If Walls Could Talk: Expert tips for selecting and pairing wallpaper patterns
Few home design choices pack more punch than a patterned wallpaper. But with so many motifs and colors to choose from, deciding can feel as dizzying as some of the patterns themselves.
Local wallpaper designer Hope Johnson sweats the details of each hand-drawn design in her collection that ranges from cottagecore cozy to dark and moody. She knows how hard it can be to choose one. And especially when you need multiple for a whole-home refresh.
Before you go to a showroom or scroll through collections, Johnson recommends heading to your closet. The clothes you reach for again and again offer not only inspiration, but a reality check. Where, or whether, you place your neutrals and statement pieces will clue you into how comfortable you will feel adding patterns, colors, and drama throughout your home, she says.
Do you layer neutrals and lean on jewelry, shoes and accessories to punctuate an outfit? Or are you already effortlessly combining florals and stripes? With that in mind, you’re already ahead of the game as you begin the selection process.
Keep reading for Johnson’s tips on selecting the perfect wallpaper for your space.
A Whole Thing
Even if you’re only refreshing one room, Johnson says you should treat your house as a whole. For this, she recommends thinking about patterns as fitting into one of three categories: hero, complement or blender.
Johnson explains that the hero is the boldest, busiest pattern that may include several motifs or even resemble a mural. The complement is typically a repetitive pattern like plaid, gingham or even houndstooth that pulls a color or two from the hero. And the blender is the most neutral of the three, maybe a windowpane or barely-there polka dot that ties them all together.
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“An easy one I use to start is if a really loud, colorful floral is your hero pattern, maybe you have a plaid that could stand on its own, but also complements the colors in the floral,” she explains. “Then maybe your blender pattern is a small-scale, single-color picture like a polka dot. So start to apply that same concept and play around with what you think works and looks good together, with color being the thing that ties it all together.”
Now, where will it go?
Get Busy First
“First decide where you want your loudest pattern, your hero,” Johnson says. “This is the front and center pattern with the most complexity.”
Because the hero pattern anchors the rest of the design, choosing its destination first will help the rest of the design fall into place, especially for a whole-home refresh.
The hero pattern typically lands in the entryway, powder room or laundry room, Johnson says. “I like my loud patterns in the hallways and in the powder room, because I like to change my big spaces too much,” she adds.
If your closet and personal style pack pops of color and creativity in shoes, handbags and accessories, this is likely your lane, too, she adds. But homeowners who want to make a bold statement often choose a hero pattern for the dining room.
Start Small
Sure, selecting a hero pattern first seems easy enough. But if you’re feeling some analysis paralysis, Johnson suggests starting small.
“Wallpaper the pantry or the laundry room, or another small space you’re in every day,” she says. “Those are great low-hanging-fruit places to start when pattern seems scary. And it’s a great way to get the wheels going. Once you start, it’s hard to stop. It becomes a little more intuitive when you start with a low-risk area like that.”
Look at the Scale
Pay attention to the pattern in relation to the space. As lovely as a pattern may be, its scale is the ultimate deciding factor for placement, Johnson says.
“Large-scale patterns are definitely bolder and a bit more modern, regardless of where you put them,” she notes. “And then small-scale patterns can really serve almost like a texture. If it’s a small enough scale, you could pair other patterns with it.”
But a small-scale pattern filling a large room can be overwhelming and is more likely to limit adding colors and textures into the overall room design, Johnson says.
Bring it Home
Lighting changes everything. And loving something doesn’t always mean you will love living with it. “Absolutely get that sample in your space,” Johnson advises. “I had two installs recently with the same exact pattern, totally different feels. Both beautiful, but one was a powder room with super moody light and very little natural light, and then the other had a ton of natural light, and it looked completely different.”
And always be willing to adjust. If a wallpaper is truly the one but seems wrong when you bring it home, consider dropping the Kelvin scale in a room. Changing lightbulbs or fixtures is a quick fix that can dramatically change the room’s feel, Johnson says. When browsing a showroom, note their lighting, too, as they are typically well-lit with overhead lights or natural light pouring in from windows.
Learn more about Baton Rouge-based wallpaper designer Hope Johnson by following her @byhopeathome on Instagram.
