Melissa Gulley
Melissa Gulley, owner of Melissa Gulley Interior Design in Newton, Massachusetts. She is the interior designer for the television program This Old House. www.MelissaGulley.com
Wallpaper, largely out of fashion since the 1970s and sometimes thought of as tacky and difficult to install or remove, is now a hot trend in interior design. Today’s simple furniture styles are part of the reason—wallpaper’s texture, depth and visual interest can work well with understated furnishings.
Wallpaper designers now offer a wide range of eye-catching designs, some meant to create an opulent feel, others a distinctive artistic look. Digital printing has made designs possible that were once unachievable or extremely expensive, including mural wallpapers.
In general, organic patterns featuring soft lines are likely to create a calming effect in a room, while bold patterns with sharp corners, lines and perhaps colors can add energy to a boring room.
There even are textured wallpapers, such as those that have bits of mica or copper glued into them…grass-cloth wallpapers that have grass or straw woven into them…faux-leather wall-papers…and wallpapers with embossed designs that provide a textured look. The range of designs and patterns makes it possible to personalize a space without new furniture or extensive remodeling.
Warning: Choosing a very distinctive wallpaper might not be a great idea if you expect to move soon—potential buyers might not share your taste.
Four creative ways to use wallpaper…
Add coziness to a large room. Install a chair rail to divide the walls of a large room horizontally, then wallpaper only above or below this chair rail and paint the remainder. (Chair rails—wood moldings originally meant to prevent the tops of chair backs from rubbing away the wall’s paint, plaster or wallpaper—serve to visually split walls, making large spaces feel cozier and homier.)
Alternatively, use different wallpapers above and below the chair rail—the texture of a grass-cloth wallpaper on the lower part of the wall can create a warm look, for example…while a geometric print on the upper part of the wall adds energy, perhaps without overwhelming the eye in ways that such prints might if used over the entire wall.
Example: On one project, I’m using a grass-cloth wallpaper below the chair rail and a trellis-patterned wallpaper in the same color above.
Helpful: If you use a patterned wallpaper in a large space, it’s usually best to choose one with a large pattern. A small pattern is likely to disappear into the walls. Of course, that might be what you want if you’re searching for a more subtle look.
Add visual interest to a powder room. Home owners tend to assume that wallpaper with very bold colors or patterns will be excessive in a small space such as a powder room—a half-bath with no shower or bathtub. In reality, bold wallpaper can transform these undersized, mundane rooms into delightful spaces. People tend to spend only a few minutes at a time in the powder room, exiting before bold wallpaper starts to seem overwhelming. The wallpaper even can be continued onto the powder room ceiling to complete the jewel box effect.
Warning: While wallpaper can be a great choice for a powder room, it’s not a good choice for a bathroom that has a frequently used shower. Steam from the shower eventually will cause the wallpaper to peel.
Add a focal point to a room that lacks one. Every room should have a visual focal point—an element that draws the eye. Some rooms have a natural focal point such as a fireplace or a large window. In those that don’t, you can create a focal point by using a bold wallpaper on just one “accent wall”—typically the wall behind a large piece of furniture such as a sofa or a bed—then painting the other walls.
You can wallpaper bookcases, dressers or coffee tables to transform them into works of art. Turn a worn or mundane piece of furniture into something original and beautiful by applying a visually interesting wallpaper behind the shelves in a bookcase…to the front of a chest of drawers…or as découpage on a coffee table. These projects aren’t very expensive even if you chose a high-end wallpaper because they require only a few square yards of wallpaper at most.
Web sites Houzz.com and Pinterest.com are great places to search for wallpaper patterns. Just type “wallpaper” into the search box, or combine the word “wallpaper” with colors or patterns of particular interest.
When you find a wallpaper that you like, contact the maker through its Web site or phone number and ask where you can purchase the wallpaper in your area. Paint stores and home centers stock affordable wallpaper, but also consider visiting the Web sites of some of the top wallpaper designers, including Brunschwig & Fils (Brunschwig.com)…Cowtan & Tout (Cowtan.com)…Lee Jofa (LeeJofa.com)…Nina Campbell (NinaCampbell.com)…Scalamandré (Scalamandre.com)…and Schumacher (FSchumacher.com). If the wallpaper you like normally is sold only through interior designers, you might be able to find it on the Wallpaper Collective, a Web site that sells many artisanal wallpapers directly to the public (WallPaperCollective.com).
Wallpaper prices vary widely. Attractive wallpaper can be found for less than $50 a roll—or as much as hundreds of dollars per yard in some cases. Wallpaper is likely to be at least several times more expensive than paint per square foot. If you fall in love with an expensive wallpaper but have a limited budget, consider using the wallpaper only on one accent wall, only above or below a chair rail, only in a small room or to decorate a piece of furniture.
Helpful: When you compare prices, keep in mind that wallpaper roll sizes can vary. An American double roll will be 27 inches wide and produce around 70 square feet of paper, while a European, or metric, double roll will usually be 20.5 inches wide and produce around 56 square feet of paper.
Hanging wallpaper well is not easy, particularly in the corners of rooms. It’s usually worth hiring a professional paperhanger. Expect to pay between $2 and $4 per square foot for labor, though rates vary depending on the complexity of the job, type of wallpaper and your part of the country. Obtain two or three quotes before hiring a paperhanger.
Removing wallpaper isn’t technically difficult, but it can take a lot of time and effort. That could increase your labor costs considerably if you later decide to switch back to paint.
