Wallpapering
2009/2010 FORECAST
We've all seen the wallpapered accent wall. In 2010, look for wallpapered ceilings as an increasingly popular option for creating visual impact in a room.
Over the past two to three years wallpaper has been making a comeback in a big way. Plus wallpaper is not the wallpaper of memory. The choices are abundant with a range of styles and graphics.
One way to bring a fresh look with wallpaper is to use it on your ceiling. It is most effective if you have a cornice since it will separate the wallpaper from the painted walls.
Wallpapered ceilings create a feeling of intimacy and coziness, which is a special benefit during winter.Its also great for covering up less than perfect ceilings. A wallpapered ceiling adds interest to a square room.
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Geometric designs are still very fashionable – stripes, octagons, trellis, checks and retro design feature widely. Herringbone and houndstooth designs are also making an appearance for the coming year. |
Floral designs – flowers are everywhere – large, small, climbing, retro. Many of the colours are still muted but a new look includes more metallic highlights within the floral design.
The British country cottage style with a plethora of fresh summery flowers – think a cottage garden bursting with flowers is very on trend this season and this theme will continue well into the next year and 2011.
Birds are still very popular within wallpaper and fabric designs and have become even more exotic – flamingoes and swans are featured in new collections. It’s all about bringing nature into the home – be it natural fibres, birds, animals, ocean colours …
KITSCH
Bright, fun, decorative and comical, these are the words I’d use to describe Kitsch. Not for the faint hearted, this is a look that will brighten up any room.
White flock paper
large scale murals
Feature walls/murals are a great way to inject some added colour and personality into a room. Paper a single wall with an oversize botanical, flower print or op art design as above. They can also be used to help break up open plan living spaces or to highlight a particular aspect of a room.
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Metallic finishes, are no longer reserved for flashy nightclubs they are enjoying a style revival adding shine to everything from wallpapers to textiles. The look is pure gilded luxury and super glamorous. |
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Paintable wallpaper (Anaglypta) is thick, white, deeply textured embossed wallpaper with a touch surface suitable for high traffic areas. It is designed to be painted and suitable for ceilings and walls, especially for poor uneven surfaces and badly plastered walls. |
How to use wallpaper in your home
Large scale prints are fashionable but can be overpowering in a small room, so use them sparingly. Try papering the wall behind the bed in a bedroom or as a feature wall in a family or dining room.
Smaller walls are generally better than larger ones. Larger walls, if made into a feature, can tend to dominate a space rather than accentuate it. Walk into the room to see which wall immediately grabs your attention – this is generally a great way to see where a feature wall would have the most effect.
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Limit the number of colours in a scheme for a coordinated look. A good trick is to pick two or three colours from your wallpaper, and repeat them elsewhere in the room. Matching plain wallpapers are also available to compliment the image.
If you are papering just one wall, match the paint on the other walls to the wallpaper’s background only for a seamless finish.
In gloomy bedrooms, use wallpaper with a metallic or pearlised finish to reflect light.
Flocked and textured wall coverings are an ideal disguise if walls or ceilings aren’t smooth.
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Dark colours tend to make the room look smaller, whereas lighter colours make it look larger.
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Stripes on a wall can help to make the ceiling look higher.
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Vinyl wallpapers are also very durable and washable, and can be removed easily as they are dry strippable.
An Interior Decorator Can Help
As there are so many different types of wallpaper, as well as a plethora of patterns, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of choices available. It is best to get a professional in to install your wallpaper as they will not only be able to prepare the walls correctly, they will be able to match up the patterns for a seamless look. Prices for wallpaper vary from approximately $65 to $350 a roll.
Specialist painter and decorator, Stephen Brophy will be able to help you choose a wallpaper that is right for the area in which it will be hung and also choose paper that will complement your existing décor or form the basis for entirely new décor.
History of Wallpaper
Wallpaper began in ancient China when they glued rice paper onto their walls as early as 200 B.C.
The earliest know fragment of European wallpaper that still exists today was found on the beams of the Lodge of Christ's College in Cambridge, England and dates from 1509. Jean-Michel Papillon, a French engraver and considered the inventor of wallpaper, started making block designs in matching, continuous patterns in 1675, and wallpaper as we know it today was on its way. Flocked wallpaper was created in approximately 1680.
The manufacturing methods developed by the English are significant, and the products from 18th century London workshops became all the rage. At first, fashion conscious Londoners ordered expensive hand painted papers that imitated architectural details or materials like marble and stucco, but eventually wallpapers won favor on their own merits. Borders resembling a tasselled braid or swag of fabric were often added and flocked papers that looked like cut velvet were immensely popular.
In the Victorian era, rooms paraded print upon print, mostly in garish colors, and the advent of machine-made wallpaper put the cabbage rose and arabesque patterns within the budget range of practically every home. Artisans such as Louis Comfort Tiffany and William Morris and their lyrical interpretations of nature, hand-printed by the wood block method, came to symbolize Art Nouveau. The Victorian Era, as one would expect, was a grand time for wallpaper featuring over embellished designs in sombre colors, but it was in the roaring '20s that wallpaper really took the spotlight for the first time. Known as the Golden Age of Wallpaper, some 400 million rolls were sold during that period. After World War II, the entire industry was revolutionized with the appearance of plastic resins which offered stain resistance, washability, durability and strength.
Although wallpaper fell out of favour during the 80’s and 90’s, people in the 21st century have rediscovered the romance, design and beauty of patterned walls and some of the old designs are being reproduced for the modern market.