WALL PAPERS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS

A sense of occasion Rooms in less frequent use may benefit from a more dramatic treatment. A dining room will glow in Renaissance gold against cream, offset by midnight blue or Turkey red, or gracefully echo eighteenth-century chinoiserie with a design of exotic birds, flowers and fruit. The sinuous quality of Art Nouveau or the organic vigour of a Morris print are styles to consider where a rich, all-embracing design is required. Don't be afraid of the dark, especially if the room is reserved for evening use, where pools of light can be used to enhance the scheme.
An original effect can be created with paper panels edged by borders to enclose areas of pattern or to correct the proportions of a room. Vertical panels add height while horizontal ones give width and it is possible to widen a narrow ceiling by dividing it into square panels, each with a central motif. An attractive variation is the idea of an eighteenth-century print room where the walls are clad in black and white reproduction engravings, perhaps aged by a wash of cold tea, framed by wallpaper borders. The borders are characteristically monochromatic and classical in style, featuring acanthus or oak leaves, for example, and the background wallpaper traditionally would be grey or yellow.

Bed and bath
From sprig to spray, floral patterns in a bouquet of colours like lilac, rose pink, duck-egg blue, cowslip yellow and sage are the chosen favourites for bedrooms. Wallpapers, borders and ceiling papers can be used pattern upon pattern to give a sumptuous air while simple one-colour designs such as those once reserved for attic bedrooms can be used in smaller settings to create a cottage look. Wallpa per in related patterns can successfully be used above tiles in well-ventilated bathrooms. Choose vinyl for extra protection from condensation, or varnish the wallpaper to create a practical surface with a traditional glaze.