Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Wallpaper

"Wallpaper is a great solution to lots of challenges," says decorator Meg Braff. "It's one of the most useful tools we designers have in our bag of tricks. It can bring warmth and detail to an otherwise drab room and transform a cavernous space into an intimate retreat. It's an extra decorative layer. And you don't need to paper an entire room or limit yourself to just walls. Put it on the ceiling or behind the shelves of a bookcase for an unexpected moment."

"For a library in a city apartment with bare Sheetrock walls and not that many bookshelves, I chose a dramatic black grass cloth. The texture of the grass cloth warms up the room and creates more depth than painting, glazing, or even lacquering the walls would have."

"A powder room is a great place to make a big wallpaper statement. This one, from Quadrille, has pizzazz and wraps itself around you."

"In a bedroom with very high ceilings, a wallpaper with a Philip Graf pattern in a large vertical repeat helps tame the fairly vast space."

"Papers can add visual interest and still be neutral. This one, from Cole & Son, has a subtle pattern that's great on its own, but you could also hang art on it."

"Patterned wallpaper can even out awkward angles in a room and make a quirky space feel more cohesive."