Roll up! Roll up!
There was a time when wallpapering your walls was seen as a sign of extreme wealth. In the 1750s, for instance, the Countess of Suffolk spent £42 wallpapering one room when the average cost of a house at that time was £12. The jaw-dropping prices were due to the labourintensive production (wallpaper could only be printed by hand in small squares) and the additional burden of the bizarre wallpaper tax. However, as the tax applied only to ‘stained or coloured papers’, ingenious decorators would line rooms in plain paper and then have them hand stencilled – a fashion that still appeals today.
4. Crowe Hall Lane wallpaper, £61, by Little Greene 5. Delancey wallpaper, £54, by Colefax and Fowler 6. Ardwell wallpaper, £49, by Osborne & Little 7. Brightwood wallpaper, £40, by Jane Churchill, from Colefax and Fowler 8. High Street wallpaper, £49, by Little Greene
Once the wallpaper tax was abolished in the 19th century and modern printing techniques introduced, its usage become more universal. Still, there were, and are, gradations of taste and style. For anyone who has ever lived with the horror of ‘chipwood’ paper, or worse, attempted to remove it, this is an experience rarely repeated.
For the most part, wallpaper is often dismissed as simply background decor, but the choice of design affects the mood and style of a room and sets the tone for all the furnishings. It is also an interesting social barometer; it is frequently used in films and period dramas to indicate the age, status or gender of its inhabitants.
Today’s wallpaper manufacturers have reinvented the fashion, offering an exclusive single-roll design as an ‘accent’ feature or transforming an entire room into a warm, countryhouse sanctuary. In short, there are no rules, except to face the wall. As the master designer, William Morris, once advised: ‘Think first of the walls, for they are that which makes your house and home, and if you do not make some sacrifices in their favour you will find your chambers have a kind of makeshift, lodginghouse look about them…’
9. Sussex Downs wallpaper, £35, by Sanderson 10. Quartz Cordennet wallpaper, £52, by Zoffany 11. Maple wallpaper, £35, by Sanderson 12. Sussex Downs wallpaper, £35, by Sanderson
Colefax and Fowler 020- 7244 7427, www.colefax.com
Homebase 0845-077 8888, www.homebase.co.uk
John Lewis 0845-604 9049, www.johnlewis.com
Laura Ashley 0871-983 5999, www.lauraashley.com
Little Greene 0800-652 0990, www.chapelinteriors.co.uk
Osborne & Little 020-7352 1456, www.osborneandlittle.com
Sanderson 0844-543 9500, www.sandersonuk.com
Zoffany 0844- 543 4748, www.zoffany.com
4. Crowe Hall Lane wallpaper, £61, by Little Greene 5. Delancey wallpaper, £54, by Colefax and Fowler 6. Ardwell wallpaper, £49, by Osborne & Little 7. Brightwood wallpaper, £40, by Jane Churchill, from Colefax and Fowler 8. High Street wallpaper, £49, by Little GreeneOnce the wallpaper tax was abolished in the 19th century and modern printing techniques introduced, its usage become more universal. Still, there were, and are, gradations of taste and style. For anyone who has ever lived with the horror of ‘chipwood’ paper, or worse, attempted to remove it, this is an experience rarely repeated.
For the most part, wallpaper is often dismissed as simply background decor, but the choice of design affects the mood and style of a room and sets the tone for all the furnishings. It is also an interesting social barometer; it is frequently used in films and period dramas to indicate the age, status or gender of its inhabitants.
Today’s wallpaper manufacturers have reinvented the fashion, offering an exclusive single-roll design as an ‘accent’ feature or transforming an entire room into a warm, countryhouse sanctuary. In short, there are no rules, except to face the wall. As the master designer, William Morris, once advised: ‘Think first of the walls, for they are that which makes your house and home, and if you do not make some sacrifices in their favour you will find your chambers have a kind of makeshift, lodginghouse look about them…’
9. Sussex Downs wallpaper, £35, by Sanderson 10. Quartz Cordennet wallpaper, £52, by Zoffany 11. Maple wallpaper, £35, by Sanderson 12. Sussex Downs wallpaper, £35, by Sanderson Stockists
B&Q 0845-609 6688, www.diy.comColefax and Fowler 020- 7244 7427, www.colefax.com
Homebase 0845-077 8888, www.homebase.co.uk
John Lewis 0845-604 9049, www.johnlewis.com
Laura Ashley 0871-983 5999, www.lauraashley.com
Little Greene 0800-652 0990, www.chapelinteriors.co.uk
Osborne & Little 020-7352 1456, www.osborneandlittle.com
Sanderson 0844-543 9500, www.sandersonuk.com
Zoffany 0844- 543 4748, www.zoffany.com