AT LAST, the great wallpaper revival is under way!

Wallpaper is chic again and patterns, prints and tactile textures are back in fashion.

Damask and flock are being subtly rehabilitated in all the most stylish homes these days.

"Feature walls" are the current buzzwords, allowing you to get away with wild pattern, hedonistic colour and riveting textures.

With hundreds of patterns to choose from, it's often difficult to know where to start.

There's no doubt a wallpapered room has a certain warmth to it - more so than flat colours of painted walls.

To help you decide on the right wallpaper design, get the largest swatch you can and tape it as flat as possible to the wall you want to use it on. Leave it on there for at least 24 hours so that you can see it in both daylight and artificial light.

If you are more used to living with painted walls, but you want to try wallpaper, you can often soften the effect and break it up a little. Why not try just a feature wall or a chimney breast, for example?

When choosing a wallpaper, consider the scale of your room in relation to the scale of the design.

Patterns can be loosely divided into four groups:

• stripes and checks - versatile and easy to use. Striped wallpaper is good for accentuating the height in a room. A broad stripe will work well in a large grand room, while a narrow stripe is more suited to smaller rooms
• florals ranging from large-scale patterns to small-scale sprigs - great for informal sitting rooms and bedrooms and to set a country house mood.
• pictorial prints - Toile de Jouy, for example, is lovely for feature walls in bedrooms and bathrooms and can work well in smaller rooms such as the study.
• eclectic patterns - Chinoiserie and ethnic prints can provide great drama and richness to a room and are ideal for theming.

You can paper over existing wallpaper, if it is in good condition, though it is generally not recommended.

As with all decorating, good preparation is essential for a professional finish. Make sure your walls are washed thoroughly first with sugar soap.

On uneven walls, it is advisable to line your walls with lining paper. This helps to cover imperfections and is usually applied horizontally to avoid seams matching with those of the wallpaper.

When you measure your room, include windows and doors as this allows for wastage when the paper is trimmed.

Use vinyl wallpaper in kitchens and bathrooms. Vinyls are tough and can be wiped clean and withstand differences in heat and moisture.

Make sure that all the rolls you buy have the same batch number to be certain that colours will match exactly.

For all the latest in wallpaper design, pop along to Honeysuckle Interiors, in Oakley, where the design team will be happy to guide you through the hundreds of choices available.

Contact Honeysuckle Interiors on 01256 780831 or log on to www.honeysuckleinteriors.co.uk

Print   Email this If you need interior advice, you can contact Honeysuckle Interiors on 01256 780831, or check out the website at www.honeysuckleinteriors.co.uk