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“Either I go or the wallpaper does,” Oscar Wilde is reputed to have uttered on his deathbed in 1900, in a well-papered room in the four-star l’Hotel in Paris. If only his dying words had been about the drapes, or the carpet. Perhaps then there would not be such a dread of wallpaper.

In the end, Oscar went and the wallpaper stayed. It’s still there, although updated. But too many people still run screaming into the night at the mere suggestion of covering a wall in decorative paper.

Wallpaper is such a touchy subject. Some would sooner discuss Switzerland’s role in hiding Nazi loot or the fall of the American empire, rather than chat about wallpapering the living room! I cannot tell you how many times in my professional life I have suggested the use of wallpaper, only to be met with stares of shock and disbelieve.

So many clients have— literally and metaphorically— clutched their pearls when the possibility of wallpaper has been recommended. “Oh my God, wallpaper, absolutely not!” “My husband will never go for that!” “My mother hated wallpaper!”

What makes people so afraid? Is it the commitment, the expense, the exactness required when hanging i? Or it is it simply a fear of paste? Whatever it is, I think the time has come for everyone to take a deep designer breath and say yes to the magic and wonder of wallpaper.

Unlike paint or, God forbid, faux finishes (drop the sponges and back away from the paint tray!) wallpaper possesses the ability to wrap a room in a cocoon unlike any other. And the possibilities are quite literally endless.

I remember the first time I experienced truly great wallpaper. I was a student on my way home from school in Italy. I stopped in Paris to pick up a few things and was invited to a dinner party hosted by a friend’s grandparents. The apartment, just off the Champs-Elysees, was carved out of one of those great 18th century palaces where the Louis’ kept their mistresses.

The apartment was beautiful. But what stood out for me was the dining room. It had been hidden behind closed doors until dinner was served. When I entered it, the walls of candle-lit room seemed to have been painted with fantastic scenes of the Far East. As I looked more closely, I saw that the walls were not painted, but papered. I’m convinced that Oscar would have hung on if this paper had been in his bedroom! I was amazed.

I pummeled our hostess like a bomber over Baghdad for information about the paper. She told me that her husband’s parents had purchased the paper for the room before WW II, but had not installed it. It lay forgotten in an attic for 30 years. When she came across it in the early seventies she gasped, “extraordinaire” and called the manufacturer, Zuber, to have them install it as originally planned. Merci, Madame!!

Founded in 1797, Zuber has been declared a French Historical Monument. It is one of the last factories in the world to produce woodblock printed papers. Best known for its scenic wallpapers, its archive holds a staggering 100, 000 woodblocks.

When I visited the showroom in the Marais I found it dark, Edwardian, and a little musty. The manager of the shop, Marie-Claude, was very excited to show me her wares. As we proceeded through the enfiladed rooms she caressed large samples of paper. “All by the hand, you know?” she declared. “This one was ordered for Mrs. Kennedy, you know, Jackie?” she whispered.

I was shown hundreds of papers. This one, Marie-Claude, gestured, for Eugenie, you know, the last Empress of France. “Every paper has a story,” she said. The scenic papers show 18th and 19th-century views of India, China, and-you know-Niagara Falls. Yes, Niagara Falls—in all its pure, misty, sauvage-like glory. Long before the tour busses and wax museum’s Zuber had captured the natural wonder on paper and pasted it up in some of the finest rooms in the world. Extraordinaire!

My next encounter with truly great wallpaper came when Farrow and Ball (also shown above), that mainstay of English interior design, decided to open a branch of its operation in Toronto. I remember how excited I was. It was like the coming of some design messiah. Maybe now people would understand, people would believe, people would want wallpaper in the foyer!

A little less showy, but similar to Zuber in its manufacturing process, Farrow and Ball wallpaper is printed using woodblocks and their own perfect paint colours, which they also sell. Many of their designs have been influenced by 18th-century fabric patterns. One such paper is a pattern called Ringwold.

I recently proposed this paper to new clients who had commissioned me to design their bedroom. This stylized twig and berry pattern has elegant winding braches and two tone variegated leaves. Very traditional but also incredibly contemporary for a design that was originally a woven textile for early 18th-century couture dresses and gentlemen’s waistcoats.

I thought, like so many before them, my clients would scoff and turn the BBQ-starter on my samples. However, to my absolute shock and delight, they said that they loved wallpaper and had used it in their first house.

I’m so pleased with the end result. The paper with its subtle, elegant pattern lends such a lyrical quality to the bedroom. Moreover, my clients love it. But the best was when their son, an executive in the film industry, upon seeing the redesigned room for the first time declared it Oscar worthy!

My 5 Favourite Wallpapers

• St Antoine - Farrow and Ball
• Isola Bella - Zuber
• Ringwold - Farrow and Ball
• Bespoke - Chandelier Duffy of London
• Bamboo - Cowtan & Tout (Primavera in Toronto)

Dos and Don’ts of Wallpaper

• Do read instructions carefully if you are hanging wallpaper yourself.
• Don’t hang paper yourself. Get a professional- it will save your sanity and if you are married you will stay married and share a beautifully wallpapered house.
• Do block with wallpaper. Similar to colour blocking use wallpaper to achieve that designer effect. Over a mantel, behind a headboard, or in your closet works.
• Don’t wallpaper block in odd spots like, ducts, bulkheads, or the “funny” spot in the hallway that you don’t know what to do with. It looks dumb.
• Do update your kitchen cabinets with wallpaper. Apply a protective sealant and enjoy. Or use wallpaper as a backsplash behind clear glass.
• Don’t submerge non-prepasted paper in a tray of water. It doesn’t work that way.
• Do look for vintage papers at flea markets or on line. They are so cool.
• Don’t use tacky old vinyl wallpaper unless that’s the look you’re going for.
• Do measure your room carefully if you are ordering wallpaper.Don’t get upset if you did order enough - you should of had a professional measure for you.
• Do be careful when hanging art on a wallpapered wall. You can’t simply cover it over with plaster. Leave your anxious to-hang- things-on-the-wall-husband alone in the house with a freshly wallpapered room a hammer, nails and pictures. (I have witnessed this and it is not pretty)

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 15th, 2007 at 6:23 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.