Wallpaper Trends Making a Comeback

Grasscloth, botanical prints, and hand-blocked patterns are back. Here is how designers are using them in modern homes.

Wallpaper has returned largely as a targeted material rather than a whole-home treatment. Grasscloth and other natural textures are the most versatile of the current revival, they add warmth and tactility without committing to a pattern that will date. Botanical and hand-blocked prints are appearing most often in powder rooms, entry vestibules, and ceilings, spaces small enough that a bold pattern reads as a deliberate moment rather than an overwhelming one. The practical consideration most homeowners underestimate is surface preparation. Wallpaper is far less forgiving than paint of uneven walls, and seams will telegraph any irregularity in the substrate beneath.