To achieve impact, designers resort to wallpaper

When it comes to adding character to a room, there’s no denying the impact of wallpaper. Designers love it, homeowners have embraced it, and the possibilities have exploded.

The list of designers and brands that deal exclusively with wallpaper is getting longer and longer. Jeremiah Brent debuts his line with Tempaper at High Point Market, while Young Huh and Megan Molten develop lines with Fromental and Mitchell Black, respectively. Four Hands added the category this summer, while LeftBank Art did so earlier this year.

Wallpapers offer many positive aspects. “It adds visual dimension, texture, interest, sometimes a historical element, a conversation piece [and] a sense of fun,” said Atlanta-based designer Beth Kooby. “Most of my customers come to me looking for something different, more colorful, designs with texture and interest, so they may already be more open to wallpaper.”

The variety of textures currently available in wallpaper is “unreal,” added Vanessa Helmick of Fiore Interiors in Portland, Me. “Right now there are more textures than anyone can imagine,” and that includes not just woven designs, but vinyl designs as well. For a recent project, she used vinyl paper from Arte, which looks like leather and is “exquisite.”

While she has always used wallpaper in her projects, Helmick reached out to the category even more during the pandemic for one simple reason – it was available and helped make a room design easy to put together. Some items she originally included in her designs at the time were either unavailable or arrived broken, she said. Wallpaper was a great alternative, especially if she stuck to the same color palette. And since then, their use of wallpaper has exploded.

Historically, wallpaper fell into either the kitschy or traditional category, with the “same old” damask or stripes, said Erin Minckley of Relativity Textiles in Chicago. Now, however, “people are becoming more adventurous” and designers are pushing the boundaries of what wallpaper can be, be it a watercolor painting or a photograph, she said. An artist herself, she founded her company in 2015 after working for a wallpaper factory. She also created a GoFundMe page to buy a 50-year-old wallpaper factory that is now closing.

Minckley is also working with other artists to develop their own lines and plans to add another group: interior designers. “You can find cool wallpaper almost anywhere, but you can’t design your own wallpaper.” Her Six Months to Launch program is a step-by-step process where she helps people with design, marketing, public relations and more. This allows interior designers to create their own collection for a project or showhouse or simply express themselves, she said.

While wallpaper can be hung almost anywhere, both Kooby and Helmick like wallpapering ceilings to make an impression. “You have to have the right installer,” Helmick said for ceilings, and you have to be careful with repeats; She avoids using geometric patterns on ceilings and prefers a more painterly look. Kooby also likes to wallpaper utility spaces like restrooms, “boring hallways,” or laundry rooms “to add something fun.” In bathrooms, “vinyl is great because of the moisture,” says Kooby, although you can also treat “regular” wallpaper with a sealant to protect it.

They both cited Phillip Jeffries as one of their favorite resources with great customer service (it’s Kooby’s “absolute favorite for grasscloths”). Kooby also mentioned Arte (“great collaboration with designers/artists, super creative options”), Root Cellar Designs (“women-led, very fun designs, matching fabrics”) and Schumacher (“always classic, from simple stripes to elaborate ones.” global designs”) patterns and matching fabrics.”)

Helmick buys from as many women-owned companies as possible, including Relativity Textiles as well as Poppy Print, Rebecca Atwood Designs and Abigail Borg. She also likes the inexpensive product range at Temu.

See also:

Do you want your own wallpaper line in 6 months? Erin Mckinley can help

Four Hands is expanding its portfolio with two new categories