I’ve had this thing with huge world maps since I lived with friends at university, one of whom stuck one up above the dining room table. Without fail the map inspired conversation about where we had visited, where we dreamed of going, plans for the future and so on. At times we would find ourselves drifting off whilst staring at the map: “Is China really that big?”, “Where’s Chile?”, “Shall we go to Argentina?”. Ah, those carefree students days!
When I saw this dining room with world map wallpaper I instantly wanted to copy the idea in my own home. Imagine the cool dinner conversations…
Image: Design Sponge
I would like to introduce you to Wallpapered today who make a huge range of different types of wallpaper from the classic (swooning over quite a few of them) to striking nature murals and one of their most popular wallpapers are maps, whether they be world, antique, street – all totally customisable. You can even upload your own image to be made into wallpaper!
Over to Wallpapered to tell you more…
Why do you think wallpaper has made such a resurgence in the past few years and managed to shake off its ‘old-fashioned’ label?
Wallpaper is such an exciting industry at the moment, with new designers, developments in technology and constant innovation pushing it forward. There are fewer rules now, and customers are deciding what works for them rather than being dictated to. At Wallpapered we really embrace this ethos, encouraging customers to create wallpaper that suits exactly what they’re looking for.
We’re also constantly inspired by the creativity of interior design being showcased online. We keep discovering great new blogs and beautiful Instagram accounts (and then wonder where the day has suddenly gone!) – the online community is so important for keeping the industry exciting, pushing the boundaries and inspiring new ways to really personalise peoples’ space.
Map wall coverings are hugely popular at Wallpapered, why do you think people have such an affinity to maps?
Our wallpaper maps are definitely one of our top sellers. I think people have always been drawn to maps; not only do they show us from A to B or make us more aware of the world we live in, they’re also really beautiful artworks in themselves. It’s nice to understand the world around you, where you are, where you’re going and where you’ve been.
Customised local area map wallpaper is a perfect way of adding character to any room.
Everyone loves to make their house a home and to create a space that’s really unique to them. Is this a philosophy you follow at Wallpapered?
Yes, definitely. It’s a way of thinking we really share with our customers. We constantly aim to provide completely bespoke wallpapers for our customers –that’s what they want most from us. It’s great because their requests inspire us and keep us on our toes.
We did this amazing project recently with Ballindalloch Distillery for the Macpherson-Grant family (and their rather lovely grounds!) The custom made map showcased the area around Ballindalloch and the addition of a family tree illustrating the growth of the family over many years. We really enjoyed working on this project and you can read more about it here.
Personalise your map wallpaper with a family tree.
What makes your wallpapers unique?
We pride ourselves on producing wallpapers that are unique to each customer. Whether that means uploading some of their own imagery, adding a logo to a wall covering or matching the map colours to a sofa; we really try to go above and beyond to make something a bit more special.
In practical terms we print on a non-woven paper that’s much more hardwearing than traditional wallpaper. This means it’s more durable and really easy to hang. Our wallpaper’s are 100% natural and wipeable; which is ideal when that child with mucky paws decides to embrace your newly hung wallpaper. We have a guide of what to expect here.
What advice would you give to someone trying to choose the right wallpaper for their home?
There’s such a great resource of inspiration out there: it’s always fun spending an afternoon going through blogs, Pinterest or your favourite interior magazine and gathering ideas. Ultimately, it’s about what works best for you. It’s a big decision, so we understand the importance of getting it right. If our customers are struggling to pick between a few choices, we send out samples – so they can tack them up on the wall and live with the look for a few days. This always seems to solve the problem and help them arrive at a final decision.
There is a cool tool on the Wallpapered site that allows you to put up your chosen wallpaper in the context of a room, which is always helpful so you can work out the size of pattern etc. This could help with choosing one of Wallpapered’s huge range of texture wallpapers (got to love a brick wall!). Image: Design Therapy
Putting up wallpaper can at times be intimidating, what advice can you give to my readers?
We print our wallpapers to your exact dimensions – so there’s absolutely no waste (and no drama) when it comes to putting it up. We’ve made our whole process really user friendly, as we know customers can be put off by a difficult application. We’ve also got a really useful ‘how to hang wallpaper’ guide, so don’t worry – your space will be looking amazing in no time.
If there’s someone reading this interview considering wallpaper but needs that one last push, what would you say to them?
We think there’s a wallpaper to suit everyone and every home. At Wallpapered, we love chatting to our customers and ensuring they’ll be happy with the final product for years to come. So if you’re slightly hesitant or unsure, we can take you through the stages, give you all the information you need, and our design team can mock up a prototype for you so you can visualise it. Easy!
Thanks so much for the tips and advice! When I move to a house, wallpaper will be the first thing I choose. Can’t wait!
Katy x
*This post was written in collaboration with Wallpapered.