New Interior Design Trend: Mixing Wallpaper Designs

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (of all places) offers insight into an interesting new trend being followed by interior designers: mixing wallpaper designs within the same space.Say what?That’s right. With the recent versatility of wallpaper from the manufacturers, including much less permanent adhesives that used to wreak havoc on drywall, adding and removing patterns and textures is far simpler than in the past.Now that a room can be stripped and re-papered within a few hours, innovative designers have gotten over their fear and are making inroads into new uses for old-style wallcoverings.“‘The new, vast selection of papers is energizing designers,’ said industry veteran Dennis Shah, president of Studio Printworks in Hoboken, N.J. His company creates handmade papers via centuries-old processes such as block and screen printing, but he has also invested in digital printers, which can produce giant seamless panels, scale designs up and down to fit any wall and achieve effects not possible with analog methods, such as subtle watercolor-esque gradations and razor-sharp photorealism. With this flexibility, ‘designers are excited, unusual ideas are coming to fruition and rules are being broken,’ said Mr. Shah.”

Contrasting Walls and Ceiling

For example, this combination of contrasting papers on the walls and ceiling of a sitting room. Whether you choose to “flex” with patterns or colors, today's choices come in almost endless varieties.

Brave or Bravado? You Decide!

While the word “busy” might be a bit tame for this collection of wallcoverings, it certainly cannot be said that the choices made were not bold. And yet, despite the stunning array of patterns, the oriental theme somehow brings it all together to make a cohesive statement.

Mix n’ Match Colorways

Far subtle is the use of two colorways to add a bit of life to this simple yet elegant living room. The similarity of the patterns, though presented in differing hues, hold the design together beautifully. Whatever you may think of some of the choices shown above, the good news is that wallcovering is making a comeback. This, along with the flexibility of mixing wallpaper designs, gives interior designers an addition to their palettes that had been missing for a couple of decades.Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.