How To Choose The Right Wallpaper

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We all know wallpaper is a great way to add unique style, impact, and - a little or a lot of - personality to any interior. It can be fun or formal, glamorous or romantic, floral or geometric - the choices are endless!

But it can also be a little overwhelming.

So, how do you choose the right wallpaper for your space?

Before we dive in and find out, let’s talk about where to use wallpaper and when not to use wallpaper.

Skip to How to Choose the Right Wallpaper for Your Space

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WHEN IS WALLPAPER NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE?

There are so many great wall covering ideas in the marketplace these days. The industry has made some fantastic advancements in the materials and durability. Even with these improvements there is always the question of function to be carefully considered, especially if you’re thinking of a special paper that’s more costly than most. 

Take a moment and look at another option if the space will get a high level of wear and tear or has a lot of moisture. You’ll be setting yourself up for failure and disappointment when the treatment doesn’t match the function. 


WHERE CAN YOU USE WALLPAPER?

Entries and Foyers
A beautiful wallpaper can add immediate interest and style in your entry to welcome you into your home. There are many options available that are washable to withstand high traffic areas. 

Children’s Bedrooms and Nurseries
There are so many whimsical options available for creating beautiful and fun spaces for children’s rooms. The right wallpaper can create a stunning focal wall that goes with a decor themed room. Just remember to choose something that can take some soap and water. There’s always the chance of the odd little drawing that might need to be removed. 

Bathrooms and Kitchens
Wallpaper can add so much interest and fun in these rooms. Choose moisture resistant wallpaper for these applications. Tuck some inside your kitchen pantry for a fun surprise that will bring you joy every time. Tying the ensuite to the principal bedroom with the same paper ensures a pulled together look. 

Powder Rooms
Aesthetic wallpaper in almost any graphic or colour is definitely the way to go here. Wallpapered power rooms are where you can have all the fun and break some of the design rules going on in the rest of the home. Try a unique texture or pattern and introducing another colour to your existing palette to create the perfect little jewel in your decor style.

Laundry Room
There are some awesome vinyl wall coverings that would be perfect for the laundry room. A wallpapered laundry room is an unexpected delight. To see something pretty in these hard working and often uninteresting rooms can make doing the laundry seem like less of a task somehow. 

Wallpapered Ceilings
Don’t forget to decorate the ceiling for a truly luxurious decorators touch. It’s what our industry calls the fifth wall. You’ll create something very unique and special, and that’s what good decor is all about. 

APARTMENT THERAPY | Emily Henderson

Wallpapered Bookshelves and Closets
I added a whimsical wallpaper to the back of the open shelves in our lower level tv room. It brings a dimension of interest and colours that I love, and makes the space feel special. That’s what good decor should do.

 

How to choose the right wallpaper for your space


1. DECIDE ON THE WALLPAPER COLOUR

The style of your wallpaper, like all the other elements in your space, should go with the overall room decor. Creating a good flow is an important design feature of the style.

Think about your furniture, flooring, artwork, and window treatments in the room itself, as well as what’s going on in adjoining rooms. 

Choose something that goes with your design colour palette. Repeat one or more of your colours in the wallpaper itself for a pulled together look.

You could easily transition with choosing the wall paint colour as the main colour of your wallpaper choice. 

For an elegant touch, pick your wallpaper colour with a pattern that is a few shades lighter than a bold paint colour. So pretty! 

For more drama, go for the contrast and try the accent colour for the main colour choice of your wallpaper.

2. DECIDED WHETHER TO WALLPAPER THE WHOLE ROOM OR JUST A FEATURE WALL?

A bedroom with all the walls wrapped in a beautiful pattern can certainly add drama. However, it begs another question - Do you want paper on all the walls, or would a focal wall work better in the overall design look and feel?

An accent wall of grasscloth looks amazing behind a bed or an office desk.

3. FIND THE BEST WALLPAPER PATTERN

How the room is used often helps you decide what the best wallpaper pattern will be. That’s good news when there are so many wallpaper styles to choose from. 

A formal interior wants the elegance of a damask or something hand-painted.Damask adds grandeur to the look and feel. The pattern naturally draws your eye upward so the space appears impressive.

If you want glam look for the embossed (raised design) glitter, crystal, and flocked (velvet or velour) surfaces.

Victorian baroque damask in a period perfect bright colour and floral would be lovely in a room full of antiques. 

