Say ‘wallpaper’ to some people and they’ll recoil like a loosely glued strip of the thing itself peeling off the ceiling, while others will come to life with a passion for colorful printed walls. Like it or not, the wallpaper trend is coming in and going out of fashion as predictably as the tide. And 2022 love wallpaper!
I hate to tie everything to the pandemic, but after hard times, we tend to be drawn to anything that expresses a little bit of hope and optimism, and nothing does it quite so exuberantly as wallpaper.
Magnolia walls are for calmer times. A cheerful, bright and eclectic individual wallpaper is a surefire way to banish the blues.
There are a few things to keep in mind when using wallpaper. Your part size and your print size should match; it’s so simple. So if you have a small room, go for a small print. And if your room is large, you can go big and bold with your print.
But again, rules are made to be broken and I’ve seen large prints work incredibly well in tiny bathrooms under the stairs, so follow your instincts and remember that our homes are first and foremost an expression of ourselves.
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‘L’Orangerie’ wallpaper, €175 for 3 rolls, Mind The Gap, aprilandthebear.com
‘L’Orangerie’ wallpaper, €175 for 3 rolls, Mind The Gap, aprilandthebear.com
I love the effect of a fully upholstered room in a bold print but it’s a commitment. Try a sample first. Get a strip of wallpaper and hang it with Blu-Tack or pins in the room you want to put it in to see if it works or not.
If you’re afraid of wallpaper, bathrooms are the perfect place to take a risk, as they’re traditionally small and hidden away, so if it goes wrong, it’s out of sight.
I’m not a big fan of the statement wall, but if that’s your thing, you do! A good compromise can be a panel, which is a strip of wallpaper in a wooden frame. It can look chic and decorative without overwhelming the room (or your bank account).
Don’t be afraid to use wallpaper in places you might not have thought of. It can be used in kitchens to create dramatic effects behind cabinets or around an island base, or even as a splashback, as long as you tile or protect the area immediately behind the sink.
If you have the space for it, you can put some hand-painted mural style wallpaper, but it’s not cheap. Be prepared to pay and make sure you don’t get fed up before you commit. Try degournay.com and houseofhackney.com for inspiration.
