Wonder of wallpaper

Add personality to your home through wall coverings

Once a sign of a bygone era, wallpaper has re-emerged as a creative way of adding a touch of luxury to the home.

"Wallpaper adds a texture and design that can't be achieved through paint or even art by covering such a large surface area," said Krystle Wilk, store manager with Southpointe Paint and Décor in the southeast.

"Depending on the space, wallpaper will make a room feel complete. Whereas if there was nothing added, the room would just look good, not great." The first machine for printing wallpaper was invented in 1785 by German-born Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf. Originally favoured by the working classes in Britain and Europe, today wallpaper is readily used in households across the world.
An order of wallpaper – with patterns ranging from classic and contemporary – can range from as much as $50 a roll to $700 to paper one feature wall, depending on size.

"We're seeing a lot of geometrics right now in papers, and what I would call transitional contemporary," said Wilk. "Think of a traditional damask pattern, but done in a large scale with updated modern colours and metallic. There's also the organic concept, which is still big – bringing the outdoors in, a lot of birch trees or even birds."

Wallpaper is ideal because it's varied enough that there's something for every look, said Heather Draper, principal designer with the Heather Company.

"I would say [wallpaper] adds a touch of personality," she said. "And then, if the personality you're trying to incorporate into your room is elegance, then certainly a glitzy grass cloth that feels like a silk gown, in a dining room, can add the elegance you're looking for.

"But if you're sort of a family-friendly, outgoing, charismatic type-home, then maybe a great sort of artsy print on one wall behind your dining table."

While papering an entire room can be overwhelming, Draper recommends papering powder rooms or smaller areas that are subtle and easy to work with in order to get more longevity out of your paper.

"You'll have that paper for 10 years and you'll still love it," she said.

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