In 2020, two of the previous year’s hottest trends — oversized florals with dark backgrounds, and statement wallpaper styles — are pairing up to create spectacular design statements. That’s according to Wallsauce, a popular UK-based company providing bespoke print-on-demand wallpaper and wall murals.
Once consigned to decor limbo, wallpaper is having a refreshing revival. It’s difficult to find a hottest-trends list that does not list it. And wallcoverings today are popping up in all kinds of patterns: tropical and botanical – geometric, stripes, abstract – almost anything goes.
As for florals, last year saw “moody florals,” or blooms on dark backgrounds flourishing, migrating to the decor world from the fashion catwalk. There, such designers as Christian Dior, Dries Van Noten and Erdem embraced the trend with gusto. In fact, when Jess Cartner-Morley of The Guardian noticed how quickly people everywhere were to embrace them, she said, “Floral patterns on a dark background is not so much a fashion trend as a fashion takeover.”
The way to make moody florals fresh and new, Wallsauce says, is to go large, even huge. Take textile designer Uta Naumann, for instance. In her care, the dark floral wallpaper trend takes on new depth and luxurious colours. Her Pink Rose Jungle wall mural, with its bold magenta and pink blooms set against lush, almost tropical, greenery fits the bill. Wallsauce also uses digitally enhanced photos blown up to create artistic statements, as in the Purple Roses or Sepia Flowers murals.
For a more baroque flair, the Wallsauce collection features works of art by two 17th century artists. One is French artist Abraham Mignon, a still-life painter whose works were popular at the court of Louis XIV. The other is painter Jan Davidsz de Heem, active in Utrecht and Antwerp, and whose still-life paintings gained notice for their Baroque flair. When enlarged to fill a wall, their works become surprisingly contemporary and relevant.
The company also works with artists who prefer to keep the floral trend lighter, less sombre. American-born watercolour artist Carol Robinson provides a collection of whimsical and pastel floral murals. And the works of German interior designer-turned-artist Andrea Haase shows sophisticated twists on the botanical trend.
There’s a reason wallpaper fell out of favour for many decades. Historically, once people tired of those azaleas or roses, it took long hours of steaming and scraping to remove them. Nowadays, it’s no longer necessary to commit to a bold design for years to come. Thanks to stick-and-peel adhesives, you can get the audacious aesthetic you want without committing to a long-term decor relationship. •
Images courtesy of wallsauce.com
