Interior Decorating Trend: Wallpaper Makes a Comeback

by | Aug 21, 2008 | Articles, Uncategorized

<h2 style="margin: 10pt 0in 0pt"><font size="3" color="#990000">Interior Decorating Trend: Wallpaper Makes a Comeback</font></h2><p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt">(ARA) – Since Oprah announced on her TV show that "wallpaper is back" and Time Magazine called wallpaper "hip" and the "latest passion" of interior designers, the plain painted wall seems a bit boring.</span></p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">If you haven’t given your walls much thought since last agonizing over paint chips, now is the time to consider today’s new wallpaper and wall decor products. It’s like switching from traditional to high-definition TV — you won’t see walls the same way ever again. Wallpaper’s sharper image has everything to do with advanced technology incorporated into striking designs to suit the way we live today. </p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/10b.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/10b.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">These are just a few of the wallcovering innovations that add a designer’s touch to your decor without breaking the bank:</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Easy-Hang Wallpapers</strong> </p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Almost all wallpaper companies produce easy-hang "non-woven" wall coverings, which are easy to hang and remove. Installing non-woven wall coverings can be faster than painting, which requires preparing the wall surface (wallpapers always hide a myriad of blemishes), applying primer and at least two coats of paint.<span>  </span></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Non-woven wall coverings adhere to walls with magnet-force, yet are easily repositionable. Unlike pre-pasted, paper-backed wallpapers, non-woven wallpapers do not expand or contract on the wall, so seams won’t ever separate — in fact, they virtually disappear.<span>   </span></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Made from a blend of natural and synthetic fibers found in common household products like tea bags and coffee filters, non-wovens are tear-resistant during installation and removal. Forget about using steamers and chemicals to pry wallpaper off sheetrock. A quick tug at a corner of these eco-friendly wallpapers brings entire sheets down in minutes without damaging walls. This makes wallpaper a viable option for renters, who can even roll the sheets and use them in another home when they move.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Natural Textures</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Wallpaper companies have always produced eco-friendly wallpapers such as naturally textured sea grass, bamboo, grasscloth, silk, burlap and jute — but only for the high-end of the market. Recent technological advances have made them both far more affordable and colorful. Natural wall coverings are now available in fashion-forward peacock blue, silver, gold, kiwi and violet.<span>  </span></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">For a designer touch, cover the archway or support walls of a great room with a naturally-textured wallpaper to envelop the room in warmth. </p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Peel-and-Stick Wall Decor</strong> </p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">At first glance, these new "wallternatives" look like giant stickers in a box. But this peel-and-stick technology sticks to walls only as long as you want with no residue; and can be repositioned, removed and reused on any flat surface. Perfect for children and teens with changing tastes and college students living in dorm rooms, many peel-and-stick wallpapers also have decidedly grown-up appeal, including dramatic damasks, hip silhouetted blooms and pop-art flowers. These non-toxic, amazingly affordable wall appliques can transform even the smallest bathrooms, bedrooms, laundry rooms and alcoves.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Digital Printing</strong></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Specialty limited-edition murals in painterly or photo-realistic styles; scenes of romantic, faraway places; and amazingly realistic nature scenes pack a powerful visual punch and take the place of costly artwork. Thanks to new digital printing technologies, wallpaper companies now offer detailed murals that no one ever tires of viewing.<span> </span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/12a.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/12a.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div> </span></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Interior designers often choose murals for rooms where families linger, like the dining room … and now you can, too. </p>  <p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt">Courtesy of ARA Content</span></p></span>