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On a Roll

Jill Evans explains how daring wallpapers can liven up the interior design of your home.

Beautifully designed wallpaper creates a diversity of decorating options. You can use wallpaper in small areas, which has the added benefit of needing only a few rolls. An ideal paper for these recessed areas could be one like ‘Family Tree‘, available exclusively from The Salcombe Trading Company. The design has a slightly Scandinavian mood in a linear interpretation of trees, creating one of those designs that looks right anywhere — inland or by the sea.

Using just a few more rolls, an easy trick to turn a bedroom into something very stylish is to paper only the wall behind the bed, and over the bedhead in a toning plain colour.

In contrast to this easy but very effective way of using wallpaper you can always go the whole hog and paper the entire room. This surely must be the quickest and least expensive way to make a total transformation. You will want to keep opening the door to admire your new room.

It could be any size of room of course. Imagine using the Cole an Son wallpaper 'Ex Libris’ in a study or cloakroom. It would make an ordinary room really special and be interesting upon close inspection. This old design idea has been interpreted in a witty modem way showing trompe l’oeil rows of books, and comes in neutral colourways as well as some more colourful options.

Larger rooms, especially those with high ceilings, really benefit from having wallpaper from the skirting up to the picture rail or ceiling, or above the dado rail. Somehow the most effective designs to use are those with plenty of open background as it looks more confident and less busy that way. The beautifully drawn ‘Woods' wallpaper from Cole & Son falls into this category and is a favourite with designers. It has been seen in some very smart locations: a true modern classic.

Whilst there are some fabulous modern designs on the market. There are some with design references that go -back centuries. One in particular looks like a free-flowing handpainted design on old plaster just like medieval wall paintings, but the design has such scale and confidence. It would suit a totally modern setting or a period home. Its name is as old as the hills — 'Adam’s Eden’ (by Lewis B. Wood). The paper is twice as wide as most wallpapers and it is this extra width that has enabled the designer to use generous amounts of space in the background. It also goes up twice as quickly!

Patterns do not need to be intricate to be effective. Sometimes simple small close patterns work amazingly well as the walls seem plain from a distance but have interest at close range; while sometimes you just cannot beat a stripe. The words 'smart' and ‘stripe’ go together for good reason. As with much in interior design, it is often the simplest stripes that are the moat effective. Such as a plain wide stripe in just two colours - either two contrasting colours for a snazzy effect or two shades of the same colour for subtlety.

Many homes now have dining areas in their living rooms or as part of their large kitchen, but separate dining rooms still definitely have their place. They give great scope to create a different atmosphere from the rest of the house, creating a room that is more exciting and dramatic. Something rather opulent will work, with rich reds or golds on the walls. For something dramatic use greys, blacks or silver or, for a really fresh, clean and smart look, use Delft blues and white, just like the china.

Always look at wallpaper samples propped upright in the room for which they are intended and view them at various times of the day. Colour is the first thing you see on entering a room, so it is vitally important. Despite the wonderful spring and summer and the glowing colours of autumn in Devon, it is best to use warm whites and warm colours in general, especially for north-facing rooms.

What better way of spending those cold grey February days than looking through exciting wallpaper designs in uplifting colours, and what a perfect time to put plans into action.

Photographs: Ferm Living, Lewis & Wood,COle & Son

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