YOUR NEXT STEP, WITH CONFIDENCE
4 Fun Historical Facts About Wallpaper
Four museum-backed facts about wallpaper, plus practical ways to use pattern in a home today.
Updated November 1, 2026 · Originally published 2021-02-16
Wallpaper brings pattern into a room without changing its floor plan. Its history also offers useful design inspiration: a wall can be quiet, theatrical, textured or deliberately framed. The Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection documents four particularly interesting developments.
Four facts from wallpaper history
1. Early papers decorated modest spaces. The V&A describes sixteenth-century examples used inside cupboards and smaller rooms in merchants’ homes, rather than exclusively in grand interiors.
2. Rolls changed what designers could do. Joining individual sheets into longer lengths helped make larger repeating designs practical. Block printing then allowed patterns to travel across a wall.
3. Multicolored printing required repeated work. Traditional printers used separate blocks for different colors, aligning each impression carefully and allowing the paper to dry between applications.
4. Flock imitated expensive fabrics. Powdered wool attached to an adhesive pattern created a raised surface resembling velvet or damask, bringing a textile effect to paper.
Bringing the idea home
Start with the room, not the sample book. Notice daylight, existing woodwork, ceiling height and the objects you want to keep. A pattern that feels balanced on a small sample can dominate an entire hallway, so view a generous sample from both the doorway and the usual seating position.
Think about the installation as well as the print. Ask what preparation the wall needs, how the pattern repeats and how much extra material should be ordered for matching. Confirm cleaning instructions and whether the product suits the room’s conditions. Do not assume every removable paper will release cleanly from every painted surface; test according to the manufacturer’s directions.
If you are preparing to sell, consider whether existing wallpaper adds character or shows damage that needs attention. Repairing a lifted seam or presenting a well-furnished room may be more useful than replacing an entire scheme purely because it is patterned. Choose changes that make the space coherent and well cared for.