Color, pattern and texture – oh my! The versatility of wallpaper makes it easy to find a design that complements the room in your house, no matter what style you are looking for.
Did you know wallpaper is a key trend this year? Hand-painted wallpapers are very much “on trend” and growing in popularity. Wallpaper helps us to individualize our rooms and make them cozier, which makes sense after staring at the same four walls for quite some time throughout the pandemic.
Although wallpaper has tended to be more common in living spaces and bedrooms in the past, today’s technological advances have allowed for the creation of many designs able to tolerate humid conditions. As a result, there are many suitable options for kitchens and bathrooms.
Ten Creative Wallpaper Ideas:
- Double Trouble: Who said you can’t use the same design in two different colors? Not us! In fact, we encourage you to give it a go. When you use the same print in two contrasting colors, it really adds design detail and maximizes the magic of one’s wallpaper. Try this for the perfect way to give some edge to your space in need of a renovation.
- Spruce Up Your Entryway: The entryway of your home is your first opportunity to set the tone and style of your home, so be sure to not overlook this space and give it the personality it deserves. Wallpaper is a fun, easy, and relatively inexpensive way to brighten things up when you first step into your home! Entryways are often a narrower space that sometimes get overlooked, so it may be worth considering embracing the fun patterns and color that wallpaper has to offer in this space. A repetitive pattern will create a rhythmic motif that helps to widen and elongate the smaller space typically found in an entryway. Consider wallpaper that features a good stripe; the linear quality will help add character to your entryway. This design also helps to add height if the lines are vertical or space if the lines are horizontally placed.
- How to Soften Busy Wallpaper: There’s nothing wrong with being bold and featuring “busy” wallpaper, however many get nervous at the thought. A simple way to break it up? Consider painting the woodwork surrounding the “busy” wallpaper in a color that matches the wallpaper design. Don’t forget: It is best to stay away from oversized prints in rooms where windows, mirrors and pictures are frequent. Choosing smaller repeat pattern in an area where such items are breaking up the design is best.
- The Perfect Way to Add Personality to Your Home Office: Re-imaging the walls of the office at your 9 to 5 job may not be on the table, but the possibilities are seemingly endless when it comes to your own home office! Busy, patterned wallpaper may be too distracting in a home office where you are likely wanting to concentrate. Opt for gentle, impressionist-style wallpaper to add interest to your space while creating a feeling of Zen.
- Use the Same Print on An Accent Wall and Piece of Furniture: A simple concept that can leave a big impact! It’s as easy as getting an armchair upholstered in the same print as the wallpaper you are using on an accent wall near the furniture piece. Using only an accent wall instead of every wall in the room will keep you from overdoing it with the same design and really leaves a WOW factor.
- Make Various Shades Your Friend: Consider using one color across three individual pieces through different shades. Doing this adds depth while also creating harmony and cohesion through all individual elements.
- Don’t Forget the Ceiling: Sometimes it’s as simple as looking up! There’s no rules when it comes to wallpaper. Who says you can’t wallpaper the ceiling?! Whether this means including the ceiling as you wallpaper the four surrounding walls or only wallpapering the ceiling to really make a dramatic pop, you’ve done it right.
- Wallpaper Things You Normally Wouldn’t: No rules apply here; think outside the box! From wallpapering your staircases to your headboard, the possibilities are endless. Such spaces are great opportunities to finally put wallpaper scraps that may be laying around to good use. Interior doors and closets are another great place to try. Coating your closet doors with the same wallpaper as the walls of the room can trick your eye into making the closet disappear and essentially opening up the room.
- Experiment With Your Powder Room: Small rooms, such as your powder room, are great places to start with a bold, fun wallpaper. Why? If your taste changes down the road, it isn’t the most expensive area to redecorate given the small space of a powder room. Pro Tip: Go for bold large-scale prints in these small spaces. Don’t be afraid to choose something dramatic that you absolutely love but know you couldn’t live with forever in a well-trafficked hub like the living room.
- The 411 on Relaxing Wallpaper: If you are looking for the most relaxing options, try wallpaper with a fabric-look! These create a feeling of enclosed comfort. Textured wallpapers like cork, grasscloth, or paper backed silks add depth, along with a touch of luxury. You can never go wrong with pastel and neutral shades for the ultimate relaxation. Stay trendy with walls that embrace floral and foliage prints. Wallpaper with vivid colors like reds and yellows may be too stimulating to promote rest.
The History of Wallpaper:
Wallpaper has been elevating rooms as early as 200 B.C., where it is believed Ancient Chinese would glue rice paper onto their walls. Egyptian papyrus, the earliest known for of “paper,” was first introduced around 4000 B.C. in China.
By the 10th century, Arabians were creating a finer sheet of paper through higher quality materials like bamboo and wood, and during the 12th century papermaking spread throughout Europe.
A French engraver by the name of Jean-Michael Papillon is credited with inventing wallpaper as we know it today in 1675 when he started making block designs in a matching, continuous pattern. It wasn’t until 1739 that wallpaper made its way to America when Plunket Fleeson started printing wallpaper in Philadelphia, PA.
In the roaring ‘20s wallpaper took the spotlight with some 400 million rolls being sold during this period, which became known as “the Golden Age of Wallpaper.” After World War II, plastic resins revolutionized the industry, offering stain resistance, washability, durability, and strength.
Today, advances in digital, photo and printing technologies make wallcoverings much more affordable, and it is easier for companies to replicate wallpaper styles from any period of history.