WALLPAPER’S RENAISSANCE

Photo: James River Media

Palettes & patterns with panache 

With a storied history spanning centuries, wallpaper is experiencing a renaissance in interior design. Even the avante garde Rhode Island School of Design Museum has mounted a 2025 spring exhibition entitled “The Art of French Wallpaper Design.” The collection showcases more than 100 pieces of antique French wallpaper made by wood-block printing, a craft perfected by William Morris, the prolific 19th century English designer. Right Photo: James River Media

Morris’ renowned botanical and floral patterns inform today’s innovative American designers and manufacturers like Schumacher, Thibaut and York. What to expect from these trendsetters in 2025? Look for gorgeous wallpaper that boasts inviting textures, sustainable materials, bold colors and patterns and sweeping murals, often placed in surprising spaces. Whether traditional or peel-and-stick, wallpaper transforms rooms into ravishing works of art. 

Wallpaper’s comeback
Though a timeless classic, wallpaper is making a comeback in the decorative arts. Sarah Girten, an interior designer and owner of Girten-Saunders Interior Design, was named a top Virginia designer by Architectural Digest. Her husband Kevin Saunders, a professional wallpaper installer, recently had his work featured in Better Homes & Gardens. Together, they believe wallpaper is a mainstay that has the unique power to transform a room. Left Photo: Katie Alexander Photography, Courtesy of Sarah Girten

Saunders notes, “It’s always been popular. Wallpaper brings a space to life unlike any paint. I’ve done so many jobs where I’ve taken a dated wallpaper down and put up new elegant wallpaper, and it’s like ‘Wow!’ The customer is thrilled.” If installed properly, quality wallpaper can last 15 years or more and won’t require much maintenance. Saunders adds, “It prevents you from having to touch up like paint, and it lasts longer.” Right Photo: Katie Alexander Photography, Courtesy of Sarah Girten

When collaborating with customers, Girten orders wallpaper swatches from her favorite vendors like Cole & Son, Kravet, Schumacher, Thibaut and York. She first sees her clients’ rooms and learns their aesthetic to create a curated proposal. “After seeing their space and knowing what their style is, I’ll bring them the appropriate samples,” she says. “It’s a curated feeling. I like my clients to create a space around what they love. You’ll have a cohesive space that will never go out of style.” 

Photos: Katie Alexander Photography, Courtesy of Sarah Girten

 wallpaper trends

ACCENTS
Wallpaper on accent walls, ceilings and other unexpected places makes an impactful decorative statement, yet it’s also cost-effective since you’re not covering up all the walls. Wallpaper with bold colors and patterns shine on accent walls, especially in the bedroom behind the headboard, but ceilings are beckoning as the “fifth” wall. Saunders notes, “Wallpaper on accent walls is still popular, but it has slowed down a bit. Ceilings are becoming the new accent wall.” 

For Girten, the ceiling is a perfect canvas for palettes and patterns with panache. She explains, “Wallpaper on the ceiling is in bolder patterns. Color is making a big comeback. Stripes are making a big comeback, but it’s not your grandmother’s stripe. It’s a big chunky stripe. A big geometric for the ceiling can nicely complement grasscloth on the walls.” In contrast, for nurseries and children’s bedrooms, whimsical patterns in soft pastels will charm your young ones and soothe them to sleep. 

TEXTURES
Wallpaper made from natural materials such as grasscloth, raffia and silk is an elegant classic. Grasscloth wallpaper has tonal nuances that instantly bring texture and warmth into a space. Girten explains, “It never goes out of style and feels elegant. Part of its appeal is that it is a woven material, so each seam is different. People love it because it is a natural material.” Though it’s a sophisticated backdrop to living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms, textured wallpaper isn’t a candidate for rooms with high humidity like bathrooms or the laundry room. 

SUSTAINABILITY
Wallpaper made of natural materials and non-toxic wallpaper inks are surging in popularity. Designers are seeking inventive ways to create beautiful wallpaper that sparks a feeling of well-being and enhances the environment. Biophilic wallpaper patterns like flora and fauna, which invite nature into the home, suffuse this style.

Photos: James River Media

COLORS & PATTERNS
Bright colors, new neutrals and bold patterns are hot in wallpaper design. Girten elaborates, “Color is back. We’re seeing a lot more blues, greens, even pops of red in wallpaper patterns. Sage green and blue greens are very light, soothing colors, which are becoming the new neutrals.” Exuberant wallpaper patterns — large-scale florals and botanicals; dramatic geometrics, stripes and abstracts; exotic animal and tropical prints; and scenic landscapes — reflect maximalism’s aesthetic of abundance in interior design. And you can transform a powder room into a vibrant jewel at little cost. Girten explains, “Bold colors and patterns work well, especially in a powder room or small space. It’s a less expensive way to add a bold statement to the room.” 

Photos: Katie Alexander Photography, Courtesy of Sarah Girten

MURALS
Unlike wallpaper with repeating patterns, murals wrap rooms with a continuous wallcovering that paints a picture and tells a story. Girten says, “I think wall murals are popular. It comes as wallpaper, but it is a bigger scale version of it and paints a picture. These are lovely for a big accent wall because they make a big splash.” Scenic chinoiserie landscape patterns and trompe l’oeil designs elevate the ambiance of living rooms, dining room, bedrooms and foyers. While digital printing makes murals more accessible, most designers recommend professional installation because they are so intricate. 

Wallpaper construction, installation & care
Innovations in technology and design have introduced wallpaper options that appeal to professional and amateur installers alike. Whether traditional or removable, wallpaper construction follows these basic steps: 

• Select a backing, which can be woven (fabric based) or non-woven (paper) 
• Apply a colored background coating (latex for fabric, vinyl for paper) to the backing 
• Imprint the pattern and ink through surface, gravure, digital or silk screen printing. The wallpaper then can be pre-pasted, dried and rolled. 

Installation starts with deciding how many rolls of wallpaper you’ll need. A single roll is 25-35 square feet while a double roll is 57-61 square feet. To calculate the quantity of wallpaper rolls required for a room: 

• Measure the height and width of each wall, including the doors and windows. You’ll need that to match up patterns. 
• Divide the total area square footage by the square footage of one roll. 
• Be sure to add an allowance for errors, repairs and extra coverage. 
• Consider the pattern, as that may require some extra wallpaper to make sure everything lines up. 

Priming the surface and preparing the wallpaper are critical to a successful installation. Saunders emphasizes, “The most important thing about wallpaper installing is putting the right primer on the walls.” Once you’ve cleaned and primed the surface, prepare your wallpaper by “booking” or folding it after pasting and before it is hung. “Booking” helps avoid bubbles and creases during installation. Of course, peel-and-stick wallpaper does not require this step.

Wallpaper that is not pre-pasted will require a separate adhesive. Traditional wallpaper installation might be best done by a professional, unless you have experience in this area. 

If your wallpaper has reached its lifespan or is showing flaws, installers don’t recommend repapering or repainting it — unless it’s grasscloth. Saunders explains, “It’s not particularly recommended to paint over existing wallpaper. It’s rare that you put up a product on existing wallpaper. An exception is grasscloth which people can paint over after using an oil-based primer.” 

A timeless treasure
As the RISD Museum exhibit reminds us, wallpaper has an illustrious past, but its reign in the decorative arts flourishes today. A timeless treasure, wallpaper still makes rooms come to life. ✦