Beginner's Guide to Wallcoverings

To be honest, for a while there, wallpaper didn't have the best reputation.  As with any major trend, when something is used in excess during one season, then eventually it hits a major season of boredom and mediocrity.  And depending on the amount of use it saw previously, that can even lead to a bit of a product/style rebellion by the time that proverbial pendulum finds itself swinging in the opposite direction.  Wallcoverings are no different.  In fact after people obsessively pasted it on every surface of their homes and offices a few decades ago, it almost became obsolete.  Now however, and thankfully so (please hold off on the hate mail until after I've explained myself), wallcoverings are making a comeback.  With the vast options and patterns out there now, I am definitely seeing an uptick in this once-magical product, proving it's not just for visual appeal anymore.   

NOT-SO-TRADITIONAL WALLPAPER

Let's start here since it's what most everyone is going to be familiar with.  You can still buy it and it serves it's purpose.  But the one caveat is that now the patterns and textures have improved vastly.  And you can use these patterns and texture options to create tons of interest in a space.  I've been hearing that individual painted accent walls may possibly be trending to the less exciting side of things in the near future.  I personally am not completely sold on that just yet, but I can see how it might trend out just like everything else does.  What I DO see, is textured wallpaper coming into play in place of those painted accent walls.  

For starters the durability factor is much better than most standard paints.  Plus you not only get a fresh bold pop of color, but also with as much or as little texture and scaled pattern as you like.  This changes things dynamically.  You can bring so much to your design game with a fresh interest wall that draws the eye.  Check out some of these options seen below on Stacy Garcia's site.  She's one of my favorites to spec.

DIGITAL WALLCOVERINGS

For a much-improved and exciting design option, you can even try custom digital wallcoverings.  This is such an understated product in the design industry right now.  I have used it a couple of times to design a custom mural format that took the place of a painted one.  The value in this was immense.  We were able to work with our wallcovering designer to go back and forth several times until every last detail was the way the client wanted it.  You just can't do that with a painted mural.  You can also choose a base to start with from a manufacturer's digital wallcovering catalog and make color changes and even image changes so you're not starting from scratch.  The best thing about this is that it's soooo much more affordable than it was a decade ago.  Digital wallcoverings have now become an exquisite piece of artwork displayed in large format.  Here are a few from my absolute favorite designer's site Patty Madden. Also, as an aside, the cover art for this blog post belongs to her as well.  She's ridiculously talented.  You can find all of these and many more in her online catalog.

DRY ERASE WALLS

Another one that has gotten a bad reputation but is now greatly improved is dry erase wallcoverings.  This product used to leave behind a lot of ghosting when it was first made and to make matters worse there were plenty of cheap knock-off options out there that were of very poor quality.  So naturally people have pulled away from this product.  However, there are now some really great selections out there if you know where to look.  One place I love to visit is an amazing product called Wink by Wolf Gordon found HERE.  This product with it's magnetic properties and projection capabilities leaves you with a high-quality dry erase board that removes the hassle and heaviness of the traditional boards.  Installation is easy since it can be applied over just about any wall surface and it complies with California's low chemical emissions requirements.   Let me know and I can get you in touch with a rep that will send you a sample.

WALL PROTECTION

The last one I want to tell you about is of the wall protection variety.  This is another product that Wolf Gordon offers and it's really a work horse of a product without the sacrifice of aesthetics.  Naturally a standard painted wall is not going to hold up to the wear and tear of the public.  Traditional wallcoverings certainly perform better than paint by leaps and bounds so I still highly recommend this option in a mild to moderately-used area.  But for the heavy duty areas like healthcare, government, education and even Libraries, I wouldn't hesitate to use a vinyl wall protection option with a much higher durability factor like the Rampart product offered by Wolf Gordon.  Not only is it beautiful, it also boasts heavy-duty rolled materials, a stain and abrasion-resistant top coat and even resistance to bacteria.  

FINAL THOUGHTS

In a design world full of ever-changing ideas and material options, I encourage you to take a new look at what the wallcovering world has to offer.  Manufacturers have worked so hard over the past decade or so to make monumental improvements on the trendy products that dominated our walls for so long.  After a season of regrouping, they have come back stronger than ever with product offerings that really make sense in today's designs.