After falling out of favor in the 1990s, wallpaper is back as a way to bring unique artistry into your home.

1. EverythingYou Need
to Know about
Wallpaper
Eugene Chrinian

2. Everything
You Need to
Know about
Wallpaper
 Wallpaper once instantly dated a house; walls covered with fruit-
filled cornucopia patterns or evergreen floral trim along the ceiling
have made many designers cringe. In recent years, however,
wallpaper has made a fun-filled comeback as designers have
rushed to bring it back into the fold. Contemporary wallpaper
comes in a variety of patterns, ranging from whimsical to
sophisticated, and decorators have embraced its versatility and
artistry.
 Here’s everything you need to know about the history of wallpaper
and where it fits in today’s home design world.

3. Patterns and
Paper
 Wallpaper is a descendant of simple patterns drawn on ancient
cave walls and the Chinese invention of paper around 100 B.C.The
Chinese were thought to have decorated their walls by gluing rice
paper on them as early as 200 B.C., and in Europe during the
Middle Ages, people hung gilded leather and tapestries on stone
walls as insulation and decoration.While the wealthy continued
this practice, poorer people emulated it by hanging paper—a
cheaper alternative—on their walls instead.The earliest known
wallpaper fragment found in Europe dates to about 1500, and
prior to the advent of printing, wallpaper was painted by hand.

4. Coming to
America
 The first recorded instance of wallpaper, or “paper hangings” as it
originally was called, in America was in 1700, when a stationer in
Boston listed a collection of it in his estate inventory. Of the
original colonists, only the wealthy classes could afford to
decorate with this luxury import from England, although it
became more affordable as the decades went by. After the
RevolutionaryWar,Americans began printing their own wallpaper,
and popular prints ranged from patriotic flags to roses. InVictorian
times, wallpaper was hugely popular on both sides of the Atlantic.

5. The Height of
Popularity
 Wallpaper was all the rage in the 1950s and 1960s, when demand
boomed and created a supply of professional wallpaper installers
who used homemade paste to glue the paper to walls.After World
War II, manufacturers created adhesive-backed wallpaper that
homeowners could install themselves.This led to even more
demand, and designers expanded wallpaper patterns to include
bolder colors, flocks, and foils. In the late 1960s, manufacturers
rolled out vinyl wallpaper, which was oil-based, cheap, and easy to
print. It was even easier to install, as it consisted of a layer of vinyl
laminated to a paper backing.

6. Removal
Issues
 The temporary demise of wallpaper began when homeowners
learned that while new types of wallpaper were easy to install,
they weren’t easy to get off the wall, requiring lots of scraping and
peeling. Some homeowners didn’t take the time to properly
prepare walls before hanging the paper, which made removing it
years later a nightmare.And certain prints and colors became so
closely associated with their time that wallpaper could quickly
make a home look dated.

7. The New
Paint
 Wallpaper is now finding its place in design as a modern, artful
way to cover a wall.Once a tool to create a pleasing background in
a home, today’s wallpaper designs are so creative that they can
easily take center stage—especially as an accent wall or the focal
point of a room. Many types of wallpaper still feature patterns, but
some designers are creating wallpaper with a dramatic central
image, such as a giant flower or landscape scene, that can
command as much attention as a statement piece of art.
 Patterns often are designed by artists, and innovative creators are
producing everything from remote-controlled wallpaper that
changes patterns with the push of a button to wallpaper that you
can write on.At least one company allows customers to create
their own design. No longer the lowly, cheap design choice,
wallpaper is now a way for homeowners to express their style and
bring sophisticated artistry to their homes.

8. Do ItYourself?
 Wallpaper has certainly come a long way, both in design and
material. Modern wallpaper can be as functional as it is beautiful,
made from materials that are long-lasting and easy to care for.
Even the removal process has been improved, with numerous
helpful videos and websites providing advice and step-by-step
demonstrations.
 Do-it-yourselfers take note: Even though wallpaper is much easier
to handle than it once was, if you’re covering a dorm wall or
another surface area where you’re not quite ready to commit,
consider a stick-and-peel option that comes off easily.
 However, leave the installation to the professionals if you want to
cover your walls with high-quality wallpaper that’s intended to
stay for a while.

9. Want to know
more?
 If you’re intrigued by wallpaper, there’s no better place to see
samples than Historic New England’s website, where archivers
have put together a digital collection of more than 6,000
wallpaper patterns from the 1750s to the 1950s.Along with each
pattern pictured, the website includes information about the
pattern’s artist and the era when the wallpaper was in style.