Popularity of wallpaper on the rise

Wallpaper is much more these days than grandma’s florals and those printed borders that wrapped around millions of bathrooms and kitchens in the 1980s.

Click through today’s countless websites, or flip through a giant sample book at a wallpaper store — and then another, and then another. The choices seem endless. There are abstract seascapes, whimsical florals, geometrics, fancy toiles with modern twists, ’50s sci-fi prints … the list goes on.

Technology has also allowed advancements in patterns, sheens and textures, and the attention to detail in some of the higher-end designs leans toward fine art. There are even removable peel-and-stick versions that make installation much easier than in the past.

It is little wonder that interest in wallpaper has been on the rise and that includes Las Vegas, according to local interior designers. While the past decade has been all about toning things down with neutral grays and whites, wallpaper is being seen as a fun way to embellish style, add a splash of drama or create distinct spaces.

Jill Abelman, local founder and principal designer for Inside Style, said she and her team use wallcoverings in every project, whether it’s wallpaper or the relatively new batch of murals on the market.

Recently, they covered an accent wall in a large gray bedroom with an abstract waterfall design that had the gentle gradations and texture of a watercolor painting. In another project, they turned a traditional dining room contemporary by adding an abstract mural in bold lavenders and teals.

“The textures and warmth from wallpaper can instantly warm up a space, and add drama and interest,” Abelman said.

After months of cocooning and the need to create defined spaces, wallpaper can be a great alternative to expensive renovations, she added.

“Instead of building a wall or closing off a space, it can signal a new room, a departure from the rest of the home, and it really works,” she said.

Abelman encourages homeowners not to be intimidated by wallpaper but to have fun, particularly in areas of the house that are truly defined. She has her eyes on a wallpaper with popcorn “flying for the ceiling,” for example, that she can’t wait to use in a home theater, she said.

Marteen Moore of Marteen Moore Interior Planning noted that wallpaper is a great way to emphasize the style of a home and add character. It can be used in a powder room to turn it into “a little jewel box,” in laundry rooms, as an accent wall in the dining room or living room, or placed in the inset of a ceiling.

Because of the growing quality of wallcoverings, there are even those rare cases where wallpaper can be used to totally revamp the look of a home.

She recently helped a local client give a downtown loft with nothing but bare, white walls the feel of an industrial-style space by using custom wallpaper that looked like concrete and adding a faux-brick accent wall, also made of wallpaper.

“There’s so much you can do, and you can do anything,” she said.

She has also noticed that “everything old is new again, but with a twist.” Grasscloth — the textured wall covering made with natural fibers such as jute, hemp or seagrass — has made a strong comeback, and the colors and designs are more varied than ever. She also recently had a client cozy up his home theater with traditional flocked, damask paper like the movie theaters of old.

When choosing wallpaper, she suggests homeowners peruse sample books to see what kinds of styles and colors they gravitate toward. She advises bringing samples home, or ordering them online, in order to see how they look on the wall and where exactly they should go.

If wallpapering an entire room, the design should be subtle so it doesn’t overwhelm the space, such as a monochromatic paper with a shine and matte finish that brings in a bit of texture, she said.

Finally, wallpaper is also getting more attention for its artistic side.

Recently, Daniela Guarin and Michael Freedman, both designers and art school graduates, launched a wallcoverings company called Parete Walls with the idea that bare walls are simply giant canvases waiting to be filled.

“Both of us are kind of massive consumers of popular culture, with art and fashion, and at the end of the day, we are trying to create art, and it’s our interpretation of what we see,” Freedman said.

They are constantly collaborating and finding inspiration in the visual feast that is New York City where they are based, whether it’s the design or colors in a rug or the finish on a flower vase, they said.

Peruse their website and there are papers such as “Make My Daisy,” inspired by the florals of the Jazz Age; “Leeann,” a white-matte paper with silver specks that’s a nod to nail art; and an angular abstract made with wood veneer called “Krumpin.”

The idea is to create beautiful, quality designs but also bring a sense of fun to an interior-design world that can get a little stuffy, they said. They want to show people that wallpaper is an accessible, inexpensive way to bring art into the home and can even be the prime attraction.

“I love the shift that people are actually using (wallpaper) as a centerpiece, as a main stage item. … I think our designs are a response to that: Let us be your main course instead of your side dish,” Guarin said.