Choosing the Right Color Scheme to Match Bold Wallpaper

Bold wallpaper, like 3D wall art from AJ Wallpaper, can significantly impact a room's aesthetic, giving it depth, energy, and vibrance. However, creating a color scheme around a featured wallpaper can be challenging.

Different patterns, textures, and imagery require a different approach when choosing a color matching scheme. Below we will discover things to consider when choosing a color scheme for a bold wallpaper design and why AJ Wallpaper are industry leaders in 3D wall coverings.

Wallpaper: A quick history lesson

Wallpaper has a long history, with the first recorded usage dating back to 200B.C. in China, where plain or patterned rice paper was glued to walls for decoration.

From the eighth century, the art of using paper as wall covering spread to the Middle East before making its way to Europe in the 12th century in the form of block print wallpaper. The earliest known usage of European wallpaper that still exists today can be found on the overhead beams of the Lodge of Christ's College in Cambridge, England, dating back to 1509.

However, wallpaper in the U.S came over 200-years later, in 1739, made by the Plunket Fleeson printing company in Philadelphia.

The Victorian era, starting in 1837, saw the rise of mass-produced machine-made wallpaper, making it more accessible than ever. However, the golden age of wallpaper is considered to be the 1920s, with some 400-million rolls reportedly sold in this period.

The end of World War II saw a spike in technology and productivity. The industry was revolutionized with the rise of plastic resin, which made wallpaper washable, stain-resistant, and more durable.

Today, wallpaper is more commonly referred to as wall coverings. The printing technology, fabrication materials, and design software has created a new world of interior design applications and solutions.

As you may see from browsing AJ Wallpapers' extensive catalog, wallcoverings today feature 3D textured surfaces, high-definition photo-quality images, and vibrant patterns that seem to come to life.

So with the new wave of 3D wallpaper stealing the interior design limelight, how do you compliment or highlight your wallpaper with your color schemes? Read on to find out more.

Wallpaper vs paint

Paint is still the most common wall covering due to its relatively low cost and ease of application. However, with its seemingly endless potential for color scapes, graphics, patterns, and textures, new-age wallpaper can give a room a unique style almost unachievable by paint alone.

Wallpaper can intimidate some DIY renovators. It can be daunting using glues and attempting to line up patterns at joins mid-wall and in the corners of a room.

Still, much of this trepidation is little more than echoes of the past, where wallpaper needed messy adhesives. Unfortunately, there was also no internet in the past to provide DIY renovators with expert advice and video tutorials.

These days wallpaper products, like 3D wallpaper from AJ Wallpaper, have self-adhesive backings, removing the need for messy glues.

The internet also allows access to manufacturer-curated and independently-produced DIY video tutorials, allowing people to learn quickly on the job while also providing expert advice on interior design trade secrets.

There has never been a better time to bring in a new age of wallpaper-focused interior design than in the 2020s, and AJ Wallpaper is at the forefront of this reinvigorated, technology-driven interior design trend.

So, how do you utilize modern wallpaper to its best effect, and what tools are at your disposal to get optimal results? Read on to find out more.

Matching paint and wallpaper

While a room's color scheme and design are ultimately up to a property owner's or interior designer's personal taste, there are essentially two ways you can tackle wallpaper installations; using wallpaper as a feature or as a complete room wallcovering.

Full room wallpaper

If you have found a wall covering that you have fallen in love with, you may decide to go all out and cover the walls of an entire room.

This can create a stunning effect; however, it can also make a room feel quite busy if your paint, furniture, and accessories are not used to balance out 360-degrees of bold patterns or textures.

There are two ways to tackle this conundrum; use complementary paint colors and shades to blend your bold wallpaper in with the surrounding room, or go with a heavy contrast to bring the pattern out, creating an all-encompassing feature.

If the latter speaks to you, you may want to keep your room furniture and fixtures to a minimum. If you make the room's independent features too loud or busy, you can make a room feel stressed and claustrophobic.

If you are unsure which color to use on ceilings and features like cornices, skirtings, and doorframes, then getting a color wheel from your local hardware, or purchasing one online, can be a great tool to get the right tones.

Feature wallpaper

With current graphic design software and ultra-high-definition printing technologies, wallpaper has had a significant upgrade from its predecessors.

With striking photographic images, complex graphics, textured 3D geometry, flawless artworks, and intricate patterns, new wave wallpaper can create a feature wall like no other. To make a feature wall stand out, having a solid contrasting color is advised for the surrounding walls and ceiling, as it will highlight the patterns, themes, and graphics of your feature wallpaper.

This is where your color wheel can also come in handy. Rather than looking for a color that blends with your wallpaper, you can hold your color wheel up to your wallpaper's finish and find a color shade that brings the image, graphics, or tone of your wallpaper to the front.

Tying the room together

The property owner needs to be happy with their choice, despite interior design aficionado's opinions. There are endless examples online referencing how interior designers and DIY renovators have styled their wallpaper and color schemes.

Although some wallpaper and color matching schematics might surprise you, sometimes, something that shouldn't technically work creates a stunning finish; and that is all that matters in the end.

AJ Wallpaper has an extensive range of brilliant DIY 3D wallpaper designs and styles. All products are self-adhesive, require only a few simple tools to install, and there are plenty of resources to help you get the best results with your wallpaper application.

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