woven into a fine texture. It’s the most popular grasscloth paper type in our collection, and it’s known for the color consistency across a single dye-lot since it retains and absorbs color so successfully. Beyond the dyed fibers, the paper backing can also be dyed to create a deep uniformity in a given colorway. Learn more in our deep dive on Sisal vs. Jute where we compare the natural fiber types and their attributes.

 

 Bundles of harvested green jute reeds tied with string, stacked vertically against each other in a row.

Jute

Comparing Jute to Sisal grasscloth is largely about natural fibers and their different properties. Jute features coarse, strong threads with hand-tied knots that are inserted manually before the weaving process. These textural variances create a bold statement that contrasts the tight weave of Sisal. We carry both raw and woven Jute. The former retains a more natural wood feel in the surface and does not feature any knots (think, Grackle or Hessite) whereas woven Jute has more processed natural fibers with the softer knots, like Dungaree.

 

 Several large industrial spools of thread are arranged in a workshop.

Paperweave

The natural fiber characteristics of the Paperweave family–including Japanese Paperweave–hold the most color-consistency out of our collection. These natural fiber types are woven on a mechanical loom for an even texture and often show fewer seams once installed because of their basket weave, with fibers going evenly in both directions in papers like Billow, Cirrus, Prairie, and Isla.

 

A small cluster of banana trees with large green leaves in a lush, tropical environment. 

 

Abaca

Abaca grasscloth is made of the abaca plant which is native to the Philippines. It resembles the banana plant, and the fiber used in the wallpaper comes from the leaf stalk. These fibers are also referred to as manila hemp or banana hemp, but it is not related to the hemp plant. After strands from the plants are dried, they are woven to create a stunning, upscale looking grasscloth. The products in our current collection include Moonstone, Blackthorn, and Starling, and you can learn more about this distinct type of grasscloth in our abaca deep-dive.

 

A lush green arrowroot plant with elongated leaves grows in a shaded forest area.

 

Arrowroot

Arrowroot natural fibers come from the arrowroot plant. In fact, it is one of the oldest styles of grasscloth. The production process for this line of products is labor-intensive due to the rarity of the raw materials needed, as well as the hand-tied knots that must be created before the material is woven on the loom. The resulting natural look is detailed and elegant–explore Durum and Honeydew, the two colorways we offer for this paper type.

 

A bedside table with mid-century modern design elements is adorned with an egg-shaped lamp and a small clock.

 

Conclusion

If choosing natural materials over synthetic options is important for your design choices, explore the possibilities available when you work with the natural fibers of grasscloth wallpaper. Our various paper types and colorways can create myriad surface textures, sheens, and visual effects depending on the space. Reach out to our knowledgeable team if you have questions, or explore our catalog and order samples to get started.