March 15, 2024

The Wonders of Wallpaper

As with most interior design elements, wallpaper and its storied history have come a long way from its early days in the 16th century and before, when its primary use was as a sanitary covering in kitchen cabinets and small rooms. Now, its popularity has again begun to rise, and with it comes countless new functions and designs, from accent walls and headboard walls to faux bois beams.

More so than paint and more economical than other materials, wallpaper, or wall coverings, adds dimension to any area. Wallpaper allows you to enhance a space or feature wall with more depth than drywall and paint alone. Wallpaper can also camouflage imperfections in the drywall, as long as the wallpaper has texture.

Both functional and fashionable, wallpaper allows clients and designers to take dimensional design and creativity to another level, from the smallest spaces and applications to large walls and ceilings. While wallpaper is often seen in powder rooms or on accent walls, we are now seeing it added to the interior of glass-doored cabinets to provide a splash of color, an ironic homage to its early function in kitchen cabinetry.

Conversely, we have seen wallpaper utilized in an entirely new capacity as faux bois beams. When a client selected a masterfully-designed wallpaper that so accurately imitated the look of wood they decided to wrap ceiling beams in their house and give them the appearance of wood, without the price tag of a hefty remodel.

As the popularity of wallpaper waxes and wanes, one thing is for sure. With a talented interior designer and advancements in material sourcing and production, wallpaper will continue to be a design element worth considering during any home improvement project, no matter the space, size or budget.