Karsten Brandt, Managing Director of the German Wallpaper Institute (Deutsches Tapeten-Institut) in Düsseldorf, about the change in trends that is being played out on walls.
Are we experiencing an international comeback of wallpaper or is this more of a "German" phenomenon?
Karsten Brandt: The comeback of wallpaper is an international development — for commercial structures and private homes alike.
Does the comeback of wallpaper reflect a general change in attitudes toward life, for example in the direction of “cocooning”?
And what does a wallpaper say about the person whose walls it adorns?
In which materials, fabrics, and colors do you see future potential for the (further) development of wallpaper?
Brandt: This year’s Heimtextil trade show once again showed that color trends are constantly changing, just as they are in the world of fashion. There are colors like green or purple that have been found in the collections for some time now, but even that will surely be temporary in nature.
We continue to see a trend away from paper and towards fleece, because fleece-based material is easier to work with and more robust. Fleece also offers a wider range of surface design possibilities. Fleece wallpapers with a flocked look or matt finish effects, for example, are very much in demand.
Do you feel that there will some day be a combination of wallpaper and electronics — for example, for lighting effects or projections?
Brandt: Absolutely. There are already phosphorescent wallpapers and wall coverings for shielding against X-rays or electromagnetic radiation. Electronic functions are therefore also plausible.
What properties do you believe will characterize the wallpaper of the future?
Brandt: It will be even easier to work with, still affordable for everyone, and environmentally friendly. The diversity of the designs and materials used will continue to increase, and the future will, of course, also include niche products, such as those with electronic functions.
From which designer would you personally like to see a wallpaper collection?
Brandt: Thanks to digital printing, anyone can be a designer today. I could easily imagine a collection created by my 15-year-old niece, for example.
| Golden Rules for Wallpapering |
•It’s easy to calculate the amount of wallpaper you require. A roll of wallpaper is generally 0.53 meters wide and 10.05 meters long, and it’s enough to cover five square meters. This results in the following formula:
•Doors and windows are counted as wall surfaces to allow sufficient reserves for complicated corners. Patterned wallpaper must be hung with a certain amount of overlap depending on the size of the pattern, which increases the amount required. Tips can generally be found on the wallpaper rolls. •A room appears bigger if light-colored wallpaper with small patterns or solid colors is used. •Diagonal or large patterns and bold colors make a small room appear smaller. •Rooms with vertical wallpaper patterns reaching up to the — preferably light-colored — ceiling appear taller. •Horizontal wallpaper patterns and a darker color make the ceiling appear lower. •A wall papered in a receding color (such as blue or blue-green) and with light side walls gives rooms greater depth. |
