Papers Are In Order It’S Comeback Time For Wallpaper, Which Fell Out Of Favor In The ‘90S
Some people hear the word “wallpaper” and instantly flash back to the hideous, gold-striped papers of decades past.
It’s time to shed this outdated impression and give wallpaper a second chance.
Today’s wallpapers offer a provocative mix of bold and dainty designs. There are old world maps, majestic lighthouses, rustic moose and even state-of-the-art 3-D skateboarders. (They appear to jump out of the wall when you don the accompanying cardboard glasses.) There’s a paper to reflect every taste, color scheme and interest imaginable.
A backlash against neutrals in the 1980s and 1990s led to a boom in custom-paint finishes that wounded the wallpaper industry. Wallpaper manufacturers took the hint and started marketing eye-catching designs on pre-pasted, easy-to-hang paper. By the decade’s end, consumers had a new appreciation for the product.
Wallpaper’s amazing comeback is a byproduct of a healthy economy and a trend toward do-it-yourself decorating, says Denise Marie Venier, owner of D. Marie’s Interiors, a North Side wallpaper shop. She estimates 80 percent of her customers hang their own wallpaper.
While women are drawn to picket fences, grapes and topiaries, an increasing number of single men and husbands are purchasing sports and wildlife-themed papers for their homes and offices. D. Marie’s sales are up 37 percent over last year.
“Anything novel is popular, whether it’s planes or trains or golf or birdhouses,” says Venier.
While some customers search for vintage wallpapers to recreate the look of a previous era, others go for the latest trends. Laser-cut borders, where the edges surrounding the design are cut away, are popular. So are purples and sages. Borders designed by famous artists like Thomas Kinkade are flying off the shelves, says Venier.
Wallflowers Design Center on the South Hill has experienced high demand for borders that resemble watercolor paintings, says Meryl Roundtree, assistant manager.
“The colors kind of mix and blend. They pick up so many color tones. People are finding it really easy to match them in their house,” says Roundtree.
Children’s wallpapers (which are now easier to clean than ever) are also a hit with customers, Roundtree says. After kids outgrow the pre-school bear and ballerina decor, parents update their kid’s rooms with sport and flower borders and wallpapers.
Spokane artist Debbie Mumm released her first wallpaper book this year after getting numerous customer requests. One eye-catching kitchen design has tiny teacups, matching plaid and denim papers and a coordinating teapot border.
Mumm’s products are setting trends, because accessories like artwork, ceramic dishes and mugs are available to match her wallpapers. She also offers a line of complementing fabrics. “People create a lot of home decor products with the fabric,” says Mumm.
Who can resist buying an exact replica of the adorable teapot on her kitchen border? Even self-disciplined shoppers cave when they see dinnerware that perfectly matches their new wallpaper.
“The customer is very interested in a coordinated look. So, it’s meeting that need,” says Mumm.
Sherwin-Williams on Grand Boulevard sells both wallpaper and paint. Assistant Manager Jeff Coleman has noticed that interest in both faux painting and wallpaper has grown.
“If I had to make a guess, I’d say wallpaper would outdo faux painting still,” says Coleman.
It’s popular to wallpaper the upper or lower half of walls, paint the other half and hang a border in the middle, Coleman says. “So, you have the wallpaper down below creating like a chair rail and you have the paint above it. It spices up the room.”
Coleman says a number of customers pick two paint colors that compliment the border, paint one on the top and another on the bottom of the wall and hang the border between them.
There’s something for every budget. Products range from around $10 a roll up to several hundred for some of the historical reproduction wallpapers. Even people who loathe browsing through stores and wallpaper books can find the perfect paper by simply clicking onto one of the many Internet retailers that sell wallpaper.
Customers searching for bathroom wallpaper often end up papering offices and bedrooms, too, says Venier.
Wallpaper is reinventing rooms that people normally have an aversion to. A home office with dreary white walls can be as forbidding to adults as a 4-inch-thick geometry book is to kids. It’s all homework.
Take those same nondescript walls, hang fishing-hook wallpaper and a matching trout border, and suddenly that forbidding office is as welcoming to a weary businessperson as a slice of Grandma’s homemade apple pie.
“Entries have an attitude, too. That’s where you greet your guests. It’s the part of the house that says `hello,”’ says Venier. She suggests subdued patterns for main rooms and hallways, because those walls serve as backdrops for artwork and photos.
On the other hand, feel free to break the rules when choosing wallpaper for the bathroom. After all, you’re only there a short time. Venier wallpapered her store’s restroom, including the ceiling, in a flagrantly feminine floral print with muted pinks and purples.
Finding the right wallpaper may involve going to extremes. Along with fabric swatches, pillows, shams and artwork, several of Venier’s customers have lugged Oriental rugs into the store.
One inventive local businessman put his modesty aside and brought in his boxer shorts that had the exact color blue he liked. Sometimes, that’s what it takes to achieve wallpaper perfection.
Meet Debbie Mumm and see her collection at the Meet The Mumm Party at D. Marie’s Interiors, 2007 W. Northwest Blvd., on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. An open house lasts from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.