When a woman who loves fashion gets an idea for home décor into her head, she typically can’t let it go. Home décor and fashion have a lot in common, especially if you think about the history of wallpaper. Wallpaper has seen some significant changes over the years, with trending prints and patterns coming and going almost as quickly as fashion trends themselves—making removable wallpaper a fantastic option for regular redecorators.
If you put as much thought into choosing stylish, soft pajamas as you do choosing what to put inside your home, wallpaper’s history may inspire you. You’ll uncover new ways to add color to your home, from your closet to your kitchen, in more ways than one.
A Brief History of Wallpaper
Wallpaper has been around for hundreds of years. While removable wallpaper is all the rage, designing and creating wallpaper was not always as simple as deciding whether you want a new vibe for your home and finding the right pattern. A lot of work went into creating wallpaper. We’re going to scratch the surface of what you need to know about wallpaper so you can feel that spark of inspiration that will contribute to the atmosphere of your home.
Chinese Influence
Thanks to Chinese influence and the Silk Road, we have wallpaper as we know it today. Many things went west on the Silk Road, including paper-making techniques and luxurious wallpaper designs. Spanning hundreds of years, you can trace the influence of Chinese culture in Western wallpaper designs, from more reliable ways to make paper to the stunning, large-scale wallpaper scenes that were non-repeating. Chinese wallpaper crafting has continuously inspired and shaped the art of wallpaper as we know it today.
Europe Gives It a Try
I know we’re all obsessed with European fashion and how they can make anything look chic, even wearing monogrammed pajamas during the day with a pair of heels. Their part in the history of wallpaper is also fascinating and intricate, focusing on quality in the earlier times before deferring to mass production and profit (sound familiar?).
In addition to the large-scale Chinese paintings and traditional, painstaking ink blocking, the most well-known wallpaper technique in Europe’s and Britain’s histories of home décor is flocking. Flocking features patterns copied from textiles to imitate the appearance of velvet or silk using powdered wool left over from the woolen industry (keeping moths at bay was a cinch!). This practice sounds like sustainability practices today, but was mostly done for its appearance and cost-effectiveness.
The Fashion Effect
Relatively soon after people started using machines to create clothing, someone must have realized they could improve the production of wallpaper (thanks, Industrial Revolution!). Companies made wallpaper by hand until the 1800s, and then a mass printing machine—imagine a giant version of motif rolling pins—was introduced. While the product quality decreased, so did production time, and wallpaper was mass-produced and mass-appreciated.
Wallpaper also mimicked the fashionable clothing prints of the time. In the 1700s and 1800s, floral motifs were incredibly popular, and flocked patterns were copied from textiles, showing the direct correlation between fashion and home décor. This puts a whole new spin on your luxury pajamas that match your favorite toile wallpaper, doesn’t it?
Note: We don’t want to gloss over the fact that, historically, arsenic was used in the vivid greens of clothing and wallpaper. It impacted many people. Today, arsenic in textiles is no longer something to worry about. You can enjoy green wallpaper as much as you love green clothing.
Wallpaper Starts Rolling
So, it’s no wonder wallpaper became popular. Even into the 1900s, wallpaper was a staple in homes. Bolder prints and brighter colors inspired by films and world cultures also influenced the fashion world. As wallpapers became more popular, people demanded DIY options, leading to the creation of peel and stick wallpaper in the 1960s. Thank goodness for that—now we can enjoy the stylish removable wallpaper we love so much.
How to Incorporate Wallpaper Today
Wallpaper has come almost as far as fashion (just a few thousand years shy). You can now wear chic pajama sets from the same brand that provided the wallpaper for your favorite accent walls and office décor. After taking a moment to appreciate the similarities between fashion innovation and wallpaper production, you’re ready to use wallpaper to elevate the space in your home.
Pattern Play
There are so many gorgeous wallpaper patterns, including removable wallpaper options with identical brilliant prints and bright colors (this isn’t the 1800s, after all). When it comes to patterns, you don’t have to stick to what’s strictly on-trend—have fun with your home décor. There are chic city toiles, playful food prints, and fresh takes on classic florals and animal prints. There is no way to say what will look good in your home, but you can play with patterns and uncover the best places for an accent wall, reading nook, or added ambiance.
Contemporary Convenience
Thanks to the growing popularity of wallpaper in the 1900s, you can now use convenient, peel and stick wallpaper in your home. It’s a great option for people who are renting or those who like to redecorate often. You can also use it on smaller spaces in your home to see if you like the wallpaper effect. The removable wallpaper route will help you breathe new life into a space without making a mess, and once you get the hang of it, you can quickly become a peel and stick wallpaper expert.
A Fashionable Influence
When wallpaper and fashion come together, the common theme is art. An artistic, print-based brand may have what you need to beautify your home and closet without sacrificing the quality of the product. That said, you’ll see those gorgeous wallpaper prints you love become much more wearable and vice-versa. Even now, trends and patterns often change, but some looks are timeless, like various animal prints, stripes, and foliage patterns. They look lovely on the walls of your home and the clothes on your body. So, how do you wear wallpaper prints well?
The Pajama Game
Pajamas are the ideal fashion medium for bold prints and patterns with vivid colors and classy silhouettes. They embody the connection between fashion, art, decoration, and the comfort of an evening at home. Changing into pajamas at the end of the day is something everyone looks forward to, and you never have to give up on your love for fashion and art when you want to get comfortable. Not only can you change into your monogram pajamas at the end of the day, but you can also enjoy the wallpaper you applied in your home to make the vibe feel more tuned in to you.
There are so many fascinating facts about the history of wallpaper, and you’ll see a lot that parallels historical fashion trends. When you want to redecorate your home or your closet, you can thank these major changes in home décor for some of the chicest wallpapers and pajama sets. There have certainly been many improvements over hundreds of years, and they have been well worth the effort.
About Katie Kime
With the Katie Kime brand, you’re invited to explore a world of wonder through an artistic lens. Patterns, toiles, and designs from Katie Kime tell a unique story. Make them your own with comfortable sleepwear, vibrant home decor, chic accessories, and eye-catching wallpaper. Practical products are infused with creativity, giving more meaning to the everyday. Whether you want to add a pop of color to a wall with removable wallpaper, make someone’s day special with monogram pajamas, or look for the perfect hostess gifts, Katie Kime brings a colorful perspective to daily life. Celebrate the joyful moments and capture memories along the way—Katie Kime can be part of it. Tell your story in the ways you want to express it.
Feel inspired by wallpaper prints and pajama sets from Katie Kime at https://www.katiekime.com/