Wallpaper is making a big comeback. It was a usual thing to see at your grandma’s house, but it doesn’t mean it’s outdated at all. Using a regular paint for your walls doesn’t give you that many possibilities as it is the case with various unique and inspiring wallpapers. The secret of choosing the right wallpaper is to know which exact wallpaper to pick, in what amount and how big the wall surface should be covered with it. Otherwise, you’re flirting with being tacky.
DO – Before you even enter a store, be sure you have picked the desired design online. Every store will have plenty other options for you and chances are you’ll get overwhelmed and make the wrong choice. If you don’t like picking wallpaper online, another possibility is to take a couple of samples you liked home with you, so you can consider each one of them without impulsively buying one at the store and regretting it after few months.
DON’T – If it’s your first time dealing with wallpaper, avoid wallpapering a difficult wall space first. Any space with arches or windows will be too much for you to work around. It’s better to choose simple straight up walls without any architectural features. It is also easier to wallpaper a wall which isn’t too high because you won’t need to use ladders.
DO – Go with the simple wallpaper. Neutral colors are far better to match with the room and stay stylish for a long time. If you really want to use bold-colored wallpaper, then make sure the color fits the floor, especially if it’s dark or cherry wooden floor. Having wallpaper that mimics brick walls or wooden planks are also a nice option. If you opt out for a landscape, it can even make the room look bigger. But again – go for simple images.
DON’T – Forget about mixing different wallpapers in one room. It’s simply a terrible idea for two reasons: first, the room will seem too crowded and busy, and second, no matter what wallpapers you choose, each one of them will look bad. The mix of patterns will make it look like that. Another bad idea is to cover the whole room with wallpaper – you will soon get bored with it or even get a headache from all the patterns you put in there.
DO – When you’re deciding how much wallpaper you need, be sure to calculate more than you think you need at first. The reason for this is that you need to take errors into consideration. Also, you need to account for extra paper at the top and bottom of every strip so you could trim and align the wallpaper perfectly with the whole pattern.
DON’T – There’s no way the wallpaper can be used for covering a bad wall. If there is a crack or a hole you want to hide, putting a wallpaper over it isn’t the way to go. It’s the same thing as when people buy sofas and homewares in order to cover dents or irregularities on the wall – deal with the problem, don’t hide it. Wallpaper needs a flat surface in order to look good. Any creases or tears will only ruin the overall effect of the wallpaper and make it look sloppy and cheap.
DO – Putting the wallpaper on a feature wall is a smart choice. It will accentuate the room as well as the wallpaper. Still, don’t overdo it with the wallpaper – only one portion of the wall is enough to add some fun. Interesting places where you can also put wallpaper is the back of a bookshelf, on the ceiling or on stair risers.
DON’T – It’s best to avoid wallpaper with repetitive small patterns. Two reasons: it will make the room look busy, and it is really difficult to put it perfectly on the wall because the patterns need to overlap completely; otherwise, it will look plain bad. Another thing to avoid is to go overboard with the number of colors of the wallpaper. You won’t be able to see anything else in the room except for the colorful wallpaper, which is definitely not the point.
Conclusion
Wallpaper can really freshen up a room, make it look fun or bring in a dash of different times into your house. It is unique, interesting and can make a part of the room and the wall really stand out. The important thing to do first is to make your choice carefully and not be carried away with all the possibilities. As with any other home improvement, you need to find the right balance between simplicity and playfulness.
