Imagine wallpaper that changes color to show you the weather, or a chair that lights up to tell you someone's been sitting too long. DecoChrom developed special inks that can be printed onto everyday surfaces — paper, plastic, wood laminates — and then electrically switched to change color using almost no power. Think of it as turning any printed surface into a simple, ultra-thin display. The team built toolkits so designers and printing companies can start creating these interactive surfaces themselves, with backing from companies like IKEA, BMW, and Lego on the advisory board.
By the numbers
20+
creative industry end-user prototypes and pilots co-created
3
electrochromic ink colors developed and scaled up
5+ m²
smart wallpaper pilot deployed in representative environment
18
consortium partners across 12 countries
6
SME partners in the consortium
41
total project deliverables
The business problem
What needed solving
Most surfaces around us — walls, furniture, packaging — are static. Adding digital displays makes products bulky, expensive, and power-hungry. Companies in furniture, interior design, and consumer goods need a way to make their products interactive and informative without adding screens, batteries, or complexity to their manufacturing.
The solution
What was built
The project built 3 electrochromic ink colors printable on foil, paper, laminates, and 3D plastic; over 20 functional prototypes and pilots including a smart wallpaper (5+ m²) with solar powering, a chair with embedded activity displays, and a bed headboard with sleep data display. They also created ready-to-use toolkits for the printing industry and for designers/artists, including an Adobe Creative Cloud plugin.
Audience
Who needs this
Furniture manufacturers wanting smart product features (e.g., IKEA-style companies)Industrial printing companies looking to offer interactive printed surfacesSmart building material and wallcovering suppliersAutomotive interior component manufacturersConsumer electronics and toy companies seeking low-power display solutions
Business applications
Who can put this to work
Furniture & Interior Design
enterprise
Target: Furniture manufacturers and interior design firms
If you are a furniture manufacturer looking to differentiate your product line with smart features — this project developed functional prototypes including a wooden chair with embedded activity sensor displays and a bed headboard with sleep data display. These were piloted over several months of real usage. The printing-based approach means you can add interactive displays to existing laminate production lines without retooling.
Printing & Packaging
mid-size
Target: Industrial printing companies and packaging producers
If you are a printing company looking to move beyond static graphics into interactive products — this project created a dedicated toolkit for the printing industry, compatible with standard processes like silk screen printing. With 3 electrochromic ink colors developed and scaled up for mass production, you can offer clients surfaces that change color on demand using your existing print infrastructure.
Architecture & Construction
mid-size
Target: Smart building material suppliers and architectural firms
If you are a building materials supplier wanting to offer smart interior surfaces — this project piloted a smart wallpaper covering over 5 square meters with embedded color-changing functionality powered by solar cells. The wallpaper was deployed and evaluated under realistic conditions, proving the concept works at room scale for ambient information displays and decorative effects.
Frequently asked
Quick answers
What would it cost to integrate electrochromic displays into our products?+
The project data does not include specific per-unit costs. However, the technology is designed around standard industrial printing processes and ink-based materials, which suggests costs could approach conventional printed electronics at scale. Contact the consortium for current pricing of the EC ink materials and toolkits.
Can this scale to industrial production volumes?+
Yes — the project specifically targeted printing industry compatibility and scaled up production of 3 electrochromic ink colors for mass manufacturing. Toolkits were developed for both the printing industry and designers, and the technology works on multiple substrates including plastic foil, paper, high-pressure laminates, and 3D plastic parts.
What is the IP situation and how can we license this technology?+
The project involved 18 partners across 12 countries with 9 industry partners, so IP is likely shared across the consortium. The Industrial Advisory Board included major companies like IKEA, Lego, and BMW, suggesting licensing paths may already exist. Contact the coordinator at Lapin Yliopisto (University of Lapland, Finland) for licensing terms.
Has this been tested in real-world conditions?+
Yes. The smart wallpaper pilot covered over 5 square meters and was evaluated under realistic conditions with solar cell powering. The chair sitting indicator and bed headboard display were fully functional prototypes evaluated over several months of actual usage with wellbeing monitoring systems.
What materials and substrates does this work on?+
The technology has been demonstrated on plastic foil, paper, high-pressure laminates, and 3D durable plastic parts. This breadth of substrate compatibility makes it adaptable to furniture, wall coverings, consumer electronics housings, and automotive interior surfaces.
Do we need specialized equipment to use this?+
The project developed toolkits specifically to lower the barrier to entry. One toolkit targets the printing industry with standard processes like silk screen printing. A separate toolkit for designers and artists includes inks, electrolytes, basic electronic components, and an Adobe Creative Cloud plugin for designing displays.
Consortium
Who built it
The DecoChrom consortium brings together 18 partners from 12 countries with a strong 50% industry ratio (9 industry partners including 6 SMEs). This balance between research (5 universities, 4 research organizations) and industry ensures the technology was developed with commercial viability in mind. The Industrial Advisory Board is particularly impressive — IKEA, Lego, BMW, Fiskars, Hoffmann + Krippner, and GSB Wahl represent major end-user demand from furniture, toys, automotive, consumer goods, printed electronics, and ink production. The coordinator is Lapin Yliopisto (University of Lapland, Finland), and the pan-European spread across AT, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, IT, PL, PT, SE, and UK provides broad market access for commercialization.
Coordinator is Lapin Yliopisto (University of Lapland), Finland. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to discuss licensing, toolkits, or partnership opportunities.
Want to explore how electrochromic display technology could fit into your product line? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the DecoChrom team and help evaluate the business case for your specific application.
