Choosing wallpaper can take hours

Use these hints when shopping for wallpaper and you'll be happy with your choice for a long time.

As you look through the selection books, you will find examples of rooms showing how the paper was integrated into the design scheme. These pictures will give you inspiration on how to mix, match, and where to use all the wonderful wallcoverings available today. This should make choosing wallcoverings simpler, but in reality it adds to the decision making process.

If you haven't read the page, Types of Wallcoverings you may want to do this first. This will help you breakdown your preference type and save you from looking at paper you would not be interested in using in some particular room or area.

Consider Results First

Before you shop and spend time and money choosing wallpaper, consider what you want to accomplish in your decorating scheme. Think about the end result you are looking for. Do you want to camouflage stained and defective walls? Pull together a mix of furniture styles? Define a period style such as French Traditional or Southwestern? Totally change the look of your room by going with a new color scheme?

By thinking about the end result and working backward, you can save yourself hours of searching through sample books while choosing wallpaper. Books are categorized by style, colors, rooms, textures, florals, hobbies, etc. However, don't feel you have to limit yourself only to books dedicated only to bedrooms or kitchens if this is the area you are interested in redoing.

Create Your Own Coordinated Decor

While browsing through wallpaper books, look not only at the coordinates on the page. Decide what colors you like. Are there other patterns in the book that coordinate with that color? Usually, all the patterns in the same book coordinate with other patterns. Just because a pattern and a coordinating pattern are on the same page, it doesn't mean they should be used together. They are placed there to give you some idea of how they look together. They are also placed there because some people have been brainwashed into thinking they have no creativity and no ability to think on their own. Of course we know this is not you, so mix and match any patterns in the same book while choosing wallpaper. Make your own color scheme. If necessary, walk over to the paint department and get some color strips. This will help you in seeing the color values of the different papers and be of great help in choosing wallpaper.

Think About the Room You Are Papering

Consider the size of the room. Is it large and airy? A small tiny print may be lost in a room this size. On the other hand, a large, bold print can overpower small cozy rooms. If you use the room a lot, an over-sized bold pattern may wear out it's welcome quickly.

If the room height is tall and has a chair rail, consider using coordinating paper. If there is no chair rail, use a wallpaper border to separate the two. This will visually lower a tall ceiling. If the room has a low ceiling, a striped pattern will add height to the area.

Try Before You Buy

The pattern you were so thrilled with in the store may turn out to be a total disaster on your wall. Most stores will let you bring the books home if you leave a deposit fee. This is a practice you shouldn't ignore.

Bring the book home and be sure the colors match what you already have. When choosing wallpaper look at the size of the pattern and see if it is harmonious with the scale and proportions of your room.

If the paper is really expensive, invest in buying one roll. Bring it home and tape up a sheet of it on the wall. Look at it for a few days. If you are happy with it, go ahead and buy the paper. If you find you absolutely hate it, one roll of wallpaper is a small investment to make when you consider you may have had to look at this for years, hating it every day! You can also check here for tips on what to do with leftover wallpaper

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