Wallpapers are back in the limelight, and as an interior designer I’m delighted. I adore wallpapers and the creativity it fires up in me. Clients often ask how to use wallpapers in their homes. Should you have a feature wall, or go for the whole room? How do you pair fabrics with wallpapers? There are no rules. Use wallpapers anywhere, and pair with fabrics that work best for your styling and lifestyle.
Wallpaper is a design investment that will last a long time. So, if you see something you absolutely adore, save up for it or stretch the budget a bit further. As Sir Henry Royce said of the iconic Rolls-Royce car: ‘The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.’ If budget allows, drench a whole room using this wall treatment if you wish, then pick colours and shapes from the wallpaper to compliment. Budget tight? Make a bold statement in a smaller space such as a downstairs loo, or a single statement wall.
Wallpaper is the gift that keeps on giving, so ensure you can live with it. Create a mood board of your choices, either a digital version with screenshots or a physical one where samples adhere to a board. Putting the planning in at this stage and living with your ideas on a smaller scale first means you’re less likely to make an expensive mistake.
Here are samples from three Dorset-based wallpaper makers, paired with textiles from Linwood Fabrics, who are just over the border in Hampshire (linwoodfabric.com)
Tamlyn: Luxury Wallpapers Inspired by Nature
Tamlyn Blasdale-Holmes, who is based in Poole, creates wallpaper inspired by the nature he observes around him in Dorset and beyond. From an early age Tamlyn was doodling patterns and often complex designs, a happy distraction for an introverted teenager and a means of self- expression as a young adult. Travel sparked an interest in nature and the environment, and his drawings highlight his concerns for the natural world. All his wallpapers start with a hand drawn subject. Then, using an IPad Pro, he edits this image changing colours and pattern direction to build a final design that is ready to be printed by Anstey Wallpaper, who have been printing wallpapers for well over a century - they hold the oldest collection of William Morris wallpaper designs. Looking for a maximalist look with a traditional twist? Then these are the wallpapers for you. tamlynwallpaper.com
How to use...
I combined The Heron in Deep Blue, one of Tamlyn’s latest designs which has a distinct nod towards Arts & Crafts, with heavier warm colours and a traditional vibe. Linwood’s Tango Velvet in Sienna gives a grounded and earthy tone to bring out the depth of colour in the wallpaper. This would be ideal in a snug or cosy corner where you sit and read or spanning a wall as a statement piece. I’ve chosen Linwood’s Bryher in Redcurrant with its classic foulard repeat pattern. Use this to dress your windows and Tango Velvet on upholstery or for a mix of scatter cushions with different trims for the final flourish.
Horned Owl in Twilight from The Feathers Collection is a dramatic wallpaper especially in this colourway which has a lot of white. So, I opted for fabrics which have a similar colour palette and are not too busy. A classic check such as Linwood’s Beachcomber in Fair Isle would be ideal for upholstery, dining drop-in seat covers, window treatments or cushions, maybe paired with the heavier herringbone style weave of Faroe in Hazelwood. You could add a grey into this combination, or whiter brighter fabrics. This would look great in a living room, dining room, or even a guest bedroom with a Faroe covered headboard and cushions, and Beachcomber as a bedspread or curtains.
Hugh Dunford Wood: Handmade Wallpaper
According to the Victoria & Albert Museum, the first wallpapers date from the 16th century with small pieces of monochrome designs decorating the insides of cupboards and smaller rooms in merchants' houses rather than the walls of grand houses. Originally block printed on single sheets of paper, this graduated onto rolls of paper, still using the same handprinted technique, but introducing additional colour. This same traditional method is used by Handmade Wallpaper which are printed by hand from original lino blocks designed and cut by Hugh Dunford Wood. Several of Hugh’s designs are included in the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, alongside wallpapers created by the likes of Pugin, Voysey and William Morris.
