Today’s wallpapers have gone high fashion, casting aside countrified colours and patterns for richly embossed or embroidered varieties. “In the 1970s, wallpaper was used like paint on walls, but in the late ‘90s, the use of it in home decor took a serious nosedive,” says Brian Collins, vice president of Wallquest Inc. in Wayne, Pa. “Now, wallpaper can be fashion-forward, instead of just being used as a lower-end product that easily wipes clean.”
Wallquest, the American-based manufacturer and wholesaler of wallcoverings, has seen a 50 percent growth rate in wallpaper sales this year, when compared to 2009 numbers, Collins says. With global market interest growing in wallpaper, Wallquest executives are projecting another 25 percent increase in 2011 sales.
Trends are showing that the handwriting is on the wall for exclusively matte- or faux-painted rooms. But today’s wallpapers aren’t your grandmother’s grasscloth.
“The wallcovering industry has reinvented itself,” Collins says. “Everything from the manufacturing process to a wallpaper’s design is different.”
Eco-friendly wallpapers are reflected both in the paper fabrication and its modern look and feel. Manufacturers have addressed consumers’ concerns about off-gassing volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, by switching from solvent-based products. Collins says vinyl wallcoverings of the past have evolved into papers that are Forest Stewardship Council certified, and printed with water-based inks.
As displayed in Wallquest’s “Eco Chic” line, wallpapers’ natural motifs, which bring the outside indoors, can be graphically bold or richly opulent. “Today, we have computers and printing technology that add dimension with raised inks or embroidery. These papers aren’t like any embossed vinyl you might remember,” Collins says. “A lot of what we’re seeing in wallcoverings today is designer-led.”
Carl Robinson, born to a prominent English designer, has his own line of wallpaper creations through Wallquest. Knocking down walls on creative coverings, Robinson’s vision features design motifs on cork, grasscloth and fabric. Collins says wallpaper prices can run the gamut from about $30 to $500 per 4 1/2-yard rolls.
With wallpapers that have a heftier price tag, the “less is more” principle can be applied to installation, says interior designer Bridgett Cochran, co-owner of Porter Teleo, a Kansas City, Mo.-based company of hand-printed and hand-painted wallcoverings. “Every installation of our papers is unique,” she says. “Some clients treat our papers like art on their walls, literally.”
High fashion for the home, high-end papers can be installed on just one wall to create a dramatic focal point in a room. “Our bold patterns can be hung on a wall behind a headboard, on the ceiling or in a foyer, with a sweeping staircase as a backdrop,” she says. “People are also inserting wallpapers into room screens or covering drum shades on lighting fixtures.”Cochran says the era of the “duck and bonnet” wallpaper with matching border is over. Porter Teleo’s unique styling is drawn from an ancient Japanese aesthetic that uses rich artist-quality inks on handmade papers. With patterns that invoke orchids, vines and silk scarves, Cochran says an installation is only as successful as the tradesman hanging it.
“Wallcoverings aren’t a Band-Aid for a wounded wall,” she says. “You can’t cover up a flawed wall and expect it to look good.”
Cochran says experienced wallpaper-hangers are artists in their own right and homeowners should work with reputable tradesmen for the best results. An installer should always follow manufacturer guidelines and specifications, especially for a wallcovering with a repeating pattern.
“Optimally, you want a mirror-smooth surface on which to apply the wallcovering,” she says. “Our papers, which use techniques such as painting, woodblocking or chine colle (applique), look best when hung over a paper liner.”
If a bare home’s walls could talk, they might beg to be covered in today’s unique wallcoverings. In addition to hand-painted and embroidered papers, expect to see wallcoverings that are bedazzled or jewelled with glass beads.
“All across the home design industry, people are pushing the limits and becoming more creative,” Cochran says. “Artistry in wallcoverings can’t be contained within four walls.”
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