DESIGNER PAPER

Time to update your wall
Textures, patterns, blasts of colour — wallpaper's a trend worth posting
By Amanda Ash
Edmonton Journal
When Kristen Janzen was designing her daughter's nursery, she wasn't interested in the typical cutesy baby themes like jungles and safaris.

The 29-year-old mom-to-be wanted something different. She envisioned a decor that was pretty and timeless, where she wouldn't have to paint over giant images of monkeys and lions later on.

While she was pregnant, Janzen became hooked on HGTV's home design shows. She found many series highlighted the lost art of wallpapering, which no longer boasted of old granny ornamentation and boring hues we all remember.

The contemporary trend of bold, colourful wallpapers stuck with Janzen, and the mom-to-be eventually came across the perfect pattern — light blue and white damask — to create a bright, texturized space for her new baby.

"With wallpaper, you get to be a bit more creative with it, I think," Janzen says, describing how the nursery's feature wall pops against the room's tan paint, dark wood and white furniture.

"I love texture, and I don't really think you can get the same look with paint. I just wanted to have something a little bit different and I wanted it to be beautiful."

Janzen, who is now the proud mother to a five-month-old baby girl, was a bit hesitant to join the growing trend at first. The nightmares associated with wallpapering, such as the laborious scraping and time-intensive icky gluing, didn't really appeal. But thanks to her mom, whom Janzen says has always been adventurous with home decoration, she was convinced to give it a go.

"It was a little bit scary, and it's a little bit more expensive than paint," Janzen explains. "But I'm really glad we took a chance on it. Once it was up, it was perfect and we're thrilled with it."

Interior designer Tracy Fortin, owner of Flawless Interiors, says home and garden television shows and magazines are responsible for reviving wallpaper and showcasing the huge selection of patterns and colours available.

Fortin says the trend has emerged from the accessibility of these home design mediums, which have opened people's eyes to new and creative design possibilities, as well as the ease of wallpapering today.

Most people are still very hesitant to pick up a roll of wallpaper, Fortin observes. But once she started showing her clients the range of pattern and colour choices avail-able, as well how some brands only need water instead of glue for their application, it's been an easy sell.

"I think people are just wanting to personalize their spaces a little more and do something a little different," Fortin says. "For a long time, it was paint your wall a different colour and that was your feature wall. People have seen enough of that and are looking for something new and interesting.

"People are becoming more interested in how their home reflects their personality and what they want to say about themselves," Fortin continues. "With the choices in wallpaper now, you can really make a statement and say what you want to say. And it's really fun."

Fortin says the possibilities are endless when it comes to wallpaper. They can range from grass cloth and natural fibre wallpaper to custom designs made from photo-graphs.

Allison Harris from paint and wall covering store Walls Alive remembers when there wasn't a whole lot of difference in wallpaper. But over the past couple of years, she's seen a huge variety swing into the store.

Many have taken on traditional patterns, vibrant colours and eco-friendly materials rather than the traditional vinyl.

"I think part of (the trend comes) from the decorating shows on HGTV," Harris explains. "I think it's part of a natural cycle of things coming in and out of fashion. And I think it's been a part of wallpaper companies and designers coming up with a lot of new beautiful interesting patterns."

Right now, Walls Alive's most popular sellers are jazzed-up and enlarged damask patterns, as well as geometric and retro patterns.

They have between 60 and 90 types in stock, but also boast an extensive library of wallpaper books for custom orders.

The trend is so popular right now, in fact, that many customers are willing to spend the money for designs they love.

"People don't really seem to be worrying that much right now about how it costs," Harris says.

"Certainly, there are people who do, but I'm blown away almost every day when you figure out how much they need to do a wall of high-end good quality paper and find out that this wall is going to cost them $800." Fortin says there is no real rule for where you can or can't use wallpaper. She's used it in bathrooms behind vanity mirrors, kitchens, bedrooms and entryways. The most popular uses for wallpaper have been for feature walls.

But she also notes how people have found creative ways of using wallpaper to decorate the backs of bookshelves or old, worn furniture.

For beginners, Fortin suggests trying one of the brilliant metallic hues that are great for easing into the trend. They provide texture and shimmer without screaming a big, scary pattern. Or, you can always choose to avoid wallpaper altogether by opting for fun alternatives that include removable wall decals, painting with stencils, or simply hanging artwork.

Janzen, however, recommends giving wallpaper a chance. She's so in love with the trend, in fact, that she's already upped the ante, picking out a vibrant eggplant colour for her bedroom.

"Starting with something small, like a nursery, kind of empowers me to try it all over the house," Janzen says. "It's worth trying, and it makes a huge difference in a room."