Printed by hand in his Lyme Regis studio, Hugh’s wallpapers are informed by his observational drawing and Dorset location: such as his garden in the Tree of Life, the noisy gulls nesting on his studio for Feather Bed, or a nearby woodland in Whistlers Wood. The wallpapers use only two colours, the pigments are mixed by Hugh, which creates a strikingly bold yet delicate look. Each design is available in a combination of any two colours of your choice. Due to being hand printed these wallpapers have an irregular texture compared to the uniform flatness of silk screen or machine printed wallpapers. But that is part of their charm. You can see examples of his Rousseau wallpaper in monochrome in the loos at the Electric Palace in Bridport!
dunfordwood.com/handmade-wallpaper.php
How to use...
As soon as I saw Hugh’s Field of Hares, inspired by an early morning encounter with a family of hares, I immediately thought of a small guest bathroom or children's bedroom. The wallpaper feels timeless and would still work if the children’s bedroom became a guest bedroom in the future. This shade of green is quite a tricky colour to pair, but the small-scale geometric design on Linwood’s Ashfield in Portobello works well here. The ‘washed’ look of the print harmonises with the wallpaper, though it wasn’t until I placed the samples together on my mood board that I saw this. Ashfield could be used as a bedspread, scatter cushion or as a window treatment. My plain for this is Linwood’s Sienna in Pale Pink, its heavy weave adds textural interest, and you can see some whites coming through. Green and pink are a pleasing combination, and this softer pink compliments the wallpaper rather than stealing the focus. Use this as a bed throw or upholstered on a headboard, bedroom chair or ottoman lid.
Farrow & Ball: Matching Paper and Paint
This renowned Dorset brand, whose HQ is in my hometown of Wimborne Minster, make handcrafted paint and wallpaper for a global market. But did you know that Farrow & Ball are the only wallpaper makers who use their own paints on their wallpapers? This means that when it comes to sorting the paint colours for your walls and woodwork, you could use the colours that are in the wallpaper. farrow-ball.com
PQ
'Farrow & Ball are the only wallpaper makers who use their own paints on their wallpapers'
{Mood board: Arcade pics...danube stripe and bryher peppermint}
How to use...
This lovely Art Deco inspired design called Arcade 5302 (Ground Colour: Cromarty 285 Print Colours: Pointing 2003, Blue Gray 91) has a repeating scallop motif with a soft shadow like element to it. This gentle design and colourway (there are six colours to choose from) could easily be used for a whole room without being overwhelming. It also lends itself to being paired with a whole array of fabric styles and colours. I love a stripe fabric so opted for Linwood’s Danube Stripe in Dove which gives a beach vibe, this would work well as curtains or upholstery. The stripe doesn't ‘fight’ with the wallpaper shapes; I have few rules, but one I adhere to is ‘pick things that are friends with each other’. My second fabric choice, Bryher in Peppermint, nods towards the watery side of the coastal element. This could work as a roman blind or for a favourite armchair. The flat of the weave is a lovely contrast texture to the woven stripe. Like the colour but not the striped design? Choose polka dot, floral or plain fabric.
Top Tips
Create a mood board of samples that you look at often before committing
Wallpaper and fabric are made in batches so they can vary. Check a current batch sample for the best colour reference, and order in one lot
If budget is tight consider a statement wall, or using in a smaller space
Meet Sonnaz
Sonnaz Nooranvary is the Dorset-based creative entrepreneur and craftswoman best known for being the resident upholstery expert on BBC series The Repair Shop. Sonnaz started her upholstery career with an apprenticeship at Sunseeker Poole when she was just 17. By the age of 25, she started her own business in Wimborne Minster. Founded in 2011, Sonnaz Ltd provides a wide range of interiors services from loving restorations of single pieces of furniture to full interior design projects, clients include Lush and the National Trust. Sonnaz is also passionate about inspiring future generations of creatives. Her new home interiors brand House of Sonnaz, launching later this year, aims to set a new standard of sustainable, ethical manufacturing in the UK. sonnaz.com
