Out of fashion for years, wallpaper makes a comeback.
Oprah has declared that wallpaper is back. But is it really? That depends on what you want to do in your home and, to a lesser degree, how much you’re willing to spend.
If rock bottom is your bottom line, then a simple paint job is probably the way to go. But if you are planning on spending a little more to get a really nice paint job — perhaps one with murals, borders or special finishes — then you might want to consider wallpaper.
That’s because in the cyclical world of fashion and home furnishings, wallpaper is hot again.
“After a couple of decades of white walls and faux finishes, I think wallpaper is starting to make it big again,” said Mary Dixon, owner of Dixon Designs in Powell.
“I’m seeing a real trend for original, beautiful and modern designs in wallpaper.”
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Adding texture
Decorators say that if you’re looking for drama, texture, warmth and personality, wallpaper is the way to go.
Pam Yost, an interior designer at Grand Design Group in Columbus, has always used wallpaper but said clients are more open to using it now than they were a few years ago.
“It took awhile for companies to come up with patterns that are more in tune with our lifestyle,” Yost said.
Wallpapers now feature vibrant patterns and materials such as sand, ribbon and tiny beads that create interesting textures.
Yost usually uses wallpaper in bathrooms or plain rooms that don’t have much architectural detail.
“It’s something more whimsical,” she said. “It can really convey a personality that we can’t get with just paint.”
In their compact row house in the New York borough of Brooklyn, designers Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke have covered virtually every nook and cranny with wallpaper, including the interior of a glass-fronted bathroom cabinet and the inside of a closet.
For their foyer, they chose a pink and blue floral pattern and embellished it with paste-on colored rhinestones.
The guest bedroom has a directional vine pattern on the walls that takes the eye to the ceiling, where there’s a complementary but contrasting pattern of swirling flowers.
But if you don’t want to wallpaper an entire room, you can do just one wall, creating an accent wall that makes a bold statement, Dixon said.
“Even using a little bit of it can give you a really great look,” she said, “and keep your overall price down.”
Controlling costs
With stylish patterns selling for $30 a roll or even less, wallpaper doesn’t have to cost much more than a really good paint job.
Scott Salvator, a New York designer, said wallpaper is the perfect choice in a down economy because it decorates the room.
“You can put a mirror up, but you don’t have to start buying artwork,” he said. “It’s a cheaper way to decorate.”
New York designer Elaine Griffin said wallpaper might be a little pricier but not prohibitively so. And even the sour economy, she said, hasn’t dampened the zeal of new parents to go all-out for the first baby’s nursery.
“It’s the one recession-proof room in the house,” she said.
Great Falls, Va., resident Jennifer Singh considered the price difference between paint and wallpaper when she was decorating her home near Washington but wasn’t deterred. A jewelry designer with an eye for texture, pattern and color, she has installed wallpaper in about half her home.
She chose a “masculine, highly textural” cork wallpaper for her husband’s study and an “organic, earthy” yellowish pattern with blades of straw for her kitchen.
“I do remember wallpaper was more expensive than paint but not by a whole lot,” she said. “It was worth it.”
Following directions
Although wallpaper has its benefits, many people are nervous about bringing it back into their homes because it seems so permanent, said Jenny Frederick of Spice It Up Interiors in Powell.
Wallpaper has a reputation of being difficult to remove, she said.
“A lot of people are against it because they were the people who had to take it down (the last time),” Frederick said. “But the new paper is easier to remove and change.”
There are many do-it-yourself books on the market, but you probably don’t want to put up wallpaper yourself unless you’re supremely patient and good at following directions.
If you can afford it, you’re better off hiring a professional, said Dixon and other decorators. Walls need to be prepped and in pristine condition. Otherwise, every imperfection is likely to show.
“If you are putting any investment into nicer wallpaper, you want to get it professionally installed so you don’t make an expensive mistake,” Dixon said.
Thinking creatively
Let’s face it: The average person doesn’t have the eye of a decorator. But even the design-challenged can be a bit adventurous with minimal risk.
“I encourage people to be more daring and creative and look for alternative ways of decorating,” Dixon said.
Start by putting wallpaper in smaller spaces such as a hallway or foyer. If you fall in love with an expensive pattern, hang it on one wall and paint the others.
Wallpaper is a natural for a bathroom, where a dramatic pattern above the tile can deflect attention from less than perfect plumbing.
Or go for the natural look of grass cloth, which adds warmth and texture without a lot of pattern.
If wallpaper just isn’t your thing, it can still be a great way to come up with design ideas, Frederick said.
“If someone is trying to get inspiration to redo their space, looking in wallpaper books is pretty neat,” she said. “It gives you a good starting point.”
Pittsburgh decorator Toni McGonigle said that although her clients still prefer paint to wallpaper, she uses wallpaper in her 90-year-old home and appreciates the way it creates an instant effect.
“It gives you a lot of bang for the buck,” she said.
Looking above
Don’t forget the ceiling; as Salvator said, it’s one-sixth of a room. Papering a ceiling can make a room feel more intimate and divert attention from its size.
Nixon and Loecke suggest picking a pattern embedded with glass beads for a guest bedroom. In shimmering light, your guests might mistake it for the night sky.
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