Modern decor calls for the abstract and geometric patterns that are so much fun and come in all the colours. 

A more casual decor look could be florals, botanicals, or a textured 3D print. Botanicals are a huge decor piece to consider, especially for the Biophillic element of health and wellness in our homes and work places. Do you like big and bold leaf prints, or softer wisps of florals. Either one is a great way to bring the outdoors in while adding texture and interest.

If you’re a little bit country choose from an array of plaids, gingham or country motifs. They range from French, English and Italian styles. Toile stands the test of time. Perfect if you’re a romantic or love the French farm influence of these pretty pastoral scenes. They come in so many colours too.

Maybe you like the rustic look and feel that can be created by a lovely grasscloth with all it’s texture and depth, or the coziness of a plaid or wildlife pattern.

 

WALLPAPER PATTERNS

If your decor has different patterns going on, don’t feel that you can’t have a patterned wallpaper too.

Having said that, it’s really important to consider the scale of the wallpaper pattern in how it relates to any other patterns in the space, and of course the scale of the room itself.

“Wallcoverings are more of an intensive investment than a paint colour,” says Melott. “Make sure you can date the swatches before you marry the whole roll, as it were. Be sure you’re committed to the design, that it has longevity and isn’t a fad-ish move.”

WHEN TO USE CERTAIN WALLPAPER PATTERNS

Where there are patterns in upholstery fabrics and draperies, pick a tone-on-tone wallpaper pattern or even a textured one.

If you do choose a patterned one, make sure it’s either smaller or larger than that upholstery fabric or drapery pattern.

In a heavily patterned decor setting, a plain wallpaper can be an element of interest and texture while giving your eye a visual break.

A quick word about low light rooms - those spaces with no natural light or small windows. Here’s where the star of the show is in the metallics that reflect light deeper into the room with their pretty shine and shimmer.

LOOKING TO ADD SOME DEPTH TO YOUR DESIGN?

Consider textured wallpaper! Textured options are a great way to add depth to your room. Choosing something embossed or flocked helps to create a cozy living space. 

4. CHOOSE THE RIGHT WALLPAPER PATTERN SIZE

The size of your pattern is important. It used to be said the rule of thumb was you pick a small pattern for a small room and a large pattern for a large room. How boring is that? 

A large wallpaper pattern in a small bathroom or powder room has all the drama. Likewise, a smaller pattern wallpaper can work in a large room that is broken up by doors, built ins or maybe large windows. If you’re wanting something fun and playful, go with bright colours with smaller motifs like polka dots that are regularly spaced throughout. 

Make your large room look smaller when you use a larger print with a dark background. It creates an optical illusion with the contrast of the pattern and colour, pulling the walls in for a cozier look and feel. 

And just the opposite happens with a small patterned wallpaper that can make a small room look bigger and a big room look even larger. It depends on the colour and pattern, but give it a try and you’ll see. 

More optical illusion happens with stripes. Horizontal ones make the room look wider and vertical stripes give instant height. Isn’t it the same with fashion? If we’ve got a few extra pounds to disguise, we opt for those vertical stripes. They can be straight lines, wide or narrow, or even irregular like vines. 

5. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TYPE OF WALLPAPER

What type of wallpaper is best? A roll is the right choice for those larger spaces, like wrapping an entire room or a very large wall. Simply because the installation is easy and it will have fewer seams for a lovely end result.

Wall Murals are the impact pieces. These full size images are magnificent art forms of and in themselves. 

Wallpaper Borders on painted walls bring that extra detail and can break up a two-toned look when placed in the middle. Try them along the baseboard for a fun look. 

These are not my favourite application but I would consider them in a child’s bedroom or nursery. Some can be painted and are a great way to add dimension and texture details without the fuss of wood trim. 

Peel & Stick Wallpaper
These are a fun options that I like to recommend for a smaller area. Great for a focal wall, the back of shelving for a pop or the perfect solution for a rental where you’d have to remove it when you move out. 

On that thought, there is a wonderful line of Sure-Strip papers that York offers. They literally peel down from the top corner and leave a bit of glue residue that you simply wash off with mild soap and water.

NOW YOU KNOW THE RULES OF WALLPAPER

Equipped with these suggestions and rules, you now know how to pick the right wallpaper. I hope I’ve inspired you to give wallpaper a try in your next decorating project. It really does make a room feel special and memorable. Two great boxes to check in a well decorated space.

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