Decorating
Trends: How to Decorate With All-over Wallpaper
Forget feature walls and embrace top-to-toe wallpaper instead – a potential trend for 2015
It’s safe to say most of us have dabbled with wallpaper over the last decade, maybe as a panel of florals in the bedroom or a wall of botanical motifs above the fireplace. But while the feature wall has served our homes well, it’s now time to push the wallpapering boundaries to new limits by covering an entire room in your favourite print or pattern. Yes, that’s all four walls covered top to toe, corner to corner, in wallpaper.
If you’re not 100% sure about this decorating concept just yet, you can always plump for a plain paper and instantly benefit from the punch of colour and added warmth it will bring to a room. If you’re ready to embrace the trend with open arms, however, then simply pick out a trailing leaf motif or a big, bold retro print and get papering… I promise you, the result will speak volumes.
If you’re not 100% sure about this decorating concept just yet, you can always plump for a plain paper and instantly benefit from the punch of colour and added warmth it will bring to a room. If you’re ready to embrace the trend with open arms, however, then simply pick out a trailing leaf motif or a big, bold retro print and get papering… I promise you, the result will speak volumes.
Let loose in a child’s room
Kids’ bedrooms are an easy place to start for a full hit of wallpaper, as youngsters will readily embrace the instant flamboyance. Steer clear of the obvious cartoon characters or sports motifs and opt for something more grown-up and graphic that will grow with them. The mix of cobalt blue and pastel shades in this leaf-print paper is a good compromise for sharers, who might not have quite the same design tastes.
See more kids’ rooms with grown-up appeal
Kids’ bedrooms are an easy place to start for a full hit of wallpaper, as youngsters will readily embrace the instant flamboyance. Steer clear of the obvious cartoon characters or sports motifs and opt for something more grown-up and graphic that will grow with them. The mix of cobalt blue and pastel shades in this leaf-print paper is a good compromise for sharers, who might not have quite the same design tastes.
See more kids’ rooms with grown-up appeal
Go for a subtle approach
Grey is still a stalwart for our homes as we move into 2015 and this tonal paper offers a sophisticated alternative to plain, painted walls. The hand-shaded-style hue on all four walls is surprisingly subtle yet utterly chic and enveloping, with the oversized glass chandelier adding to the opulence.
Check out more ways with grey
Grey is still a stalwart for our homes as we move into 2015 and this tonal paper offers a sophisticated alternative to plain, painted walls. The hand-shaded-style hue on all four walls is surprisingly subtle yet utterly chic and enveloping, with the oversized glass chandelier adding to the opulence.
Check out more ways with grey
Create an entrance
For me, this bright hallway shows how to do all-over wallpaper in style. I love the bold design with its mix of large-scale, intricate florals and paintbox butterflies, which many of us might only dare to hang in a bedroom. Stick to white paintwork and a neutral stair runner and let the colour and pattern engulf your senses as soon as you step through the front door.
For me, this bright hallway shows how to do all-over wallpaper in style. I love the bold design with its mix of large-scale, intricate florals and paintbox butterflies, which many of us might only dare to hang in a bedroom. Stick to white paintwork and a neutral stair runner and let the colour and pattern engulf your senses as soon as you step through the front door.
Surprise with a stripe
Stripes never fail to catch my eye, particularly when they are done in a vibrant, Paul Smith-esque kind of way. This clean, modern hallway has been given a multicoloured makeover thanks to the skinny, horizontal pinstripe paper, which makes the walls seem wider and adds a sense of playful movement to the whole space. Keep doors, skirting boards and furniture plain white so the stripes can really fizz into action.
Stripes never fail to catch my eye, particularly when they are done in a vibrant, Paul Smith-esque kind of way. This clean, modern hallway has been given a multicoloured makeover thanks to the skinny, horizontal pinstripe paper, which makes the walls seem wider and adds a sense of playful movement to the whole space. Keep doors, skirting boards and furniture plain white so the stripes can really fizz into action.
Clash with print
Fans of bold wallpaper will love this idea. While planes of all-over patterned paper will certainly create an impact, using two different prints side by side will shake things up even more. The trick is to pair two distinctive prints (try florals with stripes, or checks with botanicals, for instance) but in the same palette of shades for coherence.
Fans of bold wallpaper will love this idea. While planes of all-over patterned paper will certainly create an impact, using two different prints side by side will shake things up even more. The trick is to pair two distinctive prints (try florals with stripes, or checks with botanicals, for instance) but in the same palette of shades for coherence.
Embrace small spaces
Cloakrooms are the perfect spaces for dipping your toe into the all-over wallpaper trend. Just a quick glance at this beautiful powder room and you can see why bold paper hung on every wall (and, in this instance, on the ceiling, too) can create maximum impact in a minimal space. The rich, emerald green hue and graphic leaf pattern offer a depth and sophistication that plain painted walls just wouldn’t provide.
Cloakrooms are the perfect spaces for dipping your toe into the all-over wallpaper trend. Just a quick glance at this beautiful powder room and you can see why bold paper hung on every wall (and, in this instance, on the ceiling, too) can create maximum impact in a minimal space. The rich, emerald green hue and graphic leaf pattern offer a depth and sophistication that plain painted walls just wouldn’t provide.
Saturate for a luxurious space
There’s something incredibly refreshing about this bathroom. For me, the star of the scheme is undoubtedly the beautiful William Morris-style wallpaper, which saturates the room with colour and pattern from every angle. The fixtures and fittings are luxuriously classic, for sure, but it’s the indulgent use of wallpaper that really makes this bathroom stand out from the crowd.
TELL US…
Are you a wallpaper enthusiast? Please share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
There’s something incredibly refreshing about this bathroom. For me, the star of the scheme is undoubtedly the beautiful William Morris-style wallpaper, which saturates the room with colour and pattern from every angle. The fixtures and fittings are luxuriously classic, for sure, but it’s the indulgent use of wallpaper that really makes this bathroom stand out from the crowd.
TELL US…
Are you a wallpaper enthusiast? Please share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that wall-to-wall wallpaper is a trend best left to modern architecture and super-contemporary homes. This owners of this barn conversion have sloughed off any notions of antiquated rusticity by papering every wall, even up to the pitched roof and around the windows, with pretty floral wallpaper. The result: an effortlessly calm and all-embracing tranquillity that can only inspire the most peaceful of slumbers.