New wallpaper, new room!

If you would like to refresh your home, but don’t have the energy or budget for a large-scale renovation, consider changing the wallpaper.

We have had a long love affair with ‘a fresh lick of paint’, but wallpaper has quietly come a long way since the shiny apricot lace prints of our childhood. Wallpaper can be a fabulous accent on your walls and add a pop of texture and colour that paint alone cannot achieve.

The beauty of wallpaper is that there can be less preparation involved, it is simple to hang (although a professional paper hanger is always a good choice), and the result is immediate.

Fashionable walls

Wallpaper is high fashion – take a look at your local decorating store – there are styles with incredible texture (think velvet, straw, sand) and every colour of the rainbow.

Painted feature walls have had their day – but if you wallpaper one wall it can be a piece of art in its own right. There are no rules, you can add one drop per wall if you like, or hang it sideways to create a border.

Ask a consultant

Many stores that sell wallpaper will have a consultant available who can come to your home and offer advice if you feel overwhelmed by all the options.

Wallpaper and paint work well together – you could even choose a plain textured wallpaper for one wall an paint it the same colour as your other walls, letting the texture be the accent.

Remember that when it comes to home decorating, almost anything goes. Take photographs of what you have at the moment. It makes it easier to choose in-store if you have a record of the actual colours and textures you are working with at home. Sometimes it can be very hard to describe your home or colour scheme to someone else accurately.

Take an open mind wallpaper shopping and let the transformation begin!