From digital prints to textured wall coverings, wallpaper designs are hotting up. Plain-papered walls are passé. Today’s selection of wallpapers is more diverse and creative than ever. Think eye-popping patterns, hand-drawn illustrations and bold hues in a number of styles – vintage, retro, classical, floral, new vogue, Pacifica, Kiwiana, industrial chic, and contemporary luxury. These days we’re spoilt for choice, and the sky, quite literally, is the limit.

“Wallpaper has come so far from the dated florals in our grandparents’ home,” says Resene colour consultant Rebecca Long. “It’s pushing the boundaries with vivid colour, bold geometrics, emphasis on textures, high detail, international influences, hand painting… definitely a lot of personality.”

How we are using them is creating loads of personality in our homes too.

“Bold patterns are popping up on walls behind the bedhead, up one side of a staircase, as a stand-out feature in an entrance, and even on ceilings!” says Rebecca.

A sophisticated fusion of luxury and elegance, and ‘natural’ digital finishes such as stone, wood and brick are trending right now. A diversity of colours has been ushered in, from soft and fresh, to bold and blaring, as well as shimmering metallics.

“The Yasmin wallpaper book from Resene ColorShops, for example, is very metallic with a lot of shimmer and texture,” says Rebecca. “It features beautiful mosaics, geometrics, sparkling pearls and velvets, all with a subtle exotic touch.” Holographic print effects are present too, with intricate detailing and even glass beads.

Wallpapers with oversized botanicals and floral prints are mimicking the digitally printed fabrics that have recently featured on the fashion runways. Just take a look at Muse, a wallpaper collection with elegant, hand-painted flowers from wild to lush to modest and refined.

“There is always a space for florals, just in different forms,” says Rebecca. “The elegant, hand-painted look is huge at the moment, with its high attention to detail. And we’re looking at vivid, bright colours as well.”

One step towards quirkier are the digital prints and artistic renditions in the wallpaper book Just Like It. Whether you like the slightly punchy or the boldly bizarre, these designs are the epitome of unique interior design.

Exposed, textured wallpapers are also very much on trend.

“Think an exposed concrete wall in your entrance or cabin-like wood-panelled walls in your cosy master bedroom. Exposed and textured wallpapers allow you to easily discover the exposed industrial trend.”

These wallpapers fit in well with homeowners’ longing for sustainability and their growing appreciation for the earth and its resources. Solid wood furniture and wood panelling are current interior trends, and that’s reflected in the latest wallpaper offerings as well.

Walls feel instantly tactile with prints of exposed wood or stone, but also with realistic looking prints of quilted leather (Exposed PE01032), cross-stitch and soft knits.

But step one further to flocked wallpapers for a delicious tactile feel, or anaglypta, or paintable papers, which have been trending for a couple of years now. These heavily embossed papers come in a greater-than-ever array of patterns, from Victorian style to contemporary. Traditional styles and motifs have been updated, and classic patterns enhanced.

For many homeowners, paintable papers are the perfect marriage of pattern and palette, especially when finding a wallpaper with the right colour and pattern to match their style has proved difficult.

Hard pressed to find pressed-tin tiles for your ceiling? Look to anaglypta papers and paint them in metallic.

Contemporary technology is also allowing homeowners to create their own wallpaper designs.

“Whether it’s a family photo, an art print you like, a graphic you have designed – anything, as long as it meets the specifications of file size – you can upload a photo, put in the dimensions of the wall you want to cover and then the online programme, Resene WallPrint www.resene.co.nz/wallprint, calculates how much you need. You will receive wallpaper strips cut to size and numbered at the bottom, so it’s super easy to put up. The wallpaper is paste-the-wall too, so it’s very easy to hang.”

This modern-day technology offers a unique way to personalise your interior with your favourite images, or text, signs and symbols – another trend.

“The possibilities with wallpaper are endless,” says Rebecca. “And the bolder and quirkier the better.”