Supposedly, Oscar Wilde once said of his Paris hotel room, “This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. Either it goes or I do.” He died there. Somewhere along the way from its roots in China to its heyday in Western Europe to us across the pond, wallpaper got a reputation as being the epitome of tacky. Think flocked neon paisleys, unsettling toiles, and those rooster-themed kitchen borders. But about a decade ago, wallpaper — the prettier, fresher, modern versions — started appearing in a few design-y homes. And now, a dazzling array of options are available (in fact one company, Spoonflower, will print any pattern you think up). We might just be at peak wallpaper. But it can be scary to commit. “People are nervous to do wallpaper, they say, ‘What if I get tired of it?’ ” said Sally Staub, co-owner of the Florence-based Workroom Design Studio. “But there are a lot of really great subtle ones.” She and her business partner Hannah Ray help you navigate the papers that make a house a stylish, personalized home.
Ask yourself: What’s my style? Traditional or modern? Bold or subtle? “You should select a pattern that reflects your style,” suggested Staub and Ray. Also, know thy room. “Pick large-scale patterns for a room to help visually widen the space,” suggested Workroom. Small spaces like a powder room can become like little jewel boxes when fully papered.
Always see the paper in person, rather than relying on online samples — studios like Workroom have binders stuffed with glorious samples you can flip through. Most sites will offer an “order sample” option; sometimes they’re returnable. (If not, they’re good for crafting!) A few companies to start with: Hygge & West, Cole & Sons, Osborne & Little, Flavor Paper, and Chasing Papers. With wallpaper so ubiquitous now you can even find great papers at West Elm, Wayfair, and CB2. Some current faves of the Workroom crew are the fishy Fornasetti Acquario by Cole & Son; grasscloth over a metallic ground paper to create depth and contrast; and some of the latest line drawings and saturated colors.
Staub and Ray point out that while wallpaper is a bigger investment up front than paint, it lasts much longer — about 10-15 years. And with some of the less-expensive, newer peel-and-stick papers (Chasing Papers has a good variety) you can install it yourself — and remove it if you change your mind or are a renter. If you’re handy, you can also apply pasted wallpaper yourself — or budget to hire a pro. Workroom loves Mike Jennings, a local expert who has been hanging papers since long before the latest resurgence.
You can do a full room for maximum effect — or give a little taste of wow with a single accent wall, the back of a bookshelf, or a half-wall, papering above a chair rail. You can even go up. “Wallpaper a ceiling to pull your eye to one of the most neglected places in a room,” said Staub.
—Valerie Reiss