Damian Corney from Grafico recently sat down with TLC Interiors to offer tips and tricks of using Grafico wallpaper in your next project! Check out the story link on TLC’s website or additionally copied below.
https://www.tlcinteriors.com.au/trends-inspiration/choosing-wallpaper-design-tips/
You know we love wallpaper here at TLC Interiors. We’re always recommending it to design clients because we know the game-changing nature of it. Paint is nice and all, but it’s just not going to give you the layers of warmth and interest that wallpaper will.
To help you get over any potential hesitation you might have over applying the stuff to your own walls, today I’m sharing my expert wallpaper advice with you, as well as showing you inside a beautiful property that’s utilised wallpaper perfectly; Grafico House in the Doncaster, Victoria.
Grafico’s Creative Director Damian Corney is on-deck too, sharing his insight into the team’s wallpaper products and how easy they make it to transform your walls.
This post is produced in partnership with Grafico.
1. Use a Bolder Wallpaper on Just One Feature Wall
Clients ask me all the time, how many walls in a room should we wallpaper? And the answer really comes down to how bold or graphic the wallpaper is.
In a bedroom, for example, a more in-your-face design that commands attention is best applied to one wall behind the bed.
Not only do you get an eye-catching wow moment as you enter the space, but you keep the graphic nature of the paper behind you in bed, so calm is still achieved when you’re in there sleeping.
2. Or Use a Calmer Wallpaper and Fully Wrap the Space
If you have your eye on a calmer wallpaper that feels less visually intense/patterned, then you’re good to wrap the entire room in it. Often this approach feels more intentional, and resolves the space; it gives you more of an enveloping, cocoon feel.
“Wrapping an entire room in wallpaper is something we’re seeing a lot more of over the past year or two,” Damian says. “Some of the more subtle etched designs (there’s many variations on our site) are a great way to step into the wonderful world of Grafico wallpaper without going too crazy”.
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A calmer wallpaper like Grafico’s Giant Eucalypt or Etched Clouds (pictured above) is the perfect choice as they evoke serenity in a zone like a bedroom and look amazing covering multiple walls.
3. Evoke Serenity in a Room with a Nature-Inspired Paper
The pandemic (dare I mention its name) impacted home design in a multitude of ways. The big one was our yearning to bring the outside in.
The nature-inspired trend, along with a modern country aesthetic, became necessary inclusions in interiors – and still are.
If you want to channel nature in a less obvious way, try a wallpaper that features motifs like trees, leaves, branches, water, clouds and anything else that you see outside. Ensure the colours are kept muted and you’re onto a winning approach.
Damian has wrapped the dining room above in Grafico wallpaper and the result is a soothing one.
“We absolutely love nature-themed wallpapers, and I’m not talking about 1970’s rainforest wall murals,” he says. “Think stunning etched vintage illustrations of Australian flora and fauna which are beautiful and calming.
Also being subtle sage greens, greys and neutral colours, you can easily re-style the room around the wallpaper as the years pass by”.
4. Scared of Commitment? Use Peel On, Peel Off Wallpaper
If you’re not working with a designer who can guide you on the exact permanent wallpaper to choose for your room, you can always opt for a peel-on, peel-off wallpaper. Not only is it less of a commitment, but you can update it over time as your tastes change.
Grafico has a wide selection of peel-on, peel-off wallpapers that you can apply yourself or get their installers to apply for you. Because not all of us are great at DIY (guilty as charged right here!). And let’s face it, self-adhesive wallpaper has come a long way.
“The product we use now is extremely durable (being a commercial-grade product) and has a beautiful canvas/linen texture. It’s unlike anything else you’ll see online,” Damian explains.
“As it’s peel & stick and removable, if gives you the chance to apply and if you get something wrong, you can peel it up and re-position it. We also supply in the box a squeegee plus detailed instructions and videos online to assist”.
5. Order Larger Wallpaper Samples Before You Purchase
Just like with paint, you’d be wise to get a larger sample of wallpaper and stick it to your wall to see how you feel about it before applying it en masse.
