A Polychromatic Tapestry
Historically used to cover all four walls, and often the ceiling, wallpaper often has the
most powerful impact in the decoration of a room. The rug, upholstery, a stencil, and even drapery does not equal the volume of wallpaper in what the eye takes in.
“Generally speaking, our palettes were inspired by tertiary wall colors popular in the late19th century,” says Steve Bauer, owner of Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers. “Several of these were specified, when our company was founded, as wallpaper ground colors, and we continue to use the basic grounds as starting points for color compositions. Of course we have added to the handful of original ground colors over the years.
“From there, it’s a matter of choosing ink colors that lay restfully on the ground color. We used to muse that a good color composition, in the end, looked as though it were covered by a sheet of frosted Mylar—that is to say, blended. It’s in part due to the use of white to control the values and to settle the colors together. Greying a color by adding its complement is also a key to bringing a whole composition into balance and controlling the ‘chroma’ or intensity of a color.
“Another rule of thumb we use when putting colorings together is that color used over a wider area should (usually) be much softer than one used in a more focused area. Imagine the intense colors of wildflowers sprinkled over a soft green meadow. Thus, taking a bright color from a small element in a rug or a wallpaper, and painting the wall expanse with it, usually is not a good idea. That color will really assert itself.
“One other tip: Unless the colors of the room are very, very light, don’t leave the mouldings white! White or too-light mouldings sandwiched between medium- or dark-value papers demand too much attention; to me, they look as though they are still wearing primer.
“Should wallpaper be used to set a palette for the rest of the room? Because of its overwhelming impact, I don’t know why you wouldn’t play off it. Again, though, I wouldn’t recommend exactly matching any of the wallpaper colors for paint or the rug. If the overall effect of the wallpaper is blue, for example, you would get a very rich effect by complementing it with warmer tones, like oranges and golds. Complementary rather than matching colors enhance one another rather than compete.
This principle was used extensively by the Victorians, who reveled in complex harmonies. Our more modern tendency it to make sure everything matches. That’s not a scheme normally found in nature—which is a rich, polychromatic tapestry.”