7 Tips On How To Choose Wallpaper With Wow Factor

Wallpaper Tip 3. Become A Pattern Professional

The key factor when choosing wallpaper is finding a pattern that you love, but don’t forget that not every pattern that you love will be right for your room. Here’s a list of some pattern guidelines that we highly recommend:

• Horizontal patterns and designs widen and open up a room but can also make the ceiling appear lower than it truly is.
• Vertical patterns or designs make the ceiling appear higher than it is and add a sense of grandiosity to a space.
• Large patterns work best in large rooms, and small patterns work best in small rooms. If you use a large, spacious pattern in a small room, the pattern will accentuate the smallness of the room and overpower the space.
• Dark patterns will make the room seem smaller. In contrast, light wallpapers open and widen a space making it appear larger.
• Damask and floral patterns with fine lines create a romantic atmosphere, especially if muted or pastel colors are used.
• Bold, geometric patterns are best for contemporary and modern rooms while elegant damasks and stripes create a traditional look.

Wallpaper Tip 4. Make The Most Of Lighting

If your space is dark or lacks windows, you can use wallpaper almost as you would a mirror. Look for wallpapers that will reflect light, such as patterns with light colors or metallic or iridescent ink. For dark wallpapers or textured wallpapers, make sure to install plenty of lighting fixtures as dark wallpapers absorb light and make a room look smaller. Dark wallpaper is perfect for moodier designs, and it works best when paired with a sconce or another lighting fixture to create a warm, orange glow.

Wallpaper Tip 5. Test Out Textures

Read our review of the Kips Bay Decorator Show House and you’ll discover that one of this year’s biggest design trends is textured wallpaper. Patterned wallpapers can have actual tactile surfaces, such as grass cloth (very popular right now), burlap, foil, expanded vinyl, and even fabric; or they can simulate the look of a material, such as marble, wood, leather, fabric, or animal skin.

Textured wallpaper offers a variety of design purposes: reflective papers can light up a room just like a mirror can (see Tip #4), and handcrafted tactile papers have a three-dimensional quality that enhance the layered, textured look of a space. Textured wallpaper can also camouflage wall imperfections that other wallpapers cannot.

Wallpaper Tip 6. Prevent Feelings Of Regret

Wallpaper is a big decision. Once you decide on a wallpaper, it can be quite the hassle and expense to take it down or replace it. Some simple advice for whether or not you’re going to love your wallpaper? Plan in advance and tape your favorite wallpaper sample to the ceiling above your bed for two to three weeks.

Using this tactic, it’ll be the first thing you see every day and the last thing you see before you go to bed. If you still love it after that, there’s a pretty good guarantee you’ll love it every day up on your walls. If you start getting nightmares…well, maybe you should try a different pattern.

Wallpaper Tip 7. Don’t Run Out Of Paper

There are many situations in which running out of paper can be quite problematic—wallpapering a room just happens to be one of them. So then, how do you know how much wallpaper to purchase? It’s actually quite simple:

1. Although wallpaper rolls are measured in square feet, it is important to take your measurement to the nearest eighth inch. Measure the length of each wall in inches, and then measure the height of the room from ceiling to floor in inches.
2. Add together the lengths of each wall in the room, and then multiply that sum by the height of the room. The result will be your wall area in inches.
3. To convert to square feet, simply divide your result by 144.
4. Measure out the square footage of windows, doors and other large openings, and deduct this amount from your calculation.
5. Check the roll label for how much square foot coverage the roll gives and ensure the roll coverage is more than the total wall square footage.
6. In general, we suggest ordering one more roll than you may need. It’s always better to be safe in these situations.