wallpaper is having a moment
I've been trying to pick wallpaper for a couple of different projects. There's a lot of great nature-inspired stuff that feels fresh to me right now.
As promised on Instagram, here are 30 nature-inspired wallpapers I like.
I'm seeing more homes with more wallpaper, and adjacent rooms with different wallpaper. For a long time, we have treated this as an occasional accent pop. But increasingly it is becoming the main attraction.
Patterns are everywhere right now.
You only need to look at the rocket-like trajectory of pattern-maxers Heidi Callier and Pierce & Ward to see that people are hungry for it again.
Pierce & Ward Berry Lattice Wallpaper for West Elm
Even the most basic mass-market retailers are rolling out the bold floral sofa, something that would have been unthinkable for their brand just a couple of years ago.
So if you like wallpaper and want to incorporate more of it, here are some thoughts:
How long do you spend in the room? To me, if you are going really bold and graphic, it is generally more suited to a lower-use room - a powder room or a closet. Maybe a guest bedroom.
Limerence Wallpaper - House of Hackney. Obsessed.
Scale the pattern to the room. A smaller print feels bolder in a small room. A larger print can breathe more in a big room and might be overwhelming up close. A lot of those big mural-style papers need a big room.
Pick a winner: In a room with loud paper, everything else gets toned down by comparison. Quieter furniture and art. But if you had some calm grasscloth wallpaper just for a little texture, then you could dial up everything else.
Are the walls in good shape? In a really old home with plaster walls, the wallpaper might highlight those imperfections. Wallpaper likes smooth surfaces.
Can't decide between two? Go bolder. The most common mistake is too safe. Also, think about the style/architecture/theme of your home. Does the wallpaper you are picking fit into your overall theme?
Think about the undertone/background color. This is huge. Do you have bright white trim and windows in the room where you are going to put the wallpaper? If your paper is a little darker and doesn't have this color, the windows and trim will pop against the paper.
Accent wall or no? My take on this is that if you do an accent wall, you need to somehow give it borders. I created this wallpaper panel in my dining room doing just that - it functions like a huge piece of art. Outside of something like this, in most cases I'd want to wrap all four walls.
Dining mural
Speaking of ceiling... what about just papering the ceiling? My friend has this beautiful vacation rental and papered just the ceiling in his living room with floral wallpaper. Don't have a picture, but it was really striking. Also, cloud wallpaper exists for a reason.
Hope you picked up something useful, and found at least one pattern in there you love.
