Choosing between paint and wallpaper can be a tough decision. And that’s before throwing in extra design choices like colour schemes and patterns. At Anne Haimes Interiors, we’re here to relieve your home interior design stress by advising you on the best way forward. Find inspiration for your perfect home aesthetic with our comprehensive guide to paint and wallpaper.
Bedrooms and lounge and dining areas can be decorated with either paint or wallpaper, or a combination of the two. If the paint and wallpaper shades don’t clash, they can perfectly complement each other even on separate walls in the same room. Similarly, you could add a base layer of plain coloured but textured wallpaper and paint over it to customise the room to your personal style.
Your lounge and dining areas are key to your interior design, as these are where you’ll welcome guests. Here, a simple, cohesive colour scheme and complementary furnishings create an inviting atmosphere.
Before you decide how you’ll decorate and furnish each room, consider how you use them. For example, kitchens and bathrooms experience a lot of moisture and warmer temperatures than bedrooms and living rooms.
So, in these rooms, paint is recommended over wallpaper, which may peel away from the wall when the room becomes humid. This could see you replacing your wallpaper every few months.
For those set on a wallpapered bathroom or kitchen, combining it with tiles around the most high-risk areas – like behind hobs and sinks – eases some of the hassles of replacing wallpaper without compromising on style.
This combination is suitable for painted kitchens and bathrooms too, but make sure you invest in mould-resistant paint for when these rooms get steamy or humid.
There are so many colours and patterns to choose from when it comes to decorating each room in your home. We’ve rounded up our top interior design tips for your inspiration.
A neutral colour palette doesn’t have to be plain or minimalist. Plain colours aren’t restricted to just beige – whites, greys, browns and creams can also create a sophisticated and chic style for bedrooms and living areas that ooze elegance and comfort.
Plus, the benefit of neutral walls is that they can be combined with a range of accent colours when it comes to furnishings and decorations. For example, a soft grey bedroom wall can be accentuated with dusky pink furnishings to give a feminine look and feel to the room, without colours clashing.
Neutral colours also lend themselves to rustic interior design styles. Creams and browns pair beautifully with wooden furniture and exposed beams to complement the ambience of a room, while a white kitchen accented with wood-finish countertops brings a natural countryside vibe to the room.
Calming blue shades are ideal for home walls, evoking natural feelings of sea and sky. Options range from pale pastel blues to dark and inky navy shades, so there is plenty of opportunity for personalising each room.
For less spacious rooms, using lighter shades is more effective in opening them up, as dark colours can make rooms feel small and cramped, especially if it’s without a natural light source.
Blue walls are also ideal for bedrooms and home offices as the colour is linked to feelings of calmness and serenity – helping sleepers relax before nodding off – and productivity.
Add personality to your home with pink or purple walls. Again, these colours cover a range of tones and shades, helping homemakers create a unique space.
A lilac or coral wall brings floral, spring seasonal vibes indoors, perfect for brightening up your home. Deep purples and magentas are less closely associated with femininity, instead evoking images of royalty and power.
Consider how you use each room when deciding on colour schemes. Bold reds and fiery oranges can brighten up living spaces but aren’t as suited to bedrooms, where you’ll want a calmer and more relaxing colour scheme.
One way to incorporate these more vibrant colours is to create a feature wall, with the remaining walls decorated in a paler shade.
Yellow shades evoke feelings of sunshine and happiness and can suit many rooms around the home. A light-yellow shade is perfect for bright bedrooms, helping you wake up each morning with a smile on your face.
Natural green shades are proven mood-lifters, bringing a fresh and natural feel to your interiors. An olive-green feature wall makes a bold statement behind a bed or around a fireplace, while paler, more muted shades on the remaining walls offset it with a light and airy feel. Lime green accents could be incorporated too, through patterned wallpaper or accessories.
A patterned wallpaper design spices up plain rooms and works perfectly as a feature wall. They also work in smaller rooms, where the pattern can open up the space and create an illusion of extra depth. So, they’re perfect for cloakrooms, home offices, and utility spaces.