I hope that by now, I’ve convinced all of you to have wallpaper SOMEWHERE in your lovely homes. Maybe you’re still getting comfortable with wallpaper — using it as an accent wall in a bedroom or trying it out in your powder room — or maybe you’ve gone whole hog and are hanging it faster than the factories can print it.
Either way, here are 5 things you need to know to wallpaper responsibly today.
1. Wallpapering adjacent rooms is a DON’T.
Unless you’re in Colonial Williamsburg, using different patterned wallpaper in adjacent rooms isn’t a good idea. This might be my 1980s Waverly hangover talking, but flowers into flowers into flowers just doesn’t feel current. (Exceptions: a textured wallcovering in one room and a pattern in the next, or a powder room off of a wallpapered room. Powder rooms live by their own rules.)
2. Large scale patterns are more modern. When in doubt, go bigger on the pattern.
3. You can end wallpaper at the top of the stairs.
This is a big one, because it means that you can wallpaper your foyer without having to carry it all the way through your house. Permission to stop the wallpaper is hereby granted.
4. Texture adds elegance.
Grasscloth, strie…you don’t have to love pattern for wallpaper to be effective. Texture adds depth, interest, and sophistication.
5. Ceilings are an option.
Wallpapering a ceiling — and not the walls — can have a wonderful effect, especially if the wallpaper has some shimmer. You need to be careful here: the pattern has to look good from every angle. This is one of my favorite pictures ever:
There you have it, Gentle Readers! I’ve done what I can. The wallpaper is in your court.
Bossy color | Annie Elliott interior design is based in Washington, D.C. We create outrageously beautiful for fascinating people — starting with color. Don’t miss our recent interview with The Washington Post about Oriental rugs…
