Wealth of Design: Why Wallpaper Still Matters

Growing up in the 90’s, one was well acquainted with horrors that wallpaper can inflict. Highly specific and unnecessarily floral, these motifs created adults who craved simplicity. Now as we are emerging out of the sterile millennial grey aesthetic we ricochetted into as a reaction to our childhood design nightmares, wallpaper is back and better than ever. 

Wallpaper wasn’t just a 90’s fad or even a 16th century design staple, it comes with a much richer history stemming from the East. Around the year 1000 the aristocratic class of China would adorn their walls in paper and hire artists to hand paint intricate designs, birds, landscapes and other decorative scenes. In this form, wallpaper wasn’t simply aesthetic elegance, it was a societal marker of wealth and prosperity. Once it made its way to Europe in the 16th century, the marker of wealth remained, with the intricate wall designs only being available to the Kings and aristocrats of the time. 

Once it made its appearance in the “every man’s” home in the 90’s it was a way to denote your individual style and incorporate the trends of the time. In the wallpaper renaissance, it is being used as a tool to add texture, color and personality into sleek and repetitive modern furniture filled spaces. 

Wallpaper as a Home’s First Impression

Wallpaper, when used correctly, is one of the truest forms of self expression. Walking into someone’s refuge is an instant look into who they are and what makes them feel good. A bold, loud print speaks a different language than a soft pastel floral and you get a glimpse into the space’s host immediately. Proving that wallpaper is no longer a surface treatment, rather a way for people to author their homes. In an era where we are bombarded with more and more of the same aesthetic thanks to tightening budgets and increase in technology, wallpaper offers a way to make interiors feel lived in rather than generic box store filled spaces. 

The Rise of Texture, Craft and Tangible Design

The shift from exterior to interior is instant when your room is the canvas. Whether it’s a matte finish, high texture neutral or a high gloss, geometric show stopper, texture amplifies the room experience. Returning to its roots in craftsmanship, hand painted wallpapers elevate a room’s impact instantly through both elegance and textural interest. What was once a 2D print on a roll comes to life when the imperfections, high gloss ink on a matte surface or intentional details enter the equation. It’s the transition from a space looking well designed to a room that leaves its visitors feeling inspired, impressed or whatever emotion the designer is looking to evoke. 

Space Curation: Wallpaper as the Foundation

Whether launching into a full renovation or a quick room refresh a lot of us don’t know where to start. Wallpaper can offer a solid foundational inspiration piece for a room. It has the ability to set the tone, feel and oftentimes color palette of a space making it the perfect jumping off point for a room you’re not too sure what to do with. Allow your space to breathe by working within a palette rather than attempting to match each element to each other. The difference between design and curation is that allowance for the touch of eccentricity that makes a space uniquely yours. Have a large-scale motif on your walls? Pair it with a small-scale motif on the rug or in the curtains. Look at all your available colors and pull out that hint of something bold or unexpected and add it into the space: hot pink squirrel? Love it! 

Curation is often a full commitment to a feeling rather than an accent to design. Easy rooms to take a risk in are office spaces, powder rooms and closets. A small or infrequently used space that is fully immersive in pattern, texture and vibes is going to be the boost you need to take that commitment to a larger canvas. A pink tropical parquet paradise in the powder room complete with decorative soaps and flamingo embroidered hand towels will feel like less of a risk than the same design in a living room. Buyer beware however, because it’s almost a guarantee that once you start you’ll never want to stop and your space will be the most visited in the friend group. 

Wallpapered Ceilings: A Powerful Design Tool

Much like the touch of whimsy a carefully curated vase, kitchen spoon holder or jewelry dish can add, so too can wallpaper. Looking for a dramatic moment? Why not wallpaper a ceiling? Often the most neglected part of a room, the ceiling generally remains a white passive background thus, wallpapering it shifts that blank forgotten space into active design. Instantly setting the tone, adding atmosphere and intention into a space allowing the person experiencing it to understand that they’ve stepped into something special. The ceiling offering such a large and continuous canvas allows for bold or immersive prints without overwhelming the eye. 

This approach works particularly well in children’s rooms where a cloud, galaxy of jungle print adds a touch of magic to an intentionally playful space. 

When wall papering a ceiling it’s important to define your intention for the space. A light texture,  muted pattern or something that catches the light gives a space a subtle soft elegance whereas, a large, bold or brightly colored print brings drama into a space. Whichever you chose, the message you send is clear, you are a Jedi master of your space and  its carefully curation. 

Wallpaper as Long Term Design 

Trends come and go, but good wallpaper curation can be forever. Beyond it being quite the feat to install wallpaper can give a space life long after trends fade. When your focus us in cohesive curation of your space rather than simply on what trend is hot in the moment, suddenly the urge to redecorate ever few years fades and your home becomes a space you love to live in. Asking “What story do I want to tell?” When designing your space will carry you through a decade rather than a season. Whether you are looking for a curated backdrop or a bold artful expression wallpaper delivers time and time again.