THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 15, 1995 TAG: 9510130071
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
IF YOU FIND choosing wallpaper a challenge, the job just turned into mission impossible. If you enjoy the process, a marathon of fun awaits you.
Judging from wallpaper-related mail that's come across this desk lately, there is no style that is not ``in.'' Those at the cutting edge of trends in wall coverings even dare to merge two or more styles of paper on the same wall, joining the patterns with a bold border. Or two bold borders.
Wow.
This is awesome to those of us who need to swill Dramamine before confronting even a wee wallpaper collection in search of one tame pattern.
The new offerings are dizzying, but also dazzling.
According to the Wallcoverings Association, colors are hot. Even the cool ones. Blue is making a comeback but now it's called delft, denim, aqua or indigo. Green's still a go, but not by that name. Hunter continues to be popular but greens called sage, celedon, olive and pike are in bloom too.
Purple has also peaked. The '90s names for it are eggplant, radiccio, grape and cabbage. Red by any of its names is sweet. Look for salsa, cranberry and cabernet. And now, yellow is strong enough to make it on its own. This is not the cowardly yellow of long ago but sun bright, cornsilk, wheat, ocre and curry.
If it glitters, it's probably gold - or silver, copper, pewter or bronze. The metallic sheen so popular today in wall coverings suggests an ``Old World style and richness'' in an era hooked on nostalgia, according to Gloria Merrill Enterprises, a Long-Island-based wall coverings company.
White and the neutrals are just as chic as colors these anything-goes days. The white might be bright, such as the backdrop in Thibaut's Carter's Grove border, to match the bright white tile, cabinets and fixtures currently in vogue. Coffee is one of the most desirable naturals, but it might be called hazelnut, vanilla bean or espresso.
Eggshell, cream, taupe, linen and desert sand are popular '90s neutrals. So are tints with just a hint of green, brown, buttercup, pink, wisteria or gray.
Wallpaper themes run the gamut from apple to zebra.
The fruit and floral patterns from Grandma's dining room are back, some with contemporary twists, like vibrant colors, bold borders, unusual and oversize patterns. ``Salsa'' by Thibaut is an arrangement of flying grapes, berries, limes, kiwis, pears and papayas.
The lush and busy ``banana leaf'' wallpaper from Thibaut is hardly a traditional backdrop for Grandma's roast beef dinners. It represents the natural, ecological and multicultural themes that are so abundant in today's wallpaper collections.
African animals, verdant rain forests, Oriental exotica make for dramatic wall designs. If you lack the courage to paper your walls ceiling to floor with dragons or cheetahs, a bold border may be the answer in this year of the big border.
Wallpaper that looks like a Native American blanket, a colorful Mexican pinata or an elaborate piece of Russian art - all of it is out there this redecorating season.
If your style is less dramatic, you'll be happy to learn that traditional designs such as checks, stripes and plaids and country styles including American farmhouse patterns are still tres chic.
Seeing stars already? Here are three free brochures offered by member companies of the Wallcoverings Association to help consumers in the paper chase.
``Patterned after the Way You Live.'' Free upon request from York Wallcoverings, 750 Linden Ave., York, Pa. 17404. Phone (800) 375-YORK.
``Decorating with Borders.'' Send a self-addressed, stamped business envelope to Eisenhart Wallcoverings, Dept. PR, P.O. Box 464, Hanover, Pa. 17331. Phone (800) 931-WALL.
``Decorating with Borders.'' Free upon request from Imperial Wallcoverings, Attn: Customer Service, 23645 Mercantile Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44026. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo courtesy of Casa Hermosa
Color photo courtesy of Thibaut
Casa Hermosa borders, right, show a Mexican influence. Thibaut's
Plateau collection, far right, uses deep, rich colors.
by CNB