No Longer a Wallflower: Wallpaper is Back and It’s Chicer Than Ever
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Wallpaper is no longer a design risk. It’s back — bolder, chicer, and far more immersive than ever.
Valerie Wood, Dallas-based sales executive for London interiors brand House of Hackney, says today’s homeowners are far more willing to embrace color, texture, and pattern in ways that make a house feel distinctive rather than staged.
“I truly think people are tired of living in cold gray boxes. They want spaces with character, warmth, and a sense of who they are,” says Wood.
That shift is helping fuel a renewed fascination with wallpaper — only this time, it’s showing up far beyond the traditional floral dining room or powder bath.
House of Hackney fits naturally into that evolution. Founded in 2011 by husband-and-wife team Frieda Gormley and Javvy M Royle, the brand has built an international following for richly patterned wallpapers inspired by nature, British heritage, maximalist design, and old-world craftsmanship.
“Everything we do takes Mother Nature into account,” Wood says. “All of our prints and patterns have a nod to nature in them — florals, foliage, fantasy elements.
“We really believe nature never goes out of style.”
Wallpaper also pairs beautifully with another of Wood’s favorite design elements: natural stone.
“Stone already gives you so much movement and personality,” she says. “Why flatten all of that with one paint color?”
Instead, wallpaper allows designers to pull from the subtle colors and veining already happening within the slab itself. “If you have a stone with soft blues, greens, rust tones, or warm grays running through it, wallpaper lets you bring all of that into the room. It makes everything feel more layered and intentional.”
For CandysDirt.com publisher Candy Evans, wallpaper never really went out of style — even during the years everyone else seemed determined to scrape it off the walls.
“When I built my last house, people acted like wallpaper was some sort of design crime.”
“Meanwhile, I was happily papering rooms and ignoring everyone,” she laughed. “Wallpaper instantly makes a room more interesting.”
It’s not just rooms. Designers are covering ceilings, closets, bookshelves, doors, and even shutters.
As for those who still think wallpaper feels outdated or intimidating, Wood says that reaction changes the moment they see its possibilities.
“Once people realize how much warmth and personality it adds, they get it.”
Dallas design enthusiasts will have a chance to hear more when Wood joins CandysDirt.com for No Longer a Wallflower, a wallpaper-focused panel discussion June 17 at Texas Counter Fitters. Moderated by Evans, the event will explore wallpaper’s resurgence, unexpected applications, and the growing role pattern and texture are playing in today’s interiors.
