Wallpaper

Wallpaper can be a bit polarizing. People tend to have strong feelings about it. Currently, the tide seems to be in favor of hating it. It can be hard to install, even harder to remove, and the patterns tend to get dated. But, as risk of being unpopular, I'll admit that I like wallpaper. Not on a wall-to-wall, every room of your house way. But, used judiciously, I think that wallpaper can add something very unique to your home. And, at the risk of sounding completely insane, I like Asian panel wallpaper (Chinoiserie. ) I'm talking about the handpainted designs that were popular in Europe in the 17th century that, rather than feature a repeating pattern, represent a single image (e.g. of a landscape.) I particularly like ones that feature branches, flowers and birds, with a bit of gold leaf accents. When I say that I'd use this judiciously, I mean that I'd use it as if it was a work of art (and, given that they are still handpainted, they basically are works of art.) I'd do one wall of a dining room or the area over my bed. Or, I'd do the interior of a closet, which I think is a fun place to surprise people with wallpaper, as if you've wrapped it up like a gift.

Here are a couple of manufacturers:
http://www.griffinandwong.com/
http://www.graciestudio.com/