In a word, absolutely. Wallpaper’s mainstream popularity might ebb and flow, but as yourPhiladelphia interior designer will tell you, whether wallpaper looks good in your home or not depends on how you use it. There are lots of cool, trendy ways to use wallpaper to make your home feel chic and modern.

Don’t count wallpaper out for your next “legitimate” interior redesign. What’s legitimate is what works for you, and after seeing some of these ideas, wallpaper might be just that.

Create Texture with Wallpaper

Wallpaper is a great way to create texture within your home, either by papering an entire room or just one accent wall.

Play with visual as well as tactile textures. One trend that can amp up a room’s luxuriousness is using metallic wallpaper to give it a subtle shine. Another is to choose a woven or embossed wallpaper to add visual intrigue to your walls. Certain textures can warm up a room, like woven and faux grasscloth wallpapers.

Use Wallpaper in Unexpected Places

Wallpaper isn’t just for broad walls. A creative way to use it in your home’s design is to use it in places where guests won’t expect to see it, like on stair risers and on bookshelf interiors. Consider doing this with wallpaper patterns that are a little too busy for a larger area of a wall. Other interesting ways to use wallpaper include papering a kitchen island’s stand or covering an old fireplace with a modern wallpaper pattern.

Frame Wallpaper to Create Art

If you come across a wallpaper pattern you love but can’t really use it to cover a whole room, consider buying a single sheet of it and having it framed. Then, hang the framed wallpaper sheet to create an attractive piece of art.

Give Spaces Depth with Wallpaper

You’ve probably seen the design strategy of using an area rug to create a feeling of a smaller, distinct room within a larger space with tile or hardwood floors. You can use wallpaper to create a similar sense with your larger spaces’ walls.

For example, you can wallpaper only the toilet and sink section of your bathroom to make the room feel larger. By wallpapering only a portion of the room, you can create the sense that the toilet and sink occupy their own separate space from the shower.

You can also make your spaces feel taller with wallpaper. Consider papering your walls halfway or most of the way to the ceiling and using light-colored paint for the upper portions of the wall to achieve this.

Work with an Experienced Interior Designer to Create your Dream Home

Keep in mind that with interior design, “legitimate” is largely subjective. Sure, there are ways interior design choices can make space feel smaller or make it less functional, but choices like wallpaper versus paneling versus paint are entirely up to your taste. Schedule your consultation with Susan Hopkins Interior Design, LLC to chat more about your interior design ideas with an experienced Philadelphia interior designer.