All hung up for autumn

From swirls of colour to geometric metal patterns, Trish Lorenz unrolls the latest wallpaper trends

Trish Lorenz
Friday 05 October 2012 10:32 BST
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Autumn and winter wallpaper and paint collections begin to launch this month and while geometric and 1950s-inspired prints continue to feature, there's now a clearly emerging trend towards a darker, more opulent mood.

At Graham & Brown (grahambrown.com) the new collection explores nocturnal and fairy-tale themes. But forget childish metaphors: the designs channel the Brothers Grimm rather than Walt Disney. "The key colour trends have been inspired by the international catwalk collections: inky blues; emerald and moss greens; amber, plum and stormy greys. Embellishment is also big this season with shimmering glitters, coppers, gold and pearlescent accents," says Nina Taylor, head stylist at Graham & Brown.

At this year's London Design Festival, young designers were taking a maximalist approach. Kit Miles' Opal Paisley paper (kitmiles.co.uk), which launched at 100% Design last month, is a great example. Metallic finishes give the paper a luxury feel but the hand-drawn designs