There was once a time when the idea of decking our interior walls with brick, slate or concrete would seem mad. But now, faux-effect wallpaper is one of the biggest interior design themes to crash onto the scene since shabby-chic.
The rise in popularity of faux-effect wallpaper might seem odd to some. Why would you want the inside to look like the outside? But when you dig deeper, there’s actually several excellent reasons why more and more DIY designers today are embracing the faux-effect look.
If you’re looking to re-decorate or are moving into a new home, find out here why you should consider faux-effect wallpaper for your rooms.
Puncture your place with wit and humour
Used with skill, faux-effect wallpaper can inject a playful tone into any house. The rise of faux-effect wallpapers is partly due to the ability of these designs to tone down the formality of a room in a sophisticated way.
So, if you’re renovating an old place and want something to gently tease — even poke fun at — your home’s grand exterior; faux-effect wallpaper is worth considering. Create a funny and friendly atmosphere by hanging a terracotta red brick-effect wallpaper in an otherwise grand and imposing hallway to achieve an attention-grabbing juxtaposition that will get your guests talking from the moment they arrive.
It’s not everyone’s cup of tea to make their rooms look ‘witty’, but it’s ideal if you’re searching for something quirky and different — especially if you’re thinking of interior design ideas for dens and kids’ playrooms.
Laidback and rustic
Most of us want our guests to feel as at home in our house as we do. Faux-effect wallpaper rids your room of any sense of stuffiness and replaces it with warmth and character. Just what you want for cosy nights in with friends and wine.
The boost in faux-effect wallpapers has been hugely helped by the very fact that they’re one of the most welcoming and relaxed designs available. Many interior designers put wood-effect wallpapers in kitchens, as they give a real homely feel that sits well in communal parts of the home. On the other hand, the grunge-style concrete-effect wallpapers are very effective if you’re going for that cool, urban look. To create the idyllic family space, nothing works better for us than the slate stone wall brick-effect wallpaper. Reminding us of a traditional, family farmhouse, this looks fantastic in a lounge with a large, roaring fireplace on cold nights.
Interesting combinations
Another good thing about faux-effect wallpapers that have boosted their popularity is the interesting varieties you can conjure up. The first thing you need to think about here is whether you’re going for a the ‘out-of-place’ look or a ‘seamless blend’ appeal.
The former is all about juxtaposing your faux-effect choice with furnishings and flooring that don’t quite match to give that eye-catchingly unique impression. Think traditional Moroccan stone wall wallpaper with shiny, chrome tables and chairs in your dining room.
If you opt for the latter, you should focus on using every part of interior design to work towards the same effect. Say, fake wood panel wallpaper (like this wooden bookcase design from Holden Decor below) with solid wood furniture, thick rugs and an antique bookcase, which all help to create a familiar, old-style cosiness.
Faux-effect wallpaper really lets you put your own taste and personality into each room and you’re far less likely to see the same design twice than with a standard striped wallpaper or block-colour painted walls.
More for your money
Money may be no object if it means getting the look you want for your home, but it’s always nice to spend less. When you tot up how much it would cost to use real wood panels to decorate your room or pay someone to create a tile wall with the same intricate designs as faux-effect wallpaper, you soon see why there’s a surge in the use of this wallcovering style.
With the popularity and demand of faux-effect wallpapers growing, there’s not only more selection on offer to choose from, but also more available at a lower price. This means you can probably re-decorate a couple of rooms for the price of one by switching to wood, tile or brick effect wallpapers over the real deal.
Less time and effort
If you’ve ever had to call anyone one in to do some DIY in the house, you’ll know that time is money. That’s why so many people today are not only choosing to decorate themselves, but also looking for shrewd alternatives to make the task easier but equally as effective.
With faux-effect wallpaper, all you have to do is paste and hang (albeit with a few tools and a good eye for keeping the paper straight). But if you went for real wood, tiles, bricks or stone, you’re looking at a much lengthier job that almost always requires a professional.
The amazing realism available with the faux-effect options slashes your cost and labour time without trading off on the overall look, which sounds like a win-win to us.
Versatility
Unlike many other interior design themes — like minimalism, shabby chic and art nouveau — we find that the faux-effect style doesn’t appear tired or overdone as easily if you use it in multiple rooms.
With this theme, there’s such variety in style, material and colour that you could choose a different design for every room in your home and people wouldn’t necessarily place them all into the same, faux-effect category. For example, you could use a salcombe wood effect paper in your bathroom, deck the kitchen in a rusty-red brick design, kit out the den with a graffiti wall option, and decorate the lounge with a Moroccan sandstone choice.
This versatility also allows you more leeway for getting the ideal furnishing and fittings you want to match. As you can imagine, wood, brick and slate go with any colour, so this neutrality means that houseplants, mirrors and art pieces really stand out if you use faux-effect as a background.
Before you go, check out our ranges of tile, wood, brick, slate, stone, concrete, and general faux-effect wallpapers.