Look at me

In much the same way that buying a new outfit makes you feel like a new person, altering the look of the walls in your home can give it a fresh new appearance.

Such a transformation can easily be achieved by choosing to wallpaper one or more walls in the house. Combinations of wallpapered and painted walls can introduce effective patterns and textures into a room.

Wallpaper allows you to refurbish any room quickly, and with a minimum of fuss. Most papers are easy to hang, and wallpapering is a one-coat process. Available in a wide variety of colours, textures and patterns, many of today's wallpapers are made to match popular paint colours, so you can easily co-ordinate the two surfaces.

Design manager for Vision Wallcoverings David Abbotts says that every year new colours and designs that respond to international cultural and lifestyle trends are added to wallpaper collections.

"We are seeing a swing away from minimalism and into luxury, glamour and pattern. Our ranges include Rococo-inspired patterns, often with a metallic shimmer on a matt background, updated retro and geometric designs and re-styled floral and botanical prints and matching plains," he says.

"There's been a real resurgence in look-at-me papers. Designers are seeing wallpaper as a technique for restoring spirit and vitality to interiors," says Abbotts.

For details, phone 0800 Wallpaper (925 572). Website: www.visionwalls.co.nz.

Story by: Trendsideas