It often pays to get the same wallpaper sample in a few different colours too, so you can pair it perfectly with the paint on the adjacent walls in the room (and take a look at it in different lights at different times of the day).
“Customers can order a sample pack easily online via the Grafico website, and can request custom-printed samples in different colour ways” Damian says. “Customers are able to work with our in-house design team and adjust not only the colour, but scale of pattern to suit the room.
For example the popular tropical wallpapers we offer, we often adjust the scale of the trees/leaves to suit the space or to make sure they’re not impacted by windows/doors in the room. That is all part of our service and unique to Grafico”.
6. Ensure There’s One Focal Point in the Room
Every room needs a focal point. I bang on about this all the time, I know. But it’s pretty crucial that each space has a visual ‘high’ that your eye is drawn to, with the other elements in the room supporting it (not competing).
Think about this when selecting your wallpaper design. If you already have a big moment in the room like an epic pendant light, or a bold artwork, choose the wallpaper in a less visually busy pattern and a subdued tone.
Or, if you want the wallpaper to be the standout moment, just ensure the other elements in the room aren’t competing with it. Bolder wallpaper often works best behind a simple mirror or plainer artwork, for example.
7. Apply Wallpaper in a Non-Living Space if You’re Fearful
If you’re toying with the idea of wallpaper but feeling a tad fearful, try applying it in a space that you’re not living in every day. Zones like powder rooms, laundries, hallways and garages are ideal places to experiment.
“We’ve seen an interesting trend over the years of wallpaper in the garage area,” Damian explains. “Also many larger modern homes have additional break out areas off the garage like a man cave, so why not celebrate your passion (be it an automotive wallpaper, sporting mural, or vintage map)”.
If you don’t want to commit to a wallpaper, Grafico has a range of automotive inspire framed prints (seen above) and canvases that are an easy and affordable way to bring some life to a relative boring space like a garage.
Trust me, when you see wallpaper applied in these rooms, you’ll be as convinced as I am about its transformative qualities.
8. Use Cohesive Papers Across Multiple Rooms
If you want to create a cohesive look across your entire home, it’s a good idea to order a number of wallpaper samples from the same ‘family’.
The common thread could be a colour, style or pattern (like nature-inspired or stripes/check). You don’t want to replicate the exact same wallpaper in two different rooms, but you also don’t want two jarring papers right near one another either.
That’s why samples are so good. You can lay them all side by side and work out which ones feel right together as a scheme; an approach Damian agrees with.
“We encourage customers to go online and order a sample pack, which gives you three samples printed to the actual wallpaper material so you can get a good idea of texture and colour. We can also custom-print larger samples if required”.
9. Larger Patterns Are More Dominant, Smaller Ones Less So
I’ve seen wallpaper done wrong in my time, and all-too-often the major crime has to do with the scale of the pattern used.
As a general rule, large patterns repeated across a wall will take up more visual real estate and dominate a space more. They’re great in a large room with a tall ceiling because they do a lot of work to make the space feel less vacant.
Intricate repeat patterns work well in smaller rooms with lower ceilings. This is because from a distance the pattern reads as a texture more than a repeated print. It gives a sense of warmth and movement without swallowing the room.
10. Explore Real Rooms to Visualise the Wallpaper In-Situ
There’s nothing quite like seeing wallpaper applied in a real room to give you an idea of how it can look in your own space. Thankfully if you’re choosing from Grafico a lot of the hard work has been done for you.
Not only can you see many of their wallpapers in the video at the top of this post, but Grafico’s long-standing relationship with The Block allows you to see some great images of their wallpaper executed in real-world settings via their website (or in this Best Block Wallpapers Post).
“The Block contestants love a Grafico wallpaper and we’ve certainly been fortunate to be involved in some really iconic and thought-provoking rooms over many seasons of the show,” Damian says.
“We’re filming the 2023 season right now so can’t wait to show you all more Grafico custom print wallpaper and artworks!”.
Keep up to date with all the latest Grafico projects via their Instagram @grafico_walls and stay across all the behind-the-scenes fun via Damian’s Instagram @damian_corney
