6 Modern Wallpaper Ideas: Trends, Non-Woven or Vinyl
Four wallpaper trends designers named in 2022, a five-step check before you buy rolls, and how non-woven and vinyl wallpaper differ on the wall.
You have one plain wall that the eye slides past, and a sample book full of patterns. Paint would be safe. Wallpaper is the bolder choice, and the right print adds the accent the room was missing.
Below are six modern wallpaper ideas: four prints and two materials. First comes a short check that saves you from buying the wrong rolls.
Wallpaper has gone in and out of fashion for many years. Today home owners choose decor more boldly, and rooms become more personal and expressive. A graphic print works in any room, the kitchen and the bathroom included.
Before you choose: a five-step check
Wallpaper changes how a room feels. With the right pattern, even a small bedroom can feel spacious and easy to move in. Most interiors start with the walls, so check these five points before you buy:
- Decide on a style. Think about the wallpaper, but also about the furniture, where it will stand and where the light will be.
- Measure the room and note the windows. The colour, and the way you combine two wallpapers if you use two, depends on where the daylight comes from.
- Check the wall surface. Note the defects and calculate how many rolls you need. If you are not sure, ask a consultant in the store rather than rely only on your own estimate.
- Plan the seams. 3D wallpaper looks good only when it is hung neatly, with no visible seams or glue marks. Ask how the strips join before you buy. Thick, textured wallpaper can hide large, smooth bumps, but it will not hide the joints on a wall with small bumps.
- Match the pattern to the room. A pattern that fights the style of the furniture makes the room look chaotic.
These checks apply whether you paper one decorative wall or all four. Now the prints.
Which accent wall wallpaper ideas did designers pick?
Four: maximalist prints, travel-inspired colours, marble and large florals. Designers named them as the wallpaper trends of 2022.
David Harris, director of design at Andrew Martin, said: ‘Modern interior wallpapers are a key trend in 2022 design, and consumers' insatiable appetite doesn't seem to be declining. Regardless of your taste, there is something for everyone. From traditional flowering plants to modern geometric and tropical patterns or animal motifs and architectural design’.
Idea 1: Maximalist prints
Melanie Adams, head of Wallpaper Direct, described the trend in wallpaper as ‘very maximalist’: bold, rich prints that take your attention.
‘One of the easiest ways to radically change any interior is modern interior wallpaper texture. The designer uses bolder, more colorful prints and combines them with bright colors on walls and wooden products.’
Why it works: one strong wall gives the room a focus without new furniture. The trade-off: next to bright paint and wood, a second busy pattern is too much. Keep the rest of the room calm.
Idea 2: Travel-inspired colours
When people could not travel to distant places, they brought those places home. Interiors inspired by travel grew out of that wish to escape. A kitchen wallpaper can make dinner feel like a meal in outer space.
Moroccan colour palettes and colourful prints turn a wall into a tribute to the places you want to visit. Why it works: a wall reminds you of a trip every day. The trade-off: a themed print dates faster than a plain one, so use it on one wall, not four.
Idea 3: Marble
Marble wallpaper gives you the look of stone without the stone.
"Marble wall coverings have been one of the most popular designs due to their versatility," explains Andrew Gerratti, co-founder of Wallsauce. "Whether in a rich selection of colors and textures or in the application, because the product can be widely used in kitchens and bathrooms, without the cost of natural stone"
Why it works: the pattern is quiet enough for a whole room and suits wet rooms. The trade-off: in a kitchen or bathroom, choose a material that resists water. The vinyl section below explains which.
Idea 4: Large florals
Floral motifs were more popular than ever in 2022, and large-scale florals led the trend. Use them on one feature wall to draw attention to the room. Watch for dark, Renaissance-style wallpaper with rich, jewel-like tones.
Why it works: a large print reads as one picture, not as busy small dots. The trade-off: dark florals absorb light, so they suit a room with good daylight.
The next two ideas are about the material, not the print. The material decides how the wallpaper hangs, how it cleans and how long it lasts.
What is non-woven wallpaper?
Non-woven wallpaper is made of polyester and cellulose. It is flexible, easy to hang and a good base for paint.
Idea 5: Non-woven wallpaper
Because of its polyester and cellulose base, non-woven wallpaper bends easily and bonds without problems. The relief comes from a special paste that sets at high temperature. Air and vapour pass through it, and it is good at hiding defects: it smooths out bumps and covers cracks in the wall.
Unlike paper wallpaper, you do not put glue on the wallpaper itself. You apply it only to the wall. Non-woven wallpaper also comes off easily, and the wall has no damage after you remove it.
Common mistake: leaving the relief unpainted. It scrapes easily, even with a fingernail. Paint it, and the top layer becomes much stronger. Any dispersion paint works, water-based emulsion included.
What is vinyl wallpaper?
Vinyl wallpaper has a top layer of PVC. It resists water, dirt and sunlight, so it suits rooms with high humidity.
Idea 6: Vinyl wallpaper
Vinyl wallpaper is foamed or smooth, and the type sets how much water it lets through. You can wipe dirt off the PVC layer with a wet cloth. It also resists sunlight, so the colour does not fade. It is easy to hang, but it needs a special glue.
There are three types:
- Flat vinyl is dense and resists abrasion and cleaning. You can wash it with a soft brush and alkaline or alcohol-based detergents.
- Foamed vinyl gets a loose, airy top layer from heat treatment. It is still dense, does not wrinkle and masks uneven walls well.
- Dense vinyl is the third type.
Non-woven vs vinyl wallpaper: which one should you choose?
Choose non-woven wallpaper if you want to paint it or hide small cracks. Choose vinyl wallpaper for humid rooms and for walls you clean often.
A print that looks right in the sample book can feel very different on a whole wall. It is easier to judge on your own room than on someone else's photo.
Try a wallpaper on your own plan in Home Planner
Measure your room and draw it as a 2D and 3D floor plan. Try different wallpapers on the walls, furnish the room with products from world-famous brands and render images of the result. Ready-made layouts for the bedroom, bathroom, living room and other rooms give you a place to start.
Trademark notice. Andrew Martin, Wallpaper Direct and Wallsauce are trademarks of their respective owners and are named here only to identify the companies and their products. Home Planner is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by these companies. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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