The Artful Wall
Not long ago wallpaper was a lost art that had lost its luster, garnering a bad reputation from messy installation and limited looks. Now the wonderful world of wall covering has become its own Art Basel, with an endless array of gallery-ready designs, peel-and-stick applications, and innovative textiles.
Statement wallpapers are on the rise. The right selection can be singularly responsible for an exotic, elegant, serene or electrifying sensation every time you enter a space. It can create an invigorating first impression, a lasting sensation, and feast for the senses that frames for your escapist experience.
Why leave the wanderlust and “feels” to your vacation destinations, when every room in your home can feel like four-star hospitality? Here’s what’s showing up in high-design spaces, that you can steal or scale for attention-grabbing and scene-setting home décor.
New Millennium Martinique: In 1942 the famed Don Loper papered the walls of the Beverly Hills Hotel with a wide-leaf creation that would go on to influence the entire design world for nearly the next century. Now more than 70 years on, CW Stockwell, the paper’s original manufacturer, released a new collection inspired by the original, reimagined with a sharpened contemporary edge. Tropic and botanical, Martinique as a style “islands” any space with intelligent and relevant design that doubles as a conversation piece when you weave in its iconic backstory.
Durable Décor: Commercial grade vinyl-based residential collections like Industrial Interiors by Ronald Redding offer incredible grit and staying power through eight “raised relief” wall coverings from “homespun” to “vintage tin.” Keep the high-end luxury of your space no matter the kids, dogs, guests, and that steady stream of raucous renters with a papering approach that promises unyielding strength.
Faux Finishes: From boutique hotels in NYC to the Beaufort in London, imagine the luxury of walls wrapped in leather. Faux, that is, with Peta-approved methodologies. Line your living space in elegant organic textures from emu to snakeskin to crocodile, which can veer alligator if it suits your South Carolina senses.
Trompe l’oeil: A French term translated as “deceive the eye” is an artistic technique where “the artist uses realistic imagery to create an illusion where a flat surface appears to be more than meets the eye, according to Daily Art Magazine. In wallpaper terms, these are decorative panels that open up small spaces with added dimension – rocks, stone, wood, brick, et al. Seaside suggestion: Create easy elegance and coastal chic with a textured wallpaper that evokes a seaglass-tiled bathroom. Or for a regional signature, get your tabby concrete look without the added cost or weight, opting for tabby on paper.
Lowcountry Landscapes: Surrounded by the majestic tides and waterways, pull the environment of Hilton Head, Bluffton, Beaufort, and beyond into bathrooms, bedrooms, butler pantries, and boardrooms with “biophilic” scenic landscapes and sprawling wall murals that reflect the natural beauty of the coastal southeast.
As design quality continues to refine, the widening wardrobe of “ornamental painted papers” are putting Architectural Digest-caliber art within reach of the most amateur home improvement heroes and remain the secret weapon of some of the area’s most gifted interior designers.
The more that wallpaper designs and textiles refine to high-design options, the shorter the line between the “A” of some of the world’s finest foyers and set-apart suites and the “B” of your coastal home décor.
