If you want a quick and practical way to change the ambiance of your home, you might consider wallpaper. “Wait a minute,” we can hear you say. “Wallpaper? Isn’t that messy, time-consuming and something you might see in your grandmother’s house?” If that’s been your thinking, prepare for a surprise!

As it turns out, wallpaper is hot again in interior design! It’s not the old-fashioned version, either. Today’s wallpaper is colorful, stylish and available in patterns that bring delight to every room. And today’s removable wallpaper is so much easier to hang than it used to be! When and if you decide you want something new, it’s no problem to take the old covering down.

Why Is Wallpaper Making a Comeback?

Certainly, the convenience of installing the removable product is a big part of it, but the wonderful variety of new choices in aesthetic wallpaper may be an even larger factor. If your walls are boring, nothing livens them up like a wall covering in one of today’s bold colors or big patterns! Minimalism in design has had a great run, and it isn’t going away, but the alternative of something a bit showier is now available in the form of contemporary wallpaper.

Here are some of the trends that are finding their wall onto fashionable walls.

A Variety in Patterns

We all remember the once-common wallpaper with subtle repeating patterns. That’s still part of the mix, but more and more the trend is bolder! Geometrics are popular, and often the patterns are big. Floral wallpaper is still around as a more classic direction. Some designers even take interest in mixing them, using geometric in one room and floral in another!

Florals have a broad repertoire. They can be colorful and assertive, or they can be more traditional. Also, the cottagecore aesthetic is still a player in interior decorating, and there are wallpaper florals that echo the warmth and coziness of that particular feel.

In general, big patterns play well in large rooms and smaller ones in small rooms, hallways and foyers.

Color Choices

Neutrals have been and continue to be a staple of home design, and for good reasons: they’re timeless and they go with anything! However, the latest wallpaper neutrals come with overtones. They might have a hint of pink, mauve or some other pastel. Earth tones with their natural warmth are also excellent selections to adorn walls.

However, more and more homeowners are choosing wallpaper with assertive colors. Many select colors that are mood elevators, such as yellow, salmon and pink wallpaper. There aren’t a lot of rules these days when it comes to wallpaper colors: if it pleases you and enhances your room, bold is good!

Biophilia

Biophilia, our natural affinity toward living things, is prominent in today’s interior design, and it’s finding expression in wallpaper as well. Florals are an obvious example but by no means the only one! We’re seeing colors and scenes from the natural world, and environmentally inspired patterns are taking a front seat.

Biophilia might be represented in wallpaper in forest themes, but it often comes with a tropical twist. Some homeowners will choose patterns that remind them of their favorite getaway or vacation spot!

Walls with Texture

It’s hard for a painted wall to have depth, but a papered one can do the trick! Wallpaper can feature plaster-like swirls or maybe a wood grain. Grasscloth is a prominent style within the new generation of wallpaper. Whatever textures of nature are possible, we’re going to see them sooner or later!

Even monochromatic paper has texture potential! For example, it can have a velvety sheen, or paper might be silky and elegant.

Run for the Border

If you’re not ready to paper an entire wall, you can use wallpaper around doors, on molding or to take the place of molding. The concept works either with a painted wall or one that’s papered in a contrasting color! You might even see the lower third of a room done in a different wallpaper color or pattern from the rest.

Also, wallpaper and paneling have an affinity for one another, for example, with paneling on the lower wall and paper above it. It can work with stained panels or with panels painted to play off the wallpaper.

Look Up!

In many ways, your ceiling is a fifth wall. One new fashion is to paper up to the ceiling and then keep right on going! You might use the same pattern or choose a contrast.

Is It Hard to Hang Removable Wallpaper?

Removable paper, aka temporary wallpaper or peel-and-stick, is a reasonable DIY project for just about anyone, but there are some caveats. For starters, it won’t work on textured walls. You need a smooth surface. One or two bumps here or there are manageable, though. The surface needs to be clean and dry. Some home advisors recommend first painting with an eggshell, satin or semigloss (not matte) primer. However, you’ll need to wait several weeks for it to thoroughly cure.

If you buy large panels, it will limit the work of matching up patterns across panels. Be careful not to stretch the product, or matching will be problematic. You may need 10-15 percent more than your measured square footage to facilitate the matching. A felt-edged smoothing tool is useful for driving our air bubbles and ensuring a strong adhesion.

Humidity is an enemy of wallpaper, but paper can hold up in a bathroom if you regularly open a window or run a fan.

Once installed, removable wallpaper remains in place for years. In fact, the bond with the surface gets stronger as it ages. High quality, carefully hung peel-and-stick can last as long as you want it to.

As with paint, you’re not stuck with the same color or pattern forever. When it’s time for a future remodel, just pull the paper off the wall, and choose something new or go back to paint!