Wallpaper can be the best or worst decision for your room, depending on the type of wallpaper you use, how the colours, patterns and designs affect the space and whether there is a risk of a clash between different visual elements.
Whether you need help choosing the best design for your room or assistance with the practicalities of putting up wallpaper, a painter and decorator is usually the best choice if you want the optimum results quickly with the least stress.
With so many options when it comes to wallpaper, the choice can sometimes be overwhelming, but here are some top tips to make the choice easier and ensure you get the right wallpaper that will keep your home looking amazing for years to come.
Do Not Rely Completely On Pictures Or Displays
Most people will naturally look online or at the pre-arranged samples in DIY stores for wallpaper inspiration, but whilst this can be helpful at the start of the process, it is important to be aware that your choice of wallpaper may look very different in your room than it does in pictures.
The biggest challenge is lighting, which will differ considerably between showrooms and your home.
This means that it is pretty important to get some sample scraps of the wallpaper you are considering before you commit, and try to expose it to as many lighting conditions as possible in order to ensure that it looks just as good after the sun sets as it does during the day.
Practicality Comes First
You can never compromise on functionality when it comes to wallpaper; you must think about whether your wallpaper of choice is practical and fit for purpose in the space you are installing it in before you start pasting.
If you want to wallpaper your bathroom, you must choose a much more robust wallpaper designed to be water-resistant, and avoid using it in areas where there is a lot of splashback and humidity.
Beyond this, hallways and other rooms with a lot of foot traffic require wallpaper choices which can survive the hectic conditions or can be easily touched up without having to do extensive repairs.
Patterns Shrink Spaces But Can Also Enhance Them
The golden rule of minimalism is that you should use lighter, neutral, unpatterned wall designs in order to create the illusion of size in a room, but it is not always the case that patterned wallpaper will make your room feel smaller.
The goal is to choose both the right wallpaper design and pattern, but also use it sparingly.
An accent wall is particularly effective in small rooms alongside other neutral shades as it creates a focal point for your eye, allowing the rest of the room to unfold gradually and create the illusion of a busy yet large space.
Horizontal patterns help a room look wider, whilst vertical patterns help to make walls feel longer and taller, both of which fit particular rooms, settings and ambiences.
Paint Before Paper
If you are combining painted elements and wallpaper, always commit to paint first, and there are two big ways in which this will typically manifest in a room.
First of all, your wallpaper should fit your existing colour scheme, either as an elegant complement or a well-considered contrast, but the only way to do that is to have your other colour elements in mind first before you choose your final wallpaper.
Think about the dominant colours of your furniture, your paint scheme and your painted features and look into wallpapers that complement and balance these shades well.
As well as this, if you want to paint skirting boards, dado rails or part of the wall, make sure to do this first, as attempting to paint the wall after you have already laid your wallpaper risks drips and splashes hitting it and leaving a mess that is difficult to clean.
Think About Scale
Not all patterns are equal, and the difference between an overwhelmingly busy design and a barely noticeable design idea is often simply the room it is in.
This is where test samples are so important, as it is very difficult to truly tell how a wallpaper design will look in your home until you see it in place alongside your existing furniture, lighting, colour scheme, size and the overall design concept you are going for.
This is something that you do not always get in showrooms or the samples seen in DIY stores with their particularly harsh lighting schemes.