The good news is that you’ve got countless options when it comes to wallpaper. From textured to patterned to plain to floral designs, you will not run out of options. These examples barely scratch the surface. The bad news is that with all these options, choosing wallpaper can quickly become a challenge. After all, how can you gauge what will work for you? Remember that wallpaper lasts as many as 15 years, so the vibe you choose now will continue to spew in your space for more than a decade. You cannot afford to make the wrong choice, and that’s why we’ve compiled some pointers to guide you on this path.
How To Select The Best Wallpaper?
Let’s start by acknowledging that we are all different. What may feel like the best option for you will not necessarily work for another person. Now that we have that out of the way, remember to lean into your preferences, even when considering all the factors we’ll list below. Only then can you get what’s best for your space!
Consider The Lighting
Wallpaper has different effects on a room based on the amount of light that hits it. For example, if you use black wall paper in your movie room, it fully immerses you into viewer mode. But when you are not watching movies, this black hue gets in the way of using the room for other activities. The same goes with moody floral wallpaper with a dark background. It looks great when you want to lean back and retreat to your safe space. But will it work when you want to entertain guests?
So, here’s a tip you can use. For rooms that bathe in natural light, you are best off working with light and bright colors. Their reflective properties make the room look bigger. You can also work with matte finishes to ensure that people can see the details in the wallpaper. For dark spaces, we recommend bold colors that show even in dim light. While you may feel tempted to work with white walls in dark spaces, you can always add some color to the room. Take bathrooms as an example. While they are often marred by inadequate light, there’s been a move towards using more color in the rooms to enhance their aesthetic appeal.
What Color Works for Your Space?
Color equates to mood. Think about it. When you enter a room that has bold and bright colors, you automatically feel energized. Now, transport yourself into a room with green hues. What do you feel? Refreshed, calm, renewed? These are some of the psychological effects that stem from using colored wallpaper. But before you go choosing colors based on their effect on your mood, you must consider a few things. These include:
- How do you use the room? Using red and yellow hues in the kitchen makes a lot of sense. The room feels vibrant, and these colors are great appetite teasers. But use the same colors in a bathroom, and it’s no longer a quiet retreat.
- Is the room shared? You also must think about the number of people using the room. Say, for example, that you want to decorate your bedroom with a moody floral pattern. If you’re using it alone, then you are good to go. But if someone else also uses it, you can’t be the sole decision-maker on the color. Again, it will affect everyone’s mood.
- What does the color inspire? Different hues have different effects on the people in the room. Take yellow, for example, which has a calming effect. People will generally feel bubbly and safe in a room with such a color. Play around with colors based on what you want to evoke in the people who enter the room.
Once you’ve considered how you will use the room and who else will be in it, hacking the right color combo will be easy.
How Tall is The Room?
Does the ceiling height matter in your quest for the perfect wallpaper? It sure does! While you may not often think of it, the ceiling affects how big your space feels. When it’s low, the room feels small and a bit cramped. So, if you use textures and colors that make the walls feel like they are closing in, you will only amplify this effect. But when the ceiling is tall, you have more freedom in color and texture choices.
Suppose you have a low ceiling height. We recommend that you work with lighter colors which create the illusion of more space. The lighter colors become the focal points while any dark hues somehow disappear from the eye view. You should also be careful with your pattern. A busy pattern can make the room feel busy, which would make it feel smaller. So, work with simple patterns and if you decide to use stripes, use vertical ones.
Rooms with high ceilings can withstand the use of dark hues. Even so, you don’t want to make the room feel claustrophobic. You are better off combining dark and light hues, ensuring that the light accents give the room a bit of a lift (aesthetically and psychologically). For example, you could use floral wallpaper with a black background. The flowers would stand out for their colors and designs, and the black would recede into the background. This interaction between light and dark colors creates depth that makes the room even more interesting.
Don’t hold back on accentuating the height of the ceiling in rooms with high ceilings. You are free to use vertical stripes that make the walls feel elongated. Think of other ways you can use wallpaper to show off the grandeur of your space.
To Pattern or Not to Pattern
Using patterns in a small room is not an easy task. Use too many of these, and the room will feel busy and smaller. We recommend having an accent wall instead to feature a design, leaving the other walls bare or with complementary designs. For big spaces, you can have a repeat pattern running on all the walls. Be careful, though, not to overwhelm people with too many elements at once.
Have you made it this far? You’re now ready to start shopping for wallpaper!
