For a decade or more, wallpaper was treated as a liability in residential real estate — something you'd have to remove before selling, a design choice that would date your home. That era is over. Wallpaper is back, and it's one of the most exciting tools in the luxury interior designer's arsenal, with a range and quality of product that far exceeds what was available even five years ago.
Why Wallpaper Now
The simple answer is that the product got better. Contemporary luxury wallpaper — from British manufacturers like de Gournay, Cole & Son, Fromental, and Zoffany, and from American manufacturers like Farrow & Ball, Calico, and Flavor Paper — is in a different category from what most people picture when they hear "wallpaper." We're talking about hand-printed, hand-painted, and digitally printed papers with extraordinary depth and quality of surface, in designs that range from classic toile to abstract botanical to architecturally-scaled geometric.
The application techniques have also improved. Peel-and-stick papers allow wallpaper in rental situations. Strippable papers remove cleanly. Vinyl-coated papers are appropriate for bathrooms. The barriers to use have largely disappeared.
The Powder Room as Testing Ground
The powder room is the conventional entry point for wallpaper, and for good reason: it's small, it's a destination room, it doesn't need to harmonize with adjacent spaces in the way a hallway or living room does, and the small square footage keeps the cost manageable even for very expensive paper. More importantly, a powder room is a place where a dramatic design statement is almost always the right choice — you want guests to notice it.
We've used de Gournay's hand-painted papers in powder rooms in Orinda and Lafayette at prices that would seem extraordinary in a larger context but are entirely reasonable for a 40-square-foot room. The effect is unforgettable.
Beyond the Powder Room
The more exciting wallpaper applications are in rooms where it's less expected:
- Dining rooms — a bold botanical or scenic paper in a dining room is one of the most spectacular interior gestures available. The room is used for fixed-duration occasions, which means the intensity of the wallpaper is never fatiguing.
- Primary bedrooms — a mural paper or a large-scale pattern behind the bed creates a headboard effect without furniture, and an atmosphere of depth and richness that paint alone cannot achieve
- Libraries and studies — grasscloth or textured paper behind bookshelves creates a backdrop that makes books look beautiful and the room feel curated
- Stair halls and entry foyers — the transition spaces of a home, where bold wallpaper makes an immediate statement and establishes the home's design intention
Practical Considerations
Before committing to wallpaper in any space, we address several practical questions. Substrate preparation is critical — wallpaper applied to poorly prepared drywall will telegraph every imperfection. We prime and skim-coat walls before wallpaper application as a standard practice. Pattern repeat and room dimensions should be considered together — a large-pattern paper in a narrow hallway can result in significant waste and awkward repeats.
In bathrooms beyond the powder room, moisture management matters. We use appropriate paper types for wet-adjacent applications and ensure proper ventilation is in place before recommending wallpaper.
The Investment Perspective
Good wallpaper is an investment, not a trend purchase. A well-chosen, well-installed paper in a dining room or entry hall will look beautiful for fifteen to twenty years and can be removed cleanly when you're ready for something new. The cost per year, amortized, is modest relative to the impact.
If you're curious about incorporating wallpaper in an upcoming renovation — whether as a bold statement or a subtle texture — our team works with some of the best paper sources available and has the installation network to execute it properly.