Before plastering up that De Gournay wallpaper, there are many factors you should consider before moving forward with your dream room.

There are professionals and companies which provide these wall-paper services, and your interior designer should be using a professional, instead of applying it themselves (unless they have experience), however, luxury wallpaper DOES require an expert.

Factors to consider

The layout of the room

The size of the room: Bigger means more wallpaper involved.

The texture and theme: Does the texture really suit the furniture? And if you re-arrange your furniture, will the same wall-paper stay there? If you’re saving money, this is important to consider.

The scale of pattern design: “A large-scale pattern will read much more clearly if you have wide swaths of wall that you plan to keep uncovered; if not, a small allover pattern (or paint!) may be the better choice.”

Will there be children or pets in the room? If there are, you need to consider the material of the wallpaper, don’t waste money on luxury, instead go for sustainability and how well it withstands the environment.

EXPENSIVE OR COST-SAVINGS?

“The most popular choices on the market today are vinyl and vinyl-coated wallpapers. The good news about these is they are some of the most durable choices, as well as the least expensive. The other types you can buy are foil, grass cloth, flocked and embossed. While these are the fancier options, they are also the most expensive and a lot less durable. Whatever type wall coverings you prefer, you can source less costly options without sacrificing quality.”

ADVISE FROM MARTIN LAWRENCE BULLARD

“If you’re going to commit to wallpapering a room, then you need to go for it and wallpaper the whole space in order to create a cohesive, glamorous interior,” explains Bullard. “I don’t like the accent wall. I think it’s very dated. And never be scared of big pattern. A patterned wall can actually make a small space feel larger. It breathes new energy into the room.” ^[1]

“If you are a little worried about wallpaper and can’t make up your mind, make a $50 or $100 investment and buy one roll to pin up in the room,” suggests Bullard. “See how it makes you feel and whether you can commit to it in the different lights of the day. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”^[2]

As advised by Bullard, hiring a professional to install your wallpaper is advisable. Dont DIY things, when you don’t have the experience or you will damage your expensive dream-paper.

BACKING PAPER CHOICES

After determining the color and style of the pattern you want, it’s best to look for what type of backing the wallpaper has. Wallpaper with a non-woven backing will be fully strippable when you desire a change.

Graham & Brown’s non-woven patterns are also easy to apply with their “paste-the-wall” technology. “Paste-the-wall” uses non-woven backing paper that does not expand when it gets wet. As it doesn’t need to soak, the paste can be applied directly to the wall, which cuts decorating time in half, compared to regular wallpapers.

If you’re wallpapering for the first time, avoid very small patterns with offset matches. For these, the designs can be difficult to match up in repeat.^[4]

FLAT VS TEXTURED DESIGN

Choosing a flat or textured design is all about personal style. In general, textured patterns give a more casual look to a room, whereas flat designs can make a wall more refined.

Textured wallpapers can give a wall some dimension and also do an excellent job of covering imperfections. Some textured wallpapers are paintable for a monochromatic look. The actual patterns of textured wallpapers are generally less detailed than a flat pattern.

With flat wallpapers, you have the options of fine detailing in design, and embellishments such as metallic, gloss, or mica effects. If you have imperfections in your walls, but prefer the look of flat wallpaper, using a wall liner as a base layer can give you the added coverage you need.^[3]

Dramatic and Elaborate wallpaper adds romanticism to any room

Area environments showcases many artists on their website and they are for an array of different types of tastes, from classical, modern and elaborate. This is a must for any designer to look at, and explore for their own recommendations.

An excerpt from Darnell’s website: “Darnell’s work has been vastly recognized and exhibited in major cities around the world. He uses a technique that involves multiple layers of transparent oil paints and alkyd resins to build up visual detail and contrast with each pass.”

Murals Wallpaper.com

^[1]Brunker, Alicia. The Kardashians’ Go-To Designer Shares His Top Tips for Decorating with Wallpaper. Architecturaldigest.com (accessed 27 Oct 2019).

^[2]Brunker, Alicia. The Kardashians’ Go-To Designer Shares His Top Tips for Decorating with Wallpaper. Architecturaldigest.com (accessed 27 Oct 2019).

^[3]Lind, Allison. “Selecting the perfect wallpaper.” Thesprucecom. https://www.thespruce.com/tips-for-selecting-the-perfect-wallpaper-3437597 (accessed 27 Oct 2019).

^[4](Blog excerpt from the following): “Is discount wallpaper as good as the expensive stuff?”, http://blog.wallpaperwarehouse.com/is-discount-wallpaper-as-good-as-the-expensive-stuff/ (accessed 26 Oct 2019).