Wallpaper is back, baby! Today’s versions, however, are modernized with contemporary graphics and vibrant color palettes and much easier to install and change than previous generations.
Peel and stick wallpapers and decals are a trendy, achievable way to add a unique design element to smaller spaces. Because it’s simple to install and not permanent, homeowners can play with new d
esign ideas without the long-term commitment that wallpapers of the past required.
Textures achieved through geometric shapes or 3-D substrates like cork can add instant liveliness to the walls. Wall murals and decals were once only available as tapestries or landscapes, but now we’re seeing more modern applications in which the walls appear to undulate with color, giving the impression of movement or a strong focal accent, like a mountain.
Vendors such as Anthropologie, Target, Anewall and West Elm are offering many interesting designs of peel and stick wallpapers, using tone-on-tone patterns to create instant style. We predict that textures in wallpaper will be on trend in the coming year, including shiplap, brick and wood. We’re also seeing the reemergence of vintage florals and bolder prints, imagined in a new way for a contemporary audience.
Adding a bold pattern to one wall can change the feeling of an entire room, and it’s a fantastic, relatively inexpensive way to bring light and character into an otherwise plain living space. We’ve also used wallpaper lately in unexpected ways, such as on a tray or flat ceiling, which instantly makes the room more intimate and cozier.
Builders are now opting for wallpaper with price-conscious buyers that imitates shiplap, brickwork and other architectural features as a way to show buyers options that they may not offer. It is a great, affordable way to capture that “personalization or DIY” that buyers today are looking for when shopping for a home.
Interior designers Donna Mathis and Lisa Giles formed Haven Design Works in 2013 with an eye to creating a firm with the systems and organizational processes of a much larger company and the passionate attention to detail
of a small boutique firm. Lisa says her marriage survived installing peel and stick wallpaper in her children’s playroom, so she can testify personally to the user-friendliness of the product.
