Masterpieces on your walls

Famous Dutch masterpieces are available as wallpaper.

THE smudge of a sailing ship on the horizon, children from long ago playing with a toy wooden boat, puffs of cloud and seagulls in a pastel sky, luscious peonies of many colours . . . it’s as if I am wandering through an art gallery but instead I’m leafing through books of wallpaper, mesmerised by the designs and textures.

“I’m so relieved I didn’t see these when we were renovating our house,” I say to Resene Colorshop office manager Karen Moult who is showing me the exquisite wallpaper she chose for a feature wall in her bedroom.

“I would never have been able to make a decision,” I say drooling over the rich linen texture of the bearded irises and poppies in her wall garden.

Karen’s wallpaper is one of many stunning designs in the latest Netherlands-made Eijffinger collection inspired by the Dutch masters fittingly entitled “Masterpiece”.

Home decorators, especially the Dutch, can now unleash the art collector within and festoon their walls with such treasures, although Karen advises moderation.

“The designs are so full-on and vibrant, wallpapering just one wall in a room gives the best effect,” she says, no doubt fearing I will go overboard.

“Besides, as we all know, masterpieces do not come cheaply. One innovative cost-saving trend is to frame a panel of the wallpaper like a mural or artwork on the wall.”

Next I meet modern American designer and artisan Candice Olson. Her Modern Artisan designs are sumptuous, ranging from ultra-modern to 1930s art deco styles. Many are highly-textured with embossed ribbon, glitter swirls, silk brocade, and pearlised, gold and silver metallic effects. My fingers trace the 3D stencil cut-out of a tree with a wood textured trunk. A very tactile experience, these wallpapers.

At the lower end of the price range is a collection of New Zealand-made wallpapers.

“Habitat wallpapers, made in Porirua by Aspiring Walls especially for Resene, come in a mix of plains, patterns and basic neutrals.

“They are a high-quality vinyl product at a fraction of the price of the imported papers,” says Karen.

I liked the brick wall effect and the old-fashioned map of the world design. Karen, who has been at Resene for 18 or so years, says wallpaper fell out of favour for a while but has enjoyed a renaissance in the last four to five years.

“People are becoming more adventurous with wallpaper especially with feature walls in dining rooms and bedrooms.”

Good preparation is just as important for wallpapering as it is for a paint finish, she says.

“Heavy-duty wallpaper will hide some of the imperfections on old walls but the better the prep the better the finished product.”

A word of warning — wallpapers are often only available for two years so you might be out of luck if you want to match a certain style a few years later.

And did you know that wallpaper absorbs sound better than a paint finish?

Karen finally prised me away from the wallpaper books, to show me the latest in paint finishes. Resene retail shop assistant Trish Harvey has revamped an old desk to demonstrate a variety of paint effects, some of which I had never seen before — marble, textured wallpaper, squiggle, whitewash, gap filler, freehand scratch, grit, crackle and metallic.

The more elaborate techniques like marbling and crackling Trish had learned by watching You Tube videos.

Another popular trend is the creation of a blackboard in the kitchen where busy family members can communicate with each other, write up their timetables, lists and reminders etc.

“You can use a low-sheen paint in any colour as long as it’s washable.”

Resene has just revised its top 20 colours and I’m pleased to see some of my favourite colours are still there. Pearl Lusta, Merino, many strengths of Tea and Spanish White, but no sisal.

The fashion is still to use a neutral tone throughout the house but feature walls are making a reappearance.

Most people prefer a low sheen to flat finish on the walls with semi-gloss architraving and doors for easy cleaning.

“It’s nice to have that subtle difference in gloss levels,” she says.

For those on a budget, it’s generally cheaper to paint than wallpaper the average-sized room. If you are renovating, Karen’s advice is to start from the floor and work your way up.

“The floor is the major part of the expense and it’s the most permanent too. You have to live with it for much longer than your wall colours which are easier to change. So it’s important to get it right. There are fewer choices in flooring materials and colours, so decide on that and then move on to the wall colours and finally the ceiling.”