by Amy Lemley Bailey 

A traditional Southern home can hardly be defined as monotone. Our homes are often as vibrant and colorful as our culture. With a desire to celebrate everything from crawfish to camellias, it should be no surprise that the Southern home is one that exemplifies warmth, hospitality, and exuberance. What better way to bring to life a high-spirited home than with wallpaper? 

Wallpaper, or paper coverings as they were once called, dominated the interiors of affluent homes in both New England and the South in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Though many paper coverings were imported, they were also made domestically and contributed to the new country’s soaring economy. In 1840 it was reported that 2 million rolls of wallpaper were produced in America. By 1890, wallpaper was the standard wall finish with over 100 million rolls produced in this country. This craze continued until World War I with wallpaper adorning everything from powder baths to city cafes. American architects often specified what type of paper to be used for rooms in a home based on lighting, temperature, proportion and sociability. 

Take a stroll through Huntsville’s downtown and you will find many homes dating as far back as the early and mid 1800s through the early 1900s. Imagine what wall coverings you might have once found behind the Greek Revival columns, gabled roofs, and sculpted friezes. In the 1820s, records from the iconic paper covering brand Zuber’s Alsace factory documented over 100 American importers from Maine to New Orleans. 

Although wallpaper saw a decline in popularity during the mid-20th century, it remained a favorite in traditional Southern homes. It has gained popularity over the past decade and is currently the most sought-after design element used in old and new homes, once again popping up in powder baths, dining rooms, bedrooms, nurseries, stairwells, laundry rooms and even ceilings across the South.

Huntsville designer Randy Roper says, “Wallpaper can add many elements of a house’s design. It can add color and texture and dimension. One example is using a multicolor paper in the entry that can create the color palette for the entire house, pulling colors from the paper for paint colors used in other rooms.” Roper continues, “Wall coverings can also be art, as in mural papers like Gracie and Zuber where you can choose your design then your own colors for these wonderful hand-painted papers.”

Roper adds that wallpaper, unlike paint, can also be used to hide flaws and blemishes on plaster walls.

Designer Tyler Spano sees wallpaper as a way to add warmth and texture to a room. “I love using grasscloth; the natural fibers and depth it creates is unmatched. The Cowtan and Tout patterned grasscloths are some of the most beautiful.” She recently chose a patterned grasscloth by Cowtan and Tout for the historic McCalley-Stockton home in the Twickenham neighborhood in downtown Huntsville.

Spano sees wallpaper being requested more and more by clients. “I think today people are seeing more of it on social media and aren’t afraid to use it anymore. A great place to start is in a powder bathroom. This space is usually small and can go bold and make a statement. Remember, have fun with it. Nothing is permanent!” 

“For me wallpaper has always been en vogue and will remain so, but now even people who were once weary have jumped on board,” notes designer Danielle Balanis, whose projects span Birmingham, Huntsville and across the Southeast. “I abide by the maximalist principle that more is more. Wallpaper is a base layer I can keep adding to. It sets the stage for marvelous adventures to happen in a room.”

When it comes to the wall coverings that are most popular with her clients, Balanis notices a trend. “A common thread I see often is clients choosing striped or geometric variations as well as chinoiserie patterns.” She adds, “I also love and recommend using wallpaper on the ceiling.” Balanis believes that wall coverings are here to stay. “It is fresh, it is enticing and it is here in a big, bold way.” 

Bold wall coverings are just what another downtown Huntsville couple chose to cosmetically give their home new life. Perhaps the most recognized wallpaper in their home is the Zebra pattern by Scalamandre, an American company founded in 1929. It hangs in the stairwell and is perfectly paired with the cheetah runner. Keeping with the American trend, Schumacher’s Citrus Garden was chosen for the kitchen. It’s a perfect room for the pattern, but with a beamed ceiling the homeowner had to get inventive with trim and how to hang it.

The most kismet transformation was the Cole & Son Florencecourt pattern which the homeowner envisioned in the dining room since first setting foot in the room. In fact, it was ordered when the contract on the home was finalized. After months of looking at the hung paper, the couple realized that the botanical pattern featured on the paper are of the yew tree, which is planted all around the home and has grown there for decades. Wall coverings aren’t just aesthetically pleasing; they also tend to tell a story.

Charlann Potter Anderson, owner of DSR Inc., an Alabama showroom, notes, “Wallpaper has always been popular in traditional Southern homes but it has truly become hot! There are not a lot of wall coverings we aren’t selling these days. So many people have neutral homes, so adding color through wallpaper is visually appealing. I love that people are using it on the ‘fifth wall,’ the ceiling, too. Many find their home is truly complete with wallpaper.” 

Anderson herself just purchased a beautiful Brunschwig & Fils for her dining room and a dark teal faux alligator skin for a downstairs area. She adds, “My only advice is that you hire a professional to hang your paper. It is a lot harder to hang than you think it will be!”

For local wallpaper hanging or more information contact:

Keith Womack Wallpaper Hanger 256.603.3870

Tyler Spano Design 256.508.7173

The Chameleon Fabric & Interiors 256.270.7408

Randy Roper Interiors 256.533.2563