Having until recently been thought of as more of a background, wallpaper, has now established itself at the forefront of interior design and is seen as an effective way of keeping your interior bold, beautiful and inline with the current trends.
This recent popularity, along with people’s general shift toward sustainable living, has seen more and more designers producing eco wallpaper collections. Printed on paper that has either been recycled or sourced from responsibly managed forests, eco wallpapers are dyed using water-based inks that release none of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) so commonly found in conventional wallpapers.
Environmental credentials aside, it’s how these eco papers measure up in the style stakes that will determine their success, and ultimately, shape attitudes towards eco design. And although these have come a long way from what was once commonly considered to consist of ‘various shades of hemp’, on brief investigation I came across attitudes such as ‘decoratively disaterous’, ‘dull’ and even, ‘spinachy’!
So, in a bid to prove it is anything but, (and quite apart from getting carried away looking at nice wallpaper), I’ve compiled a comparative selection, putting some of the best eco wallpapers up against the competition. Hopefully fellow decorites will see that eco wallpapers can certainly hold their own, and making eco friendly choices needn’t necessitate a compromise on style.
**Please note, some are eco and some non eco wallpapers, point being to compare.
Descriptions in brackets aren’t actual design names and are just there for you to identify each design.
Sheet 1.
Top left (green waves) – Paper Flavor, http://www.flavorleague.com/wallpaper/ – Non Eco wallpaper
Top right (silvery gold leaves) ECO wallpaper, http://www.eco.se/main.aspx?l=4 – Eco wallpaper
Middle left (gold squares) Designers guild, http://www.designersguild.com/ – Non Eco wallpaper
Bottom right (pink flowers) Crinson, http://www.crinson.com/Dominic_Crinson_Tiles/Home.html – Eco wallpaper
Bottom left (pink on grey) Madisonandgrow, http://www.madisonandgrow.com/ – Eco wallpaper
Sheet 2.
Top left (silhouettes) Ferm living, http://www.ferm-living.com/ – Non eco wallpaper
Top right (green leaves) ECO wallpaper, http://www.eco.se/main.aspx?l=4 – Eco wallpaper
Middle left (50’s) Sanderson, http://www.sanderson-uk.com/ – Non eco wallpaper
Middle right (plants) ECO wallpaper, http://www.eco.se/main.aspx?l=4 – Eco wallpaper
Bottom left (cars) Studio Ditte, http://www.studioditte.nl/ – Non eco wallpaper
Bottom right (penguins) My Little Eco, www.mylittleeco.co.uk – Eco wallpaper
