Wallpaper Trends 2016: 19 Stunning
Examples of Metallic Wallpaper

Inspiration
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Amber Moore
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June 26, 2016

 

A Bit About Wallpaper: Where Did It Come From?

Wallpaper began as extravagant tapestry in richer homes, originally intended to keep the draft out. Much inspiration was taken from the wall paintings used by Egyptians and Romans.

As early as the 1400s, wallpaper had made appearances as a cheaper alternative. It began as small squares of hand painted paper used to decorate wood panels, but by the 1500s the wealthy had began to use brocades, velvets and even embossed leather.

Wallpaper became more and more fashionable (and affordable), from the appearance of coloured wallpaper in the 1700s to the relatively new trend in 2016 that is metallic wallpaper.

 

Why Choose Metallic Wallpaper?

Metallic wallpaper is composed of shiny plant fibres intertwined with metallic thread. It is far more durable than your average wallpaper, so it will look beautiful for longer.

The use of metallic wallpapers is a growing trend that can be used in many different ways to suit varied tastes.

 

Light

Metallic wallpaper is an effective tool for reflecting light evenly around your room, making it feel bigger and more open, so is perfect for smaller rooms.

 

Metallic wallpaper with white chair
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You can base how much of your room you cover in the wallpaper based on how shiny it is.

If you fall in love with the shiniest of all the metallic wallpapers, you should avoid covering all of the walls in your room in it. This will end up being an assault on the senses, and can start to look a little tacky!

You should instead opt for an accent wall – this will add interest to the room, while maintaining a sophisticated look.

Matte metallic wallpapers are less overpowering, so can therefore be used on more than one wall. They look great when combined with shiny accessories of the same colour.

 

Matte metallic wallpaper with shiny accessories
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Colour

Gold and silver metallic wallpapers tend to be the most popular choice for metallic wallpapers. They have a very luxurious feel to them, being precious metals, and you will usually find gold and silver accents on more plain wallpaper.

 

Gold metallic wallpaper on solid brown
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You can also try warmer metallics such as bronze, copper or even rose gold for a more modern look. These will also make effective accents, as you want to keep it as subtle as possible.

 

Rose gold metallic wallpaper
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Pattern

As metallic wallpaper tends to be quite eye-catching, you need to be careful with what patterns are included to prevent it being overpowering. Spots and stripes are very common, and many people opt for floral patterns.

If extravagant patterns are used, the rest of the room should be very simple with plain colours and clean lines.

Glitter metallic wallpaper is a good choice for a feature wall, giving a very glamorous feel to the room, but would likely not be suitable for the entire room.

 

Sparkly glitter metallic wallpaper feature wall
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Inspiration for every room

The Bedroom

 

Butterfly metallic wallpaper bedroom
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Pewter grey and blue metallic wallpaper
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Blue trees metallic wallpaper for the bedroom
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Metallic wallpaper with trees nature pattern
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The Bathroom

Gold bathroom with metallic wallpaper and gold bathtub
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Shiny metallic wallpaper feature wall
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The Living Room

 

Metallic wallpaper living room with trees pattern
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Living room metallic wallpaper with neutral vases
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Pink metallic wallpaper
15

 

Metallic shiny wallpaper living room
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Gold and white metallic wallpaper
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Metallic wallpaper brown living room
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Sources

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

Amber Moore

Amber Moore

Amber is an interior enthusiast from London, and is a firm believer that pale pink goes with everything. She lives for Grey's Anatomy, beautiful Scandinavian interiors and cute puppies - or anything fluffy really!