Wallpaper: Not Just a Thing of the Past

I’m sure that when many of us think of wallpaper, the first thing that comes to mind is that tacky avocado-hued pineapple & palm tree number your Aunt Thelma has in her kitchen. Am I right?

Well, I had a chat last week with one of our Design Centre Consultants, Alex, who brought my mindset into the new millennium.

Wallpaper patterns are no longer plastered with farm animals or crafted as a tribute to the fishing season; you can get gorgeous, rich-looking papers that will last for decades to come. Today patterns are simple, subtle, with clean, crisp lines that allow the rest of the room speak for itself. Environment and air-friendly gels and pastes are also available so your house doesn’t smell like a glue factory once you’re done. And, you can even get peel and stick decals for the wall that can be easily removed so pasting up your walls doesn’t feel like such a commitment. What’s better than that?

Alex has a few ideas to guide you in your decision to papering your home.

1. Make a feature wall. A popular design trend in paint, an accent wall will liven up any room. And contrary to what you might think, it can actually adddimension & depth to a smaller space. This idea is perfect for a pretty pattern that may be overbearing for a whole room; however, you should stick with a larger, light, whimsical pattern – dark-colored paper with a small print will make your room feel claustrophobic.

2. Paper every wall in your powder room. A light, subtle pattern ensures an all-over paper doesn’t become overwhelming, and adds an interesting facet to an otherwise rather small, dull room. Corridors and hallways can also be dead and dark; applying a wallpaper can bring them alive. (Not only that, but a wallpaper in a corridor can camouflage tiny fingerprints!)

3. Put paper on the ceiling! You can get textured wallpapers that replicate a tin ceiling and paint them to any colour you like, giving it that vintage, Victorian look. Or, why not paper the ceiling in your kid’s rooms? Children spend a surprising amount of time looking up; why not give them something to look at?

4. Paste up a wall mural. Another take on the feature wall, wallpaper murals (as seen above) allow homeowners to turn personal photos, fine art prints, natural images and scenes, or any pattern into a fabulous, personalized accent in your home.

Thanks Alex!