Design Tips

     Before you choose and buy wallcoverings you should ask, "How is this room going to be used?" Kitchens and bathrooms are usually done in vinyls or `plastic-coated` wallpapers, but even coated papers (washable) in these areas are vulnerable to all kinds of stains. Vinyl is what keeps the grease, soap, and hair spray from soaking into your wallcoverings.

     `Scrubable` wallcoverings will give you more years of attractive service. If you have children, you should consider vinyls for their bedroom walls and bath as well your stairs and halls. Some delicate materials may be more enticing, but tricycles and jelly fingers will ruin those wallcoverings.

     The appearance of the size of a room is drastically affected by your choice of color and pattern. A small area will seem much larger with a predominantly light-colored background on your wallpaper.

  •   A large room can be reduced for that "cozy" effect with a dark wallcovering.
  • · Does your kitchen seem too small? Keep the pattern simple and the colors light.
  • · Got a large room? Big, bold patterns will cut it down to size.
  • · Do you have low ceilings? Strong narrow stripes can lift that ceiling and get it off your head.
  • · Got a high ceiling? Paper it and it will look much lower.
  • · Is your room long and narrow? Paper the end walls and tie them together with a border on the long walls.
  • · Do you have a lot of art? Grass and string cloth as well as the faux and marble prints are excellent backgrounds for art.
  • · Is your den dark as a dungeon? Install a liner over the dark paneling and hang a light wallcovering over the liner.
  • · Is your budget strained? Paper one wall and put a border around the room at the ceiling.

         As you can see, wallcoverings can change your environment to meet your exact needs. Remember, too, that color is affected by everything around it. Your swatches may not look exactly the same under the store's lights as they did in your home. Even the light that is reflected off of your carpet, drapes, and furniture can make a wallcovering look different.

         Most important of all, choose wallcoverings that you feel good about. If you are not sure about a choice, buy a roll and take it home. Unroll it and tack it to the wall with some push pins or a little tape. Leave it there for a few days if you need to. Imagine it all over the room. Think about how it goes with everything.

         Do not make choices based on the opinions of friends, relatives, and neighbors. They do not look at your walls every day. You do. Pick what YOU like and follow your intuition. A little idea hunting in the decorating magazines will flood you with possibilities. Plan well and your new wallcoverings will be a pleasure for many years to come.