How to WOW With Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a great way to add character, pattern, texture and fun to any room. Whether you decide to do a single statement wall or really go for it and wallpaper the entire room, it definitely packs a punch. Choosing the right wallpaper for your home can also be much less of a commitment now that removable wallpaper is an option. While you can wallpaper any room in your house, we tend to stick to three main spaces for wallpaper: a bedroom, a nursery or a powder bath. In a bedroom, we love the look of wallpaper on a feature wall behind the bed. For a nursery, try wallpapering the entire room in a subtle pattern to add a warm, cozy feel. In a powder room, we also love wallpapering the entire room, but tend to go bolder and truly have fun in the small space. No matter what style your home, adding wallpaper is a fun way to add character.
Go Bold or Go Home
If you want to use wallpaper to pack a punch, go with something bold! If you’d like to choose a wallpaper to work with the colour in the room, we like the look of an abstract watercolour wallpaper to add more dimension without overdoing it. Using the wallpaper as your main source of inspiration, you can then pull colours from it to use as accents, bringing the entire room together. Another way to go bold is to choose a large floral print. The scale of this pattern is much larger, so we recommend choosing a wallpaper that is more neutral in colour to balance out the scale of the pattern. In this space, the accents in the room are kept more minimal to really allow the wallpaper to shine.
Drama, drama, drama
If you’re looking to add some opulence to your home, look no further than a moody wallpaper. Choosing a darker, textured wallpaper can give your home an instant upgrade, making it look more luxe. We love using a darker wallpaper in the powder room. It’s always going to feel like a small space (because it is!), so we suggest you embrace it and wallpaper the entire room making it feel like an upscale bathroom in an expensive restaurant. We love to use a darker, textured wallpaper in the bedroom to really make a statement on the feature wall behind the bed. This wallpaper is a great choice because the different facets bounce off the light, which gives it an interesting almost 3-D like effect.
Go Graphic
Similar to the bold wallpapers above, these graphic prints also make a statement, but in a more neutral way. Wallpaper doesn’t always have to be about adding a lot of colour, but can instead introduce a subtle pattern or energizing lines. We love how the abstract leopard print in the bedroom on the left is bold, yet subtle and adds the perfect amount of visual interest to this soft, dreamy bedroom. With the bedroom on the right, the graphic nature of the lines helps to energize the room and add a sense of playfulness. The black and white colour keeps the pattern more subtle to complement the use of black and white in the space.
Soft & Subtle
When using wallpaper in a nursery or younger girls room, we like to keep the palette soft and subtle. These palettes help to create a serene, calming atmosphere. In the bedroom on the left, the wallpaper gives the room a fun, playful quality and works well with the other subtle nods to art that can be seen around the room. The pattern is a little on the busier side, so to keep it from feeling like you’ve fallen into a Jackson Pollock painting, we just used wallpaper on the feature wall behind the bed. In the nursery on the right, the soft pink and gold pattern is much more subtle. Patterns like this can easily be used on the entire room because the smaller scale of the pattern is easy on the eye. The star pattern in the wallpaper is repeated in the mobile, wall art and rug, complementing this nursery’s adorable celestial theme.
Whimsical, Fantastical & Fun
Wallpaper is an incredible way to introduce a bit of fun into your room, especially for children’s rooms. This eye catching wave wallpaper is the perfect complement to this underwater themed room. Although the pattern is quite large, the lines and subtle blue colour are soothing on the eyes. This wallpaper is a really fun option for when you want someone to walk into a room and way “WOW”. In the bedroom on the right, this woodland wallpaper adds a fun, whimsical touch to this forest themed room. The medium scale of the pattern means that it’s not too distracting, but upon closer look, you and your kids will have fun discovering all the creatures it contains. The navy blue background keeps the pattern from looking too young, so this colour palette would age well for children. Plus, it’s the perfect complement to the fox pillow on the bed.
Photo Credit: Shellard Photography
