4 Fantastic Tips For Choosing A Wallpaper You'll Love For Years

8 Apr

With so many amazing colours, designs and patterns available, choosing a wallpaper you’ll love for years to come can be a challenge. It’s one I frequently help my clients with, so I thought I’d share my top tips with you.

No. 1. Consider the way you use your space

Wallpaper is wonderful for making a statement, personalising a room, and adding texture and interest to your interior design scheme. To ensure you make the right choice, however, you need to consider how you use your room and the atmosphere you would like to create.

The wallpaper you choose will affect your mood and if you use it in a working space, your productivity. Deeper colours are cosier, especially in the autumn and winter months, and will subtly encourage you to relax and switch off while lighter, brighter colours will prompt you to be more alert and productive.

It’s for this reason that you wouldn’t, for example, want to decorate your child’s bedroom in a riot of bright, stimulating colours if what you really want them to do is relax and sleep.

Pale wallpaper is, however, ideal for reflecting light around a room, making your space appear larger and brighter, especially if the pattern is shiny and reflective.

No 2. Decide which walls to paper

Wallpaper can either be a big feature or a quiet backdrop.

If you haven’t decorated with wallpaper before you might like to start with a feature wall. That way you can be bold and creative for a smaller outlay and update your design more frequently than if you paper your whole room.

A chimney breast or bedhead wall are obvious ‘feature’ wall positions, but it can be any wall you choose to highlight. I often wallpaper an entire room, including the ceiling, in the ‘French style’ to create a cohesive, layered design.

Features walls are also a wonderful way to create ‘zones’ within open-plan multi-functional spaces and, if you have a long, narrow room, wallpapering the far end wall can help to balance the proportions of the room.

No 3. Choosing a wallpaper - pattern or plain

Wallpaper is a form of wall art. It’s a personal expression so pick designs that ‘speak’ to you.

There are so many patterns to choose from and not all of them have distinctive designs. Plain coloured wallpapers can add a subtle layer of richness and interest while textured papers such as silk, felt and cane are great for adding warmth and a sense of luxury.

Small prints work particularly well if you have statement patterns on curtains or furniture and are far more interesting than a flat paint colour.

My clients are often cautious when choosing a wallpaper and using more than one pattern in a room but, with care, you can mix scale, motif, and a variety of colour tone.

No 4. Try it before you buy it

When you choose to wallpaper a room, you’re investing in your home. Good quality wallpaper is more expensive than paint and you’ll need professional help to prepare your walls and hang your wallpaper to ensure a smooth, bubble-free, perfectly matched finish.

Take your time choosing your design. Ask your retailer or interior designer for a couple of large samples and hang them on your wall. Live with them for a few days to experience the colour and design in different light conditions. As what you love in natural daylight may not seem so perfect under artificial light and vice versa.

Choosing a wallpaper can’t be done in isolation, it’s part of your entire design concept so make sure that what you choose blends seamlessly with your curtains, furniture, and flooring.

I’ve listed a few of my favourite wallpaper designers below to inspire you but if you would like a hand creating the perfect scheme, or just want a second opinion, give me a call on 07773 372 158 or send me an email via nicky@nickypercival.co.uk

I look forward to hearing from you,

Nicky

Wonderful Wallpaper Designers

Ohh Fleur!

Fleur Ward is a friend and fellow member of the Decorcafe. Her designs have a fabulous, bold graphic quality that are perfect for adding a touch of ‘Wow!’ to cloakrooms and teen bedrooms.

Ohh Fleur! Band Aide Wallpaper image.jpg

Ohh Fleur! Taupe Off Piste Wallpaper.jpg

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Timourous Beasties

I’ve always loved this company and was lucky to work in Glasgow, where they are based, from 1989-1984 when they were still a relatively young company. Their designs are still hand-printed in Glasgow and are simply wonderful.

Timourous Beasties Fruit Loopers Wallpaper.jpg

Timourous Beasties Marine Toile Wallpaper.jpeg

Timourous Beasties Napoleon Bee Wallpaper.jpeg

Timourous Beasties Thistle Wallpaper.jpeg

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Willis Bloom

This lovely, Kent-based, wallpaper and fabric design company is run by Abigail and Chris Willis and I love the ‘Calla Lily’ in lavender design, below left, which also comes in bolder colours. They design fabrics too which makes putting schemes together easy.

Willis Bloom Calla Lily in Lavender Wallpaper.PNG

Willis Bloom Regal Beauty Golden Wallpaper.PNG

Willis Bloom How Very British Wallpaper in Stately Teal.PNG

Willis Bloom Pineapple Wallpaper in Golden Mist.PNG

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Petronella Hall

Petronella Hall is another Kent-based designer I admire, and her designs range from funky and fun to whimsical countryside themes.

1 Petronella Hall Pelican Wallpaper in Petal Pink.png

Petronella Hall Poppy Wallpaper in Lemon.jpg

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Poodle and Blonde

Kent is just bursting with creative talent and this trend setting company has had lots of press. I’m hoping to use some of their accessories in my new attic conversion project.

Poodle and Blonde Fod Babies wallpaper.png

Poodle and Blonde Poodle Parlour Wallpaper in Midnight.PNG

Poodle and Blonde Money Tree Wallpaper.PNG

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Emma Shipley

Emma’s range of wild and exotic animal designs are great for kids and travel themes. Her co-ordinating fabrics and accessories also help to add layers on interest to a scheme.

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Anna Hayman

Anna is another fellow member of the Decorcafe and has become hugely influential. She is based near Lewes in East Sussex and I adore her new design called Vittoria, seen on the left. It also comes as a fabric too and I have the perfect project to use it.

Anna Hayman Wanderlust Teal Wallpaper.jpg

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Coordonne

I love these Coordonne designs and have just mixed the gorgeous chinoiserie mural pictured below with rattan furniture and a bamboo floor to create a beautiful bedroom in Bromley.

Coordonne Porcelaine Wallpaper Roomset.jpg

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Divine Savages

This company has a lovely variety of exotic floral and animal motif designs that are perfect for maximalist schemes. I’ve just used this wonderful ‘Forbidden Bloom’ wallpaper in the home of a young couple in Tunbridge Wells.

Divine Savages Forbidden Bloom wallpaper.png

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PORTOBELLO-PARADE-_JELLIED-TEAL_-LIFESTYLE-1_1024x1024@2x.jpg

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Little Greene

With designs inspired by National Trust properties and museum archives, Little Greene is a fabulous resource of historical inspired wallpaper designs, and of course, British manufactured paint. I’m currently using this lovely damask wallpaper in my 1855 house project. I love the colour palette and will share the results once the project is completed.

Little Greene Lifestyle_01_Wilton_Pad.jpg

Little Greene Wallpaper 21_hencroft_punch_527x800..jpg

Little Greene Wallpaper Achillea_Aurora.jpg

Little Greene Wallpaper carlton_house_terrace_valentine.jpg

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In the meantime, if you are looking for an interior designer in Kent who will listen to you and transform your home you are welcome to give me a call on 07773 372158 or send me an email at nicky@nickypercival.co.uk for a without obligation chat.

Nicky Percival