It’s 2024, and wallpaper is experiencing a renaissance—emerging as a chic and sophisticated choice for transforming any space with elegance and personality.
Gone are the days of bland and subtle patterns—today’s wallpaper options are more vibrant, innovative, and versatile than ever before. From textures and minimalist geometric prints to metallic accents, wallpaper is once again making a statement in homes across the globe—adding depth, character, and visual interest to a room.
We consulted with Park City’s (and southern California’s) brightest interior design mind, Stephanie Hunt, interior designer and lifestyle brand maven The Flairhunter, who’s had a love affair with wallpaper for more than two decades.
Known for her colorful aesthetic and personally expressive designs, Hunt spent her childhood living abroad and traveling the world with her family. Her Norwegian mother was an abstract expressionist painter and both her parents and grandparents were passionate art collectors and fearless lovers of color and pattern.
Today’s wallpaper options offer a myriad of stylish designs, textures, and finishes that cater to modern tastes and trends. Whether you’re looking to make a bold statement with a dramatic accent wall or create a subtle backdrop for your books, dishes, or furnishings; wallpaper offers endless possibilities for expressing your unique style and personality. Let’s discover how the latest wallpaper designs can breathe new life into your living space, infusing it with warmth, charm, and character.
It’s Only Temporary
When it comes to interior design, wallpaper offers a versatile way to transform a space quickly and also at far less expense than more permanent design choices.
“It’s way less of a commitment and an expense than if it were an architectural finish that was being applied during a build,” Hunt explains. Yet wallpaper can have the same stunning effect while opening up a world of design flexibility.
Let your creativity run wild by trying wild patterns or vibrant colors you might otherwise hesitate to commit to long-term. Consider experimenting with spaces like kid’s rooms and nurseries, powder rooms, or home offices where personality often rules the day over practical permanence.
“Some people get a bit scared of it but it’s not like a patterned colorful tile floor that you’re going to have to rip out if you hate it,” Hunt continues. “You can strip wallpaper in a few years if you’re tired of it or keep it as long as you love it.”
Whether you’re experimental or just afraid of commitment, wallpaper allows you to embrace change, showcase your personal style, and create a home that reflects your evolving tastes and preferences with confidence and ease.
Hidden Personalities
One trend that’s really gaining traction is the use of striking designs in unexpected places, such as hallways, closets, and butler’s kitchens. These often-overlooked areas of the home are being transformed into stunning showcases of personality with the use of eye-catching colors and wallpaper.
Look up and you might find the ceiling wallpapered to look like tin or copper. Backing a bookshelf is wallpaper that strikes up a conversation. You might jump at the chance to showcase a whimsical sporting print in the mud room or ski storage area or a vibrant tropical pattern in the powder room.
“I think it’s really impactful to just wallpaper the space behind your bed,” Hunt continues. “Whether it’s a solid rich texture or a pattern.”
These unexpected design choices add personality and charm to otherwise mundane space—usually hidden behind closed doors.
“I feel like that’s the place that you can really let your individuality fly,” Hunt laughs. “It should be a little piece of jewelry and it can be funky!”
Give Your Walls Some Texture
Another exciting trend in wallpaper design is the freedom to add textures to walls. Tactile wallpapers add depth and dimension to any room, creating a visually stunning focal point.
Even better, if your walls have imperfections or uneven surfaces, a textured wallpaper can help disguise them, drawing attention to the designed look rather than the flaw. They may also help with room acoustics too by absorbing sound and reducing echoes.
Consider mixing and matching your environment within a room by pairing textured wallpaper with soft fabrics, natural materials, and other tactile elements for a layered look. Use a bold embossed pattern as an accent wall that serves a focal point in a room or allow subtle choices like a linen fabric or grasscloth to bring warmth and dimension to a space.
The Flairhunter had linen applied as wallpaper in a butler’s kitchen that saw lots of traffic throughout the day. “The concept is just one color and a white, but it’s different shades of that color so it’s all one color story,” she explains.
Subtle but Expressive
The wallpaper of 2024 is all about a surprise and delight moment, where no one is expecting a statement but is delighted by the experience. Homeowners are showing off their passions in bedrooms, divider screens, and anywhere the mood strikes them, giving personality with partial walls and wainscoting that speak louder than words.
“I’m starting to see people using a wainscot solid millwork detail up to a chair rail height or even higher like 2/3 of the wall and wallpapering over that. So, you’re getting a solid ceiling that is probably white, you’re getting a solid millwork detail up to your waist, and then the pattern or the color and the texture is from there up.”
Versatility Comes to Life
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the wallpaper renaissance is the sheer versatility it offers. Use it to add interest and texture to your walls, add a touch of sophistication with half walls and wainscoting, or make a statement in unexpected places with striking designs.
After all, why settle for plain walls when you can transform your environment into a work of art? Wallpaper invites you to unleash your creativity and transform your home into a reflection of your individuality while creating a space that’s as stylish as it is sophisticated.