I've used wallpaper my whole working life, and not only because it's beautiful. It's practical. Wallpaper is warmer and quieter than paint, it wipes clean, and it forgives family life in a way a painted wall never does. That's why so much of my work has it somewhere.
People are often nervous about wallpaper, and I understand why. But most of the fear is about the look, when the strongest arguments for it are actually practical.
It's more practical than paint
Wallpaper changes the dynamics of a home. It softens sound, it adds warmth, and it gives you a variety of finish and texture that paint simply can't. It's also more forgiving day to day. You can wipe a mark off good wallpaper, where a painted wall ends up with shiny patches from cleaning, or needs replastering and repainting altogether. In a busy household, that matters. Wallpaper takes family life in its stride.
Where it works hardest
It's extremely useful in high-traffic areas like stairwells and hallways, exactly the spots where paint takes a beating. Honestly, there's nowhere I wouldn't use wallpaper. The one thing to watch is the product in a moist environment. A bathroom, for instance, needs a vinyl paper rather than a standard one, so it can handle the humidity. Choose the right product for the room and it will last.
The move most people miss: the ceiling
If there's one thing I love, it's using wallpaper on a raised ceiling. It creates a wow you simply cannot imagine in paint. It lifts a room and dramatises it in the most spectacular way, and because people so rarely look up, it's a lovely surprise every time. A feature wall is expected now. A feature ceiling still stops people in their tracks.
If bold paper scares you
Start quietly if you need to. But I'll tell you what I've learned over a career of this: the thing that scares you the most is very often the thing that makes you sing when the job is finished. A strong reaction is a good sign. When a client's first response to a paper is nervous, or even a little negative, that very often turns into surprise and delight once it's up and the room has come together.
The thing that scares you the most is often the thing that makes the room sing when the job is finished.
So my advice, after all these years, comes down to something simple. Trust the paper, choose the right one for the room, and let it do what paint never can. Because for me, it's all about the paper.