The one thing about home renovation and design is that it is constantly changing. New ideas are forever evolving, some stick, some don’t and others go in and out of fashion.
Wallpaper is one of those design influences that has had many reappearances and seems once again to be back on the home renovator’s radar.
At one point in time, wallpaper was seen in almost every home, however once outdated, it was quick to be removed by any new homeowners.
Today, many homeowners are skipping a fresh coat of paint for something more flamboyant. Wallpaper can easily convert a bland space into something magical. It can be a cost effective and rapid transformation to any room.
If you are tentative about using wallpaper in your home, introduce it initially to small areas such as a powder room or walk in wardrobe. It is also wise to try first before you commit fully to a wallpaper design. You can start by buying just one roll (generally under $100) to see if it feels right in your home.
When wallpapering a large room, you can get away with wallpapering the whole room rather than just a feature wall. A large-scale design can give a room an intimate feel. A small space can be made to feel larger when using a small-scale patterned paper.
Wallpaper can work in any home, be it a modern, contemporary home, a Hamptons design or an older property, there is a wallpaper to suit every style. The use of a textured wall paper such as grasscloth can add warmth to a contemporary home, where as a modern home may use bold colours and patterns to complete their look.
When contemplating using wallpaper in your home, it’s important to ensure that any pattern you choose, doesn’t conflict with your furnishings. If you have a patterned lounge, cushions or curtains, using a patterned wallpaper would be too much, it would be best to stick to something plain or consider painting the walls instead. However, if you’ve got plain furnishings, use wallpaper to your advantage. Use wallpaper borders and shapes to create a bold statement.
The range of wallpaper is bigger than ever before, you can be brave and choose something bright and bold happy in the knowledge that you can change it when you tire of it, or a design that is timeless and won’t date easily may be more suited to you.
Whichever way you go, it is important to plan ahead. Whilst you might be working on one specific room, what is the plan for the rest of the house? You don’t want old clashing with new, and if you choose to use wallpaper in every room, ensure that there are some elements that tie your home together, whether it be décor, colour scheme or style theme.
Once you’ve chosen your perfect print, the next thing to consider is installation. Whilst it may look easy enough, installing wallpaper isn’t as easy as it looks. It’s a job that is best left to the professionals, but if budget doesn’t allow for this, look at a wallpaper that is ready pasted. The paper comes with an adhesive back that you wet and then carefully attach to the wall.
Here are our top tips if you do choose to install your own:
- Choose the right adhesive for your wallpaper. There are specific adhesives for different papers.
- Round up your measurements. This will give you extra paper to play with should something go wrong.
- Levelling. Your paper has to be level, ensure your first sheet is perfectly level before attempting the other sheets.
- Start with smooth walls. Lightly sand, then wipe down your walls with sugar soap or light detergent.
- If you have a roll of wallpaper rather than sheets, use a sharp razor to avoid ripping the paper.
- Don’t panic if you see bubbles. Air will most likely get trapped when installing the paper. It should go away once the wallpaper settles. If it doesn’t, carefully puncture the bubble with a small pin and gently flatten out the area.