The Big Cover Up

At last! Wallpaper is back. This versatile, style-enhancing tool of the trade has been creeping back into favor after a 15+ year hiatus. What happened to these once-beloved wallflowers that sent them undercover?

Let’s review. It was the mid-1980s and wallpaper enjoyed a long run with the hunter, wine and navy palette when Ralph Lauren created his dark, rich, accessory-laden environments with wallpaper on every wall.

This same period saw lots of big florals as well, from the pre- “shabby chic” floral chintz and pattern mix, to the “English Garden” styling from British designer Sister Parrish. Lest we not forget the scary popularity of wallpaper borders—easy, cheap and tacky.

Bottom line, wallpaper was doing good business in the eighties. Then out of the blue, “do-it-yourself” wall painting techniques became the trend of the day. Sponging, stippling, color washing, spattering, dragging, stenciling, marbling, ragging, fresco and trompe l’oeil were seen everywhere. Homeowners were having too much fun messing up their walls to go back to wallpaper. And poof! Wallpaper was all but forgotten.

Fast forward to when wallpaper made its comeback, with the quiet return of grasscloth leading the way. Its subtle, organic texture was an ideal backdrop for the "Tommy Bahama" Beach Club look and the more refined weaves were a perfect complement to the clean, warm lines of modern furniture and the popular mid-century designs. The grasscloth "look" became huge as the wallcovering of choice for contract environments... and still is today. 

Now wallpaper is showing up in all sorts of interior designs as an accent that promises to make an impact. With the ebb and flow of design trends we’re moving from the ”calm” of the monotone, neutral interiors to a more lively style statement with the popularity of eclectic design. Never before have we been so free of restrictions, fearlessly creating random mixes of style, print, pattern, color and texture. Equally irreverent are the bold, inspired, attention-demanding wallpapers of today and the “paper of interest” for these hip, eclectic interiors. 

I, for one, used wallpaper as my go-to solution for many uninspired areas in the home. For example, cover a small, plain entry in a colorful, bold pattern—and BAM!—you have an exciting welcoming entrance. 

The formal dining room is another great candidate for this wall treatment. For the three-sided dining space, just papering the back wall can be effective. For the traditional enclosed dining room, wallpaper is always good with a wainscot or a chair rail. The big empty dining room cavity can become a stimulating, stylish atmosphere of your making with the right wallpaper background.

My all-time favorite is the powder room or the “public restroom” of a home, basically a sink and a toilet and, unless it is an architecturally interesting space it’s a closet. A beautiful, over the top wallpaper, silk-screened or metallic-detailed, can create a stunning little jewel box for your guests to lock themselves up in.

At Design Alliance we love that wallpaper is back in our tool chest. We recommend you check out the following papers for inspiration on your next project.

WALLTERIORS: Unique, hand crafted, custom papers and they will match your color palette for free!

ABA: Beautiful grass cloth from Canada, with an array of choices from gnarly textures to tight metallic weaves, unique and affordable.

THIBAUT: A complete library of classic, colorful, silk screen papers in timeless traditional designs.

JF: The works of creative thinkers, the coolest papers from whimsical to sophisticated…with an edge.

MDC: Primarily commercial wall covering, with a unique home collection (see the “Eye of the Peacock” in the powder room, pictured below). Need I say more?