Wallpaper? Wallpaper. Wallpaper!
Wallpaper, aka wallcovering, has gone back and forth in popularity over the years: It can make a strong design statement – options often utilize texture, color or graphic print – and can protect wall surfaces, but isn’t always the right choice for a space. Before selecting a wallpaper, it is important to consider the room or wall in question and factor in time and money.
Wallpaper is a more permanent and simple way of adding pattern or graphic, it is durable, customizable (you can get completely personalized small batch prints), and it comes in several different finish types: vinyl, woven, environmental, performance – some which are super easy to clean or have anti-microbial properties. Some cons to using it are that wallpaper can be hard to remove once applied (like that once favored grass wallpaper from 1960s homes that now many remodelers are scraping off their walls), should not be used in high-moisture areas (like bathrooms or some kitchen walls), is generally more expensive (than paint) AND if you don’t choose your colors and patterns carefully, it can be at risk of dating quickly. The best way to avoid the cons is by choosing a pattern or texture that is either timeless or fairly bold (so it will be the main highlight of the space); choose complimentary furniture and finishes; and choose the walls you want to be wallpapered carefully. Generally, wallpaper is best used as a statement piece and often works best in smaller doses: a single wall in a restaurant, lobby, kitchen, dining room or bedroom, OR in a room that is social or specialized and meant to be highlighted; such as libraries, studies, dining rooms, offices, meeting rooms, etc. Wallpaper comes in so many patterns and colors that you can use it to have extra fun, especially with a themed space.
Lately there has been a revival of vibrant, graphic and statement-making wallpaper designs being used in homes and commercial applications, so we thought we would share some of our favorites that are fresh off the presses:
1. Cloud Toile, Timorous Beasties – a modern play on classic repeating graphic Toile (two colors shown)
(image from Timorous Beasties)
2. Chiavi Segrete, Cole & Son – a rich leaf and key pattern (very Secret Garden!) in one of their new collections, Fornasetti II
(image from Cole & Son)
3. Scrapwood, Piet Hein Eek for NLXL – incredibly beautiful and somewhat deceiving wallpaper line that looks like it is made of wood scraps
(image from NLXL)
4. Aves, Custhom – a highly detailed embroidered wallpaper inspired by the heritage of Otomi fabrics
(image from Custhom)
5. Sway, Knoll – part of a collection of prints inspired by brush strokes and ink
(image from Knoll)
6. Cut & Paste, All The Fruits – a wallpaper that defies the tradition of matching seams and repeats in wallpapers and instead is carefully designed so that each panel compliments each other without the need for matching.
(image from All The Fruits)
7. Beelines, Paper Paint Press – A fun wallpaper with a finely detailed close up view, but that looks like a lace pattern from a distance (also a local small batch wallpaper company that features local artists)
(image from Paper Paint Press)