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 Wallpaper trends 2014
Aurora A217007

Wallpaper trends 2014


From bold florals to vintage-style graphics to opulent textures, the writing, for 2014, is on the wall. Wallpaper, in all its guises, is here to stay. Digital technology has seen an abundance of design options for 2014, making wallpaper one of the most prevalent trends for the coming season.

“Wallpaper is no longer your bog standard printed flowers,” says Resene colour consultant Sarah Gregory. “Thanks to digital technology, we now have animal skins, vintage plates (from the Essentially Yours range) and lace stripes (Essentially Yours), among other designs, as well as gorgeous prints like Audrey Hepburn repeats (Black & White III range).”

Designs, styles and colours are varied, but if there’s one underlying theme, it’s nostalgia. Many of the new wallpapers take their inspiration from past eras – the 30s, 50s, 70s and 80s. But there is nothing old-fashioned about the new collections. Modern colours, some with metallic shimmers, offer a fresh spin on old.

“The big floral patterns, when they first came out, were bright florals against a light background,” says Sarah. “Now they are more soothing, something you could have on all four walls rather than just the one – and that is something we are seeing a lot of.”

Texture, too, is a dominant trend, with many of the new wallpapers mimicking slate, wood panelling and brick. Walls become instantly tactile with prints of soft knits, unvarnished wood and aged plaster from the Essentially Yours collection, while distinctive contours on tactile backgrounds appear in the Feel Good collection.

“There are lots of lovely textures,” says Sarah, “many with a velvety touch, or a contrast of shiny surfaces with matt areas to give additional dimension to a wall.”
Flock wallpaper has a new look too, with strong contemporary patterns in sophisticated colours. No longer just the domain of florals and damasks, we’re seeing flock wallpapers with bold geometric patterns (Flock 3 2558-53) and circles (Flock 3 2306-14) in up-to-the-minutes colours, such as teal, baby blue and pinot noir burgundy. A softer approach may see foamed wallpaper inlaid with interlocking rectangles in various sizes and tones of pearl lustre and white (Flock 3 2305-15) – or the same pattern in an elegant matt black (Flock 3 2305-22).

Flock 3 2558-53 wallpaper
Flock 3 2558-53
Flock 3 2306-14 wallpaper
Flock 3 2306-14
Flock 3 2305-15 wallpaper
Flock 3 2305-15
Flock 3 2305-22 wallpaper
Flock 3 2305-22

Anaglypta wallpapers remain popular, with their heavily embossed patterns exuding an old-fashioned glamour. This harks back in part to the 1930s when anaglypta wallpapers imitating Jacobean plaster ceilings were popular, as were floral and geometric patterns for bedrooms. These styles are once again mimicked in the latest trends. “There are even ones that look like that tin plate that’s really fashionable at the moment, like the embossed tin that used to be on the ceilings,” says Sarah.

Highly versatile, anaglypta wallpapers may either be left uncoloured or painted over with a colour of choice.

“That’s really good for feature areas where you want to use a colour but where you also want some texture,” says Sarah.

Metallics are a hot trend, with warm gold, brass and copper making a comeback. We see copper shine through in stylised flower and leaf designs (Aurora A217014), as well as elegant motifs and life-like patterns, such as a leather-look padded cushion design from the Diamonds Are Forever collection (45532).

Aurora A217014
Aurora A217014
Diamonds Are Forever wallpaper collection
Diamonds Are Forever collection 45532

Amp up a room’s allure with The Glamour 2014 collection, which oozes gold and silver, lilac and grey, mother of pearl and delicate spangle effects. Try a glittery gold fleur de lis pattern (Glamour 2014 404425), an Indian style motif with glitter overlay (Glamour 2014 404715), or glamorous stripes in various thicknesses and colours, including silver glitter (Glamour 2014 404821 and Glamour 2014 404845).

Glamour 2014 404425 wallpaper
Glamour 2014 404425
Glamour 2014 404715wallpaper
Glamour 2014 404715

Glamour 2014 404821
Glamour 2014 404845 wallpaper
Glamour 2014 404845

Together with silvery sheens, gold, brass and copper metallics add decadence and instant glamour to a space.

Photomurals are another trend that continues, with the Komar murals as popular as ever.

“They come in four to eight pieces and take over an entire wall,” says Sarah. “There are florals, world maps, cityscapes, forest and beach scenes, something for everyone.”

Children have not been excluded either. Irresistibly charming wallpapers appear in several new collections, including Kids Club 2014.

“The designs are really interesting,” says Sarah. “They’re just as I remember having my wallpaper when I was little. You would have a colour with lots of little prints for one wall, then a large pattern that matches it so that you can mix and match.”

The range for children’s wallpapers will continue to grow, offering youngsters a much wider choice than ever before.

“When kids’ wallpaper first came out, a lot of it was aimed only at small children,” says Sarah. “So when you outgrew the princess designs on your walls, you kind of missed out until you were about 20. Now there is whole new market of boys and girls who want something that’s not just for babies.”

Whimsical designs that appeal to both the young and young at heart are now on offer, with fun, vibrant, mischievous and education as key themes. We’re seeing retro polka dots in pale wasbi green (Kids Club 2014 200027) and bright oceanic blue (Kids Club 2014 200010), patchwork denim prints (Kids Club 2014 231304) and hand-drawn vintage vehicles (Kids Club 2014 231403), and even street-style graffiti (Kids Club 2014 237818) and ultra modern alphabets (Kids Club 2014 231106). Designs are both modern and retro-inspired, with a hint of nostalgia in their patchwork of colour.

  Kids Club 2014 200027
Kids Club 2014 200027
Kids Club 2014 200010
Kids Club 2014 200010
 
Kids Club 2014 231304) wallpaper
Kids Club 2014 231304
Kids Club 2014 231304 vintage cars wallpaper
Kids Club 2014 231403
Kids Club 2014 237818
Kids Club 2014 237818
Kids Club 2014 231106 wallpaper
Kids Club 2014 231106

What’s the general opinion on retro-inspired themes? We love it! It’s a modern melting pot of old and new.

“This whole retro look is being influenced by people wanting to do more for themselves,” says Sarah. “People are making their own chutneys and having their own veggie gardens – that whole retro feel in the home creates this feeling of comfort – of being not ultra modern but more comfortable with our own homes. That does seem to go hand in hand.”

When it comes to wallpaper, we’re now spoiled for choice. “Resene has more than 120 books,” says Sarah. “When I first started we had perhaps 20 books, and the patterns were limited. Now, we have wallpapers to suit all tastes.” With a great array of colours, patterns, textures and even photomurals, today’s wallpapers are anything but boring.

 

 
 

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