Searching for Wallpaper On-Line

There has been a recent explosion of sources to buy wallpaper on-line. Many of these offer well-known brands, good prices, good quality products, and good service. Some good options are listed way below.

But there are things to beware of ….

– A pattern may look pretty on your monitor screen, but it may be difficult to see the accurate color and scale of the design.  Best to order a sample.
And be sure to see the pattern in a full-sized room-set, so you see how the design plays out across a wide area.

– It’s impossible to tell the quality of the paper without actually seeing and feeling it, and many retailers don’t provide complete or accurate information.  Even when such information is provided, the average homeowner hasn’t a clue what all those words actually mean!  One of my least favorite brands (Norwall) pops up all over the Internet, and the patterns are lovely on the screen.  But I cringe every time a customer buys it, because it’s a bear to work with, never looks great (the seams curl), and tends to perform poorly in humid conditions (like bathrooms and Houston in general).  Best to order a sample before buying.

– Just like micro-breweries are popping up all over the place, “boutique” ateliers are creating stunning new wallpaper patterns and colors.  The problem is, not all of these folk have investigated essentials like paper stock, ink stability, substrates, adhesives, matching patterns, trimming, etc.  I’ve seen some  papers that looked absolutely gorgeous as they were unrolled, but simply were not engineered to stick to a wall. Curling seams, wrinkles, puckers.

– So you fell in love with a wallpaper you found on-line.  But did you notice that it is made in Great Britain?  Are you willing to pay postage to have it shipped here?  Is the paste that the manufacturer specifies available in the U.S.?  What if there’s a problem with the paper?  Can you return it?  How long will that take?

– Most companies that sell on-line are honorable, and will work hard to provide excellent merchandise and service.  But others are more interested in getting your money and, once they have it, should there be a problem with their product, it can be mighty hard to get their attention to fix the problem.  I remember the poor lady who had to host her husband’s company Christmas party at her house, with kitchen walls clad in drab green primer, because the no-longer-in-business back-of-the-magazine 1-800 / Internet-only company sent a defective paper and took THREE MONTHS to replace it.

– Which brings up another point – Some of these companies buy manufacturer’s close-outs and turn around and sell them at a greatly reduced price.  The problem is, some of these papers were closed out for a reason … They may be mixed runs (slightly different colors from roll to roll), have been damaged, have manufacturing defects, or some other problem that is impossible to correct. I have had disappointing experiences with material from eBay, Wayfair, and other, similar, “middleman” outfits.

– For the above reasons, I recommend buying from an actual store with an actual sales person who knows the brands and products and who can help you, and will run intereference if there is a problem.

If you do find something on-line that you simply have to have, order a sample, and do your research before hitting “Check Out.”

Good On-Line Sources….Below Info Updated August 2020

Moving ahead, there are now many good quality, dependable brands that are selling on-line directly to the public. Some even feature on-line options which are not available in in-store books. Some very good ones are York (including their popular SureStrip line), and Brewster (which sells a whole lot of good brands https://www.brewsterwallcovering.com/wallpaper-brands), and Graham & Brown. All these are among my favorites. I encourage you to buy from the manufacturer’s site, rather than a middle-man.

Below is more info on which lines are offered on-line by York and Brewster

YORK:
Designer lines on top of York, Waverly include:
Inspired by Color, RoomMates:
Antonina Vella
Candice Olson
Ronald Redding
Missoni
Magnolia Home (Joanna Gaines)
Ashford House (old Eisenhart presses)
Dwell Studio
Aviva Stanoff

BREWSTER:
Borastapeter (the New Scandinavian Designs) and the Dutch Eijffinger line.
They also have on-line only collections under Design Department line.
A Street Prints, Crown (early 20th Century Arts & Crafts style), Coloroll (mod, retro, geo) and more.
Advantage is their economy line,
$15 -20 per single roll, most very good quality, German-made papers.
Tons of murals, grasscloth (Kenneth James) and kiddie designs and borders.

BRITISH Manufacturers:
Cole & Son
GP & J Baker
Harlequin
Osborne & Little
Farrow & Ball
Cowtan & Tout
Colefax & Fowler
The above sell to designers and retail stores only, but they will let you order samples on their websites, and then you can purchase from the vendor of your choice.

Murals:

Rebel Walls
Anewall