Let’s Talk Wallpaper
Do you want to know a secret? We, here at nelsonandlong, have a love affair with wallcoverings. Do you want to know why?
Well, what we love about a wallcovering is how it can dramatically change the look of a room and in turn, the space takes on a new personality. It’s like getting a face lift for a room, but in a less painful, good way!!
Wallpaper - THE APARTMENT 30360 - Copacabana
@borastapeter
A wallcovering, whether it be as bright as the sun or dark as the night, will add another dimension and depth to an interior. We are very fortunate that our clients let us run wild by making bold design choices! We feel very lucky to have seen and installed some really beautiful papers – one of our favourite’s being the Cole and Son paper we sourced for the reception area at Belaton House, a GSA student accommodation scheme we loved designing in Bournemouth.
Wallpaper - 112/6023
Miami
Supplier - @coleandsole
Design -@nelsonandlong
As you probably know we have recently launched our new E-Design services which consists of four unique looks, readily available to buy (if you know, you know - if you don’t, why don’t you check them out?). These concepts are the inspiration for today’s blog.
Like I mentioned before, we do specify wallcoverings - a lot! (mainly in commercial settings), so we knew that we wanted to incorporate a wallpaper into our four concepts – because of the impact and drama they bring.
These four concepts are aimed at residential, co-living and buy-to-let markets, so the wallpapers specified are more suited to that environment. As we know, the interior design of a room - especially in a co-living space or rented property can significantly affect wellbeing. Even the smallest rooms can benefit from pattern and colour to create a homely, but design led and inspiring space. We realise that it can be a daunting task to choose from the incredible amount of options out there - which is why we are sharing our thoughts for a little inspo.
So, we are going to give you a sneak peek into what type of wallpaper we used in each of our concepts and how they work. We are including some handy hints to help you too! Drum roll please.. lets start with Earthy Tones.
Our Earthy Tones concept is all about natural shades, tons of textures and a splash of tan to lift the scheme. In the lounge - as you can probably guess! - we went with a flat cream wallpaper, but a plain really isn’t our style, so the paper has a large scale geometric pattern overlaid to create a striking feature wall. The flooring and remaining walls are really light, so this geometric print adds some much needed pizzazz (are people still using that word?!) The lounge scheme is light and airy and with the addition of this bold wallcovering, the concept is complete.
In the bedroom we chose a cream wallpaper that resembles pottery. When we explored the earthy tone theme we came across lots of imagery of beautiful glazes and we knew that we wanted that to filter through somehow. So, hey presto - our bedroom design is an ode to ceramics!
If you think the light earthy vibe is the interior you are aspiring to create - our handy hints may help;
Keep it light (sounds obvious) earthy interiors are light, bright and euphoric, add colour into your furniture and accessories. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a graphic though. Graphic designs can compliment a light background and lift the scheme - think of Berber rugs and their striking designs!
Why not opt for a heavily textured wallpaper? This can add depth and a uniqueness to your interior. Almost like having a rug on the wall – but not – ha!
Consider bringing the outside in - the Earthy vibe is all about textures - think of papers that emulate surfaces such as wooden cladding and natural plaster.
Wallpaper - R13932 Birch Bark Braids, White
@rebelwalls
Wallpaper -
104947 Parquet Wood White Wallpaper
@wallpaper_it
Wallpaper - R12711 Patina
@rebelwalls
Wallpaper - Angle Webbing
Design - @roderickvos
Supplier - @nlxl
Next up, our Mood concept.
Mood is dark, lush and bold. I personally love a dark interior and the way it makes you feel. There is almost a safeness and a definite cosiness about the spaces we have created for this concept.
The lounge wallpaper may surprise you.. dum, dum, dum! It isn’t a flat dark colour at all, quite the contrary! It is a celebration of green and deep cream hues, with some birds thrown in for spectacle. I love this wallpaper! Can you even imagine it? Or have I thrown you off the scent?!
Well, anyway, this wallpaper is divine and is our less obvious way to portray a “dark interior”. One of my favourite things about a dark interior is that everyone tackles and interprets it so differently.
The bedroom feature wallpaper is a deep, inky blue (just staring at the sample now, I think I’ve fallen in love all over again!). This wallpaper is rich and resembles wood, a match made in heaven in my eyes.
Anyway onto our tips and some lovely wallcovering inspiration you could use in your dark interior scheme;
Don’t be afraid to go too dark – there is no such thing!
Going dark doesn’t mean black necessarily. Try some blues and greens too.
Try a striking or oversized pattern (in my opinion, flat dark plains lie in the paint remit!)
Although I think dark colours are amazing, maybe just stick to a feature wall if your space is small or lacking light.
Wallpaper - Chloe
@muralswallpaper
Wallpaper - Clay Blue
@muralswallpaper
Wallpaper - Nocturnal Faunacation
Next up is our Scandi Vibes concept.
Cool, calm and collected comes to mind when I think of this scheme. Light blues and ash wood are dominant.
In the lounge we have the most amazing and striking watercolour inspired wallcovering. This wallpaper is inspiring and arty. I really feel this paper gives the room life, with it’s fun and playful nature. This is one of my favourite wallcoverings because of the scale.
In the bedroom we opted for a lovely paint. We felt that that we wanted the lovely furniture and textures to do the talking, because, although we love a wallpaper sometimes paint can do the job just as good. We have some scandi inspired prints on a painted backdrop and it works so well!
Our handy tips to achieve the perfect scandi inspired look are below along with some wallpapers that have caught our eye;
. Remember the world is your oyster when choosing a wallpaper for a scandi-esque room. The Scandi look has been around for ages and is ever evolving so there are so many papers you can choose from. As long as they are light and airy you are pretty much set – interpret scandi how you see fit.
. If you want your interior to be unique why not explore some pastel greens and blues. This is still in keeping with the “scandi look”, but with a twist.
Wallpaper - R13991 Climbing Clorofyl, White
@rebelwalls
Wallpaper - Ombre Forest Green
@muralswallpaper
Wallpaper - R17204 Scandinavian Bellewood
@rebelwalls
Last but not least our most vibrant and fun concept, Clever with Colour.
Clever with Colour as it says in the name is all about the colour. Bright hues and even brighter soft furnishings. This look will appeal to the brave hearts of design.
So the lounge wallpaper comprises of two lovely greens and is what you would describe as colour blocking at its finest. The two standalone colours are rich, deep and powerful and combined take this look to the next level!
In the bedroom we went with a bold, geometric and yes, you’ve guessed it, colourful wallcovering. The paper commands attention and is totally frameable. A work of art in it’s own right! The colour combo of burnt orange, forest green, navy blue, pastel pink is perfect. Try and imagine this wallcovering, trust me it’s even better than that!
If you are daring and love a bit of colour here are a few of our handy hints and papers we have found and love;
Working with a lot of colours can be hard and sometimes overwhelming, so my tip would be to choose your wallpaper first then find paint and upholstery in shades to compliment (or clash, if you’re brave!) This way you will have narrowed down the options.
Order lots and lots of samples of colourful wallpapers and really do some research on what you look you want as wallpaper (oversized, geometric, painterly) as the wallpaper can dictate your whole scheme.
If you can, get a large swatch of the wallpaper and tape it to the wall you have in mind. Then throughout the day check on how the lighting effects the different colours within the paper.
Be confident you know your own mind! And if it changes, you can always swap it out!
Wallpaper - Senso 200471
@bnwalls
Wallpaper - San Francisco
@jupiter10
Oh! and last tip before we go, I may sound obvious, but it happens.
Always order samples of your wallpaper and paint colour to see that the tones match, because the screen can be so deceiving. I can’t tell you how many times we have colour matched something off screen and when the samples arrive they don’t match as well as we hoped. Any good wallpaper supplier will supply you with a sample. If you are investing in your home and want an amazing interior, research is key.
Hope our handy hints help and you’ve enjoyed some of the lovely wallpapers we have shown you.
Why don’t you check out our Pinterest and Instagram for more wallpaper inspo and the boards related to our four concepts?
@nelsonandlong
Over and out x