While some “peel-and-stick” options are less permanent, choosing and installing wallpaper can be a big investment that will change the look of your home for years. Patterned and colourful wallpapers work as interesting design elements that can effortlessly change the look and feel of any space. In addition, wallpapers infuse an artistic edge to the interiors, camouflaging imperfections of the walls, while ensuring quick, easy, and dust-free installation

Choose a style for the space

dentify your home’s overall style as well as the feel you want the room you’re wallpapering to have. Is your home relaxed and rustic? Glam and contemporary? Depending on the room, do you want the space to feel formal with a Victorian flair? Dark and moody where you can relax? Energizing and fresh to start your day?

Some of the more popular choices include

Contemporary / Modern

A modern style walks the line of chic sophistication and stark glamour. If you prefer contemporary décor, selecting a geometric or abstract pattern may best complement your style.

Victorian

For this period style, baroque floral damask makes a beautiful wallpaper choice. Stay true to the trend as it was in 19th century England with the use of purples, burgundy, lavender, gold, and copper.

Glam

Every glam home needs some bling. Choose a wallpaper that includes dramatic reflective, glitter embedded, crystal, flocked, or embossed designs.

Casual

A casual style evokes tranquillity and calm. If you want your space to feel relaxed and casual, try a neutral texture, soft floral, or plant print.

Country

A country feel is different from the modern farmhouse style that has been trending. Country plays more into a “Southern Grandma” effect with plaid, gingham, or country motif pattern.

Rustic

Rustic style highlights cosy natural textures and surroundings. It celebrates the art of repurposing with reclaimed wood, distressed metals, and antiques.

Formal

If you want your space to have a formal feel, choose an elegant design such as a hand-painted print or damask.

Pick the Right Colour

Select the colour of the wallpaper according to the colour scheme of the room, or accentuate the wall in a contrasting shade. For a calm and peaceful interior, go for neutral-toned wallpaper. Note that light colours reflect light and impart a bright and airy look, while dark colours absorb light and make the space look smaller than it actually is.

Best Spaces for Using Wallpapers

• Wallpapers can be used strategically to create a feature or accent wall.
• Also known as the fifth wall, the ceiling works as a blank canvas, and is one of the best areas to use wallpaper.
• If you want to avoid the hassle of repainting your house, use wallpapers.
• Consider wood panelling for the lower half of the walls, and wallpaper for the rest of the wall.

Play with Light

In a north-facing room, dark hallway, or windowless space, look for wall coverings that will reflect light around the room, such as patterns with light colours and those with metallic or iridescent inks. Also, consider patterns with smooth surfaces, which reflect maximum light. Dark colours absorb light, making walls appear closer and the room smaller. Textured surfaces also tend to make a wall look darker.

Hide Flaws with Texture

Patterns with real or perceived texture can hide or camouflage wall imperfections or architectural eyesores. Patterns with actual tactile surfaces include grass and string cloth, burlap, foil, expanded vinyl, and even fabric. Other papers simulate the look of marble, wood, leather, fabric, and even animal skins. A pattern with a layered design also creates a perception of texture (such as a monochromatic damask design behind a floral pattern).

Choose a Suitable Style

For a formal look, choose large-scale patterns with dramatic colours. For a fun, bright style, pick small motifs that are open and regularly spaced, such as polka dots. Don't forget the decorative impact of borders. Available in all sorts of motifs and styles—from sports scenes to pastoral views to wildlife images—borders quickly establish the theme of a room.

Accent the Positive

Stripes and other vertical patterns, which emphasize height, suggest dignity, vitality, and formality. Vertical patterns, including florals, where the motif's shape suggests a V or a U will make a ceiling appear higher. Horizontal patterns accent width suggest quietness and repose and make narrow rooms appear wider.

Scale for Success

Small-scale patterns create a feeling of spaciousness, while large-scale designs make rooms more intimate. To make an empty room look more furnished, pick large-scale patterns with bright colours and dark backgrounds. To give flat walls the look of depth; try a large, open-dimensional pattern, such as a trellis design.

Mix and Match Wisely

A room without pattern can bore, while a room with too many patterns can cause restlessness. When mixing stripes, florals, or plaids in a room or in adjacent areas, pick patterns that repeat the same colour or values of that colour. Wall covering books usually group designs by colour to make coordinating easy.

Create an Optical Illusion

• Go for wallpapers with horizontal stripes to make a tall space look shorter, while wallpaper with vertical stripes can make the room appear taller. Make it a point to use soft shades of wallpaper in spaces with low ceilings.
• In addition, the size and spacing of the various patterns on wallpapers can make a room look larger or smaller.