What is a wall without wallpaper

Wallpaper…something that reminds you of your grandparents house. Growing up in an Italian household, every wall was wallpapered. In the late 1990s early 2000’s wallpaper was outdated, hardly anyone wallpapered a wall. In todays Interior Design market 1 wall has some kind of oversized modern wallpaper.

A little history of wallpaper from http://www.history-magazine.com/wallpaper.html not too many people know about this.

“Wallpaper began as a cheap substitute for tapestry and paneling. Some historians believe that the use of wallpaper dates back to the 1400s. The first wallpapers were decorations for wood panels, introduced into England by Flemish craftsmen. The papers were small squares with images printed by wood blocks, which were then colored in by hand. As the desire increased to find a less expensive alternative to the wall-hangings of the rich, printers produced simple yet decorative paper panels.

In the 1500s, the wealthy continued to cover their walls but now they did so with brocades, velvets and even embossed leather. The earliest known wallpaper in England dates back to 1509 – an Italian-inspired woodcut pomegranate design printed on the back of a proclamation issued by Henry VIII. Discovered in 1911 at Christ’s College in Cambridge, the paper is attributed to Hugo Goes, a York printer. In general, wallpaper of this period depicted floral designs and murals. Wallpaper’s popularity increased in Elizabethan England. Throughout Europe, a fascination began with these fine papers that offered protection against dampness and an improved ability to handle fireplace smoke.

 But wallpaper wasn’t purely a Western invention. The Chinese began to produce it in the early 1600s, showered with painted birds, flowers and landscapes on rice paper formed in rectangular sheets.”

In 2010 and moving forward into the future wallpaper is the new trend either all 4 walls, 1 wall or even better the ceiling. The ceiling is the 5th wall. Some Images of wallpaper and how it is applied. I have attached some images of wallpaper ideas and a couple of my favorite wallpapers all Images are sourced from Google images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Do not forgot the 5th wall..the ceiling

Here are some of my favorite wallpapers: Cole and Son, Groundworks ( can be found at Lee Jofa)