Deck The Halls: A History Of Decorative Wallpaper

Wallpaper as we know it today is as much a part of the furniture of a contemporary home as the furniture itself. However this has not always been the case and the gradual development of wallpaper and the act of decorating one’s interior dwelling can be said to span as far back as the times of the caveman.

Cavemen: The Original Interior Decorators

Whilst it is not wallpaper in the traditional sense, etchings by cavemen on the walls of their caves which date back to approximately 35,000 BC can be seen as an attempt for a dweller to decorate their walls and brighten up their lodgings by creating colorful scenes that draw the attention of the inhabitants. In this sense, the act of creating cave paintings can be deemed to be representative of the earliest example of interior decoration.

36,000 Years Later…

Flashing forward roughly 36,000 years and we come to the period of the Middle Ages. During this particular period of man the more wealthy individuals of society, such as Kings and noblemen, would commission the creation of tapestries that tended to depict scenes of battle and have them hung from the top of their walls so as to create decorative scenes. These adornments not only brought a sense of color to the otherwise grey, stone walls but they also served to act as an insulator against the cold.

The Renaissance of Man and the Renaissance of Wallpaper

Wallpaper achieved a burgeoning popularity amongst the wealthy elite of the gentlemen classes during the Renaissance period that Europe experienced throughout the 14th to the 17th centuries.

The social elite during this particular period of human history gained their inspiration for hanging wallpaper in their homes from the wealthy individuals who had hung tapestries during the Middle Ages. Improvements in stitching and source materials enabled the designs of tapestries to become more durable, detailed and elaborate.

The decoration of walls at this point in history was still only a pursuit of the extremely privileged and so less wealthy members of the elite classes opted to decorate their homes with early forms of wallpaper that were created from large sheets of paper which were either hung from the top of the wall or pasted on to the wall in a manner similar to that with which we paste wallpaper today.

Full Steam Ahead! Wallpaper Gets the Industrial Revolution Treatment

By 1785 a German industrialist by the name of Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf invented a machine that was capable of printing colored tints on to long sheets on paper. This invention, coupled with the Industrial Revolution across Europe in the following century, led to the more widespread availability of wallpaper amongst wider social classes.

Wallpaper as Standard

By the early 20th century wallpaper had become one of the most popular types of household items in the world and has continually remained a staple means with which to cheaply and easily decorate the home.

The rise in popularity of interior decorating over the course of the past twenty years has led to wallpaper designs becoming even more elaborate and created a somewhat bewildering choice of colors for the contemporary consumer.

Some Nice Finishing Touches

In addition to wallpapering, many decorators now opt to color match their wallpaper with border rolls so as to offset combination colours against each other and add a touch of style to their homes.

A Little Roll Goes a Long Way

Additionally, display border roles have become an increasingly popular means of enabling schoolteachers to decorate their classrooms. Given that schools tend to operate on a strict budget and simply have classrooms painted in the cheapest, standard white it is often difficult to create a feeling of warmth and energy in the classroom.

Indeed, the drawings that children produce in the classroom can be seen as both a cost effective and creative solution to decorating a room and giving it a more homely feel. In addition to the color that is added to the classroom by such drawings, framing the collection of art with brightly colored display border rolls can help to brighten up the room and tidy up any scuffed edges.

About Author: Jasmin Blunt is a writer who understands the importance of display border rolls in the home and at school. Teachers use vibrant colored rolls as a cost effective and creative way of framing and presenting children’s work.