A cast-out no longer

A cast-out no longer

Miss Baxter  /  The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal

Wallcoverings follow home fashions, which range from traditional to whimsical. (File/ssociated Press) Papering hints The following tips can ease the experience of applying wallpapers: • Before hanging paper, seal walls with a good primer, even if they are already painted. • Select a good quality wallpaper because it likely won't tear apart in layers when you try to remove it. • Pick the type of wallpaper paste appropriate for the paper you select.

Back from exile, wallpaper is flourishing anew.
Like all design trends, wallpaper is cyclical in nature. Wallcoverings have fallen in and out of fashion countless times since the Chinese first adorned their walls with rice paper in 200 B.C.
Although wallpaper has been considered passe by most interior designers for more than a decade, it's back in vogue.
Gone are the days of gaudy floral prints or '80s borders with rows of ducks and cows. Today's selections are definitely not your grandmother's wallpaper.
With an array of new products from embossed and flocked to paintable wallpaper – there's something sassy about today's decorating choices. Many designs boast bold textures and lush colors, including metallics and pearl effects. Hot colors include shades of brown, blue, red and orange.
"Wallpaper is definitely getting popular again and there are a lot more interesting selections than there used to be," designer Sarah Hedgspeth says.
"People are hyped up about decorating with wallcoverings because there are so many cool choices. I think a lot of people are looking to simplify their space with clean lines and a classic look. Wallpaper can definitely help do that."
Like with most trends, Hedgspeth said, some looks are more popular in different areas of the country.
"The flocked and metallic papers that are available are wonderful, and they are the hot new trends in places like New York and Chicago," she says. "With interiors following fashion trends so much, the metallics are popular, including some that are more subtle, along with others that have a very glam '40s look that almost looks like mirror."
Trend toward texture
One of the hottest trends is embossed and textured wallpaper. There are an array of papers that mimic the look and feel of leather, linen, Venetian plaster and other interesting textures.
Other unique choices include patterned grasscloths, cork wallpaper and beaded wallpaper.
"We've also gotten in some really fabulous glass-bead wallpaper," Hedgspeth says. "That's something that's really different that most people don't even know is out there."
Some homeowners are shifting away from the relaxed style and monotones of the '90s to a colorful, tailored look by using wallpaper, says designer Stephanie Stegner, who also manages a wallpaper store in Louisville, Ky.
"A lot of people are going for a more contemporary look by using things like sculptured borders or textured wallpaper, such as papers that are embossed with silk," Stegner says.
"Another one of the biggest changes we're seeing is that a lot of customers are looking for wallpaper with a black background. That gives a very elegant look."
Homeowners can customize everything from room dividers to ceilings with paintable paper. For example, you can paint an embossed paper a pewter color and hang it on the ceiling to give the appearance of a tin ceiling at a much lower cost.
Obtaining a chic look can be as simple as adding a bold wallpaper or fabric to a dining room, front hallway or restroom, says Stacy Allan, marketing director for Thibaut ( www.thibautdesign.com), a New Jersey-based company founded in 1886 and touted as the nation's oldest continuously operating wallpaper firm.
"A powder room, for instance, is a great place to experiment with pattern and color because usually there's not a lot of architectural detail in a powder room," she says. "Wallpaper can spruce up any space, large or small."
In patterns, Allan says, the transition is away from the small, closely clustered designs of the past to larger, open designs that have a jolt of color.
With so many choices, Allan says, using wallcovering is "an easy, affordable way to really add a personal touch to your home.
Although some wallpaper from early decades was very difficult to remove, Allan says, today's selections are usually much easier to take down.
"You don't have to make a lifetime commitment to the paper, if you make sure to select a quality paper that will be easiest to remove," she says.
Make sure you apply a good primer to the walls before you hang the paper. "A lot of people make the mistake of hanging paper right onto the drywall in new homes without even painting or priming."