When it comes to decorating our homes, often the advice is to keep decor neutral. This is especially the case if you’re considering putting your property on the market in the coming months or year.
But a home full of white or magnolia walls can be incredibly boring, especially when there are so many wonderful ways to inject personality into a property. If you don’t think you’ll be moving home for a few years, it’s certainly worth investing in making your home unique to you.
What are the options if you want to do this though? Homes and Property recently highlighted some of the best bold wallpapers available at the moment and these can certainly make a statement.
Firstly, wallpaper has seen a massive resurgence in popularity, with the news provider revealing that Pinterest reported a 401 per cent spike in searches for the term last year. While it was once seen as an old-fashioned way to decorate a home, the new designs springing up have made people realise that it can be just as versatile as paint - and often more colourful!
Bold patterns have come to the fore where wallpaper is concerned, particularly leafy botanical designs, bright florals and geometric designs.
User researcher at Pinterest Larkin Brown commented: “Most likely, people are embracing this trend as a way to refresh their spaces with a touch of confidence and a way to show off their personalities.”
She added that this kind of wallpaper “breathes life into rooms big and small”. Her top tip if you’re intending to incorporate bold prints into your home is to “find a pattern that inspires you and then just go for it”.
If you really want to make a statement that’s truly personal to you, take a look at your options for luxury wall art. This can add another dimension to your decor and make it feel incredible special and luxurious. It’s ideal for a space like a living room, where you can make a feature of one wall and show it off to your guests but enjoy it just as much when you’re home alone.
While you might expect to see wallpaper in a living room or bedroom, these are far from the only spaces where you can incorporate it into your decor.
In fact, a recent article for the Chronicle Herald suggested that wallpaper also has a place in the kitchen, and more specifically to help you create a truly eye-catching backsplash.
You need to use a specific type of wallpaper that’s suitable for environments like the kitchen, interior designer Nadine Sheppard told the news provider. Although the wallpaper she recommends for this purpose is easy to clean with a damp sponge, she added that it’s not for everyone.
If you cook a lot of fried food, for instance, it’s better to avoid having wallpaper around your cooker.
“Some wallpapers are treated with a water-resistant coating, or a Teflon-like substance,” the news provider stated, which makes them a good option for a kitchen. If you’re thinking of replacing the likes of tiles with wallpaper, there are a couple of things to consider.
First is the one already highlighted, about what you’re likely to need to clean off your backsplash. But second is that the surface is properly prepared before you try to hang any wallpaper.
You need to ensure that the wall is completely smooth before you try to put up wallpaper, otherwise any bumps or depressions in the wall will show through once it’s applied. Take the time to get this right, especially if you’re removing tiles first which can leave a wall looking a little rough and ready.
Although this might seem like extra effort, it’s worth it for the finished effect. Your kitchen will really stand out if you opt for this kind of design feature, because it’s so unusual.
If you’re in the mood to make some changes to your home decor, there are a host of other trends identified by Pinterest that you might want to consider. When it comes to colours, one of the top shades of 2019 looks set to be mustard yellow, with the website noting you can introduce accents of the colour if you’re not ready for a whole wall in that shade.
Contemporary fireplaces are also a popular addition to homes this year, with searches for this term up by 763 per cent in the last 12 months. If you’re not on board with the botanical themed wallpapers, you could look at textile art instead. This was also cited as a top interiors trend with searches increasing by a whopping 1,718 per cent.
