What to Do Once You Have Decided to Try Wallpaper
Before you lay down a lot of cash, sit down with this advice for getting a wallpaper you’ll love for years
It can add texture, colour, pattern or a painterly scene – even more so than paint, wallpaper can change the entire look of a room. But given the cost and the need for professional installation (a must), wallpaper can seem like a risky commitment. If you’ve been wanting to add wallpaper to your space but keep shying away, these 10 tips should help ease some of the fear factor. Armed with good information, you can find the right wallpaper for you.
2. Go with your most often preferred natural style
Whether your look leans traditional or modern, there really is a wallpaper to suit your taste – so there’s no need to force yourself into a choice that doesn’t feel totally you. Be aware of what colours, patterns and styles you are most frequently drawn to, and avoid passing fads that don’t speak to your personal style. Ideally, the wallpaper you choose will be one you’ll love for years to come.
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Whether your look leans traditional or modern, there really is a wallpaper to suit your taste – so there’s no need to force yourself into a choice that doesn’t feel totally you. Be aware of what colours, patterns and styles you are most frequently drawn to, and avoid passing fads that don’t speak to your personal style. Ideally, the wallpaper you choose will be one you’ll love for years to come.
Find an interior designer near you
3. Get a sample and live with it
Even more important than sampling paint, which doesn’t require as much of a financial commitment, getting a wallpaper sample is a must. Tape it to the wall in the room where you want to hang it, and live with it for a while. Having the wallpaper in your space will allow you to match it to the other finishes and fabrics in the room, and notice how it looks at different times of day.
Even more important than sampling paint, which doesn’t require as much of a financial commitment, getting a wallpaper sample is a must. Tape it to the wall in the room where you want to hang it, and live with it for a while. Having the wallpaper in your space will allow you to match it to the other finishes and fabrics in the room, and notice how it looks at different times of day.
4. Know your goal
What are you hoping wallpaper will do for your space? Add depth, add texture and warmth, add shine, soften sharp architectural edges? And beyond these things, ask yourself how you want the wallpaper you choose to make you feel. When you walk into your space, do you want to feel glamorous, happy and optimistic, comforted? Or … you fill in the blank!
What are you hoping wallpaper will do for your space? Add depth, add texture and warmth, add shine, soften sharp architectural edges? And beyond these things, ask yourself how you want the wallpaper you choose to make you feel. When you walk into your space, do you want to feel glamorous, happy and optimistic, comforted? Or … you fill in the blank!
If your goal is to give your space a real wow factor, for instance, you may be disappointed if you chicken out and go with a wallpaper that is too subtle. If you are waffling, send for samples of a few very different patterns to try – you’ll never know if you don’t try.
5. Explore all of your wall covering options
From materials beyond paper, like grass cloth, sisal, cork and Japanese silk, to textured papers that mimic marble, wood and stone, the options in wall coverings today go far beyond traditional prints. If your goal is to add warmth and coziness, a richly textured wallpaper could be just the thing.
From materials beyond paper, like grass cloth, sisal, cork and Japanese silk, to textured papers that mimic marble, wood and stone, the options in wall coverings today go far beyond traditional prints. If your goal is to add warmth and coziness, a richly textured wallpaper could be just the thing.
6. Consider the view from other rooms
Especially when you’re doing just one accent wall, choosing the right wall to cover is essential. Take a step back and peek into your room from the next space over. When you have your sample, experiment with placing it on different walls and viewing the paper from another room. How does it look against the colour of the adjoining room? Is the peek of wallpaper a welcome surprise, or is it jarring?
Take a look at this range of wallpapers
Especially when you’re doing just one accent wall, choosing the right wall to cover is essential. Take a step back and peek into your room from the next space over. When you have your sample, experiment with placing it on different walls and viewing the paper from another room. How does it look against the colour of the adjoining room? Is the peek of wallpaper a welcome surprise, or is it jarring?
Take a look at this range of wallpapers
7. Choose the right space to avoid pattern fatigue
Rooms where you spend the least amount of time are your safest bets – think hallways, stairs and powder rooms. Bedrooms, guest rooms, studies and formal dining rooms are also good contenders for wallpaper, adding style in spades without your having to put in much decorating effort.
Rooms where you spend the least amount of time are your safest bets – think hallways, stairs and powder rooms. Bedrooms, guest rooms, studies and formal dining rooms are also good contenders for wallpaper, adding style in spades without your having to put in much decorating effort.
8. Go subtle
If you frequently get the urge to change the look of your rooms, it may be wise to stick with a subtly patterned or textured wallpaper to increase your matching options.
If you frequently get the urge to change the look of your rooms, it may be wise to stick with a subtly patterned or textured wallpaper to increase your matching options.
9. Get professional advice
Contact a professional wallpaper hanger before placing an order for wallpaper, and ask the pro to help you figure out how much to buy. If you are working with a decorator or an interior designer, he or she should also be able to calculate this for you. Each roll has to be cut and matched precisely for a seamless look on the wall, and the amount of paper you will need to make those exact matches happen will vary depending on the size and shape of your room, and the type of wallpaper pattern you have chosen, so don’t try to guess! You don’t want to overbuy – or underbuy, and run out of paper midway through the job.
Contact a professional wallpaper hanger before placing an order for wallpaper, and ask the pro to help you figure out how much to buy. If you are working with a decorator or an interior designer, he or she should also be able to calculate this for you. Each roll has to be cut and matched precisely for a seamless look on the wall, and the amount of paper you will need to make those exact matches happen will vary depending on the size and shape of your room, and the type of wallpaper pattern you have chosen, so don’t try to guess! You don’t want to overbuy – or underbuy, and run out of paper midway through the job.
10. Get more samples before committing
Most wallpaper is nonrefundable. This is because, like yarn and fabric, wallpaper is generally produced in small lots, and paper from different lots may not be an exact match in colour and tone. Even if you are fairly confident about your choice in paper and have looked at the sample for eons, it’s not a bad idea to give yourself a bit more to look at before making a big commitment. Many wallpaper companies will provide big samples, so consider asking for several big samples — you may have to pay for them, but it’s worth it! Tape up the big samples side by side on your wall to get a better idea of what the paper will look like when it covers the entire space.
And if you decide not to go with the wallpaper, you can always frame the sample to create your own unique wall art!
Read more:
To Paint Or To Wallpaper?
Tell us: Love your wallpaper? Share a photo in the Comments.
Most wallpaper is nonrefundable. This is because, like yarn and fabric, wallpaper is generally produced in small lots, and paper from different lots may not be an exact match in colour and tone. Even if you are fairly confident about your choice in paper and have looked at the sample for eons, it’s not a bad idea to give yourself a bit more to look at before making a big commitment. Many wallpaper companies will provide big samples, so consider asking for several big samples — you may have to pay for them, but it’s worth it! Tape up the big samples side by side on your wall to get a better idea of what the paper will look like when it covers the entire space.
And if you decide not to go with the wallpaper, you can always frame the sample to create your own unique wall art!
Read more:
To Paint Or To Wallpaper?
Tell us: Love your wallpaper? Share a photo in the Comments.
If you haven’t done so already, begin collecting images of rooms with wallpaper you love. Use Houzz, clip from magazines and even snap photos of wallpaper you love in cafés and hotels. Examine the images you’ve collected and see if a pattern emerges.
Are the wallpapers in your inspiration folder more scenic (birds, toile), bold and graphic, or subtle and organic? If you can name a few themes running through the images you love, it will help narrow down your search for the perfect paper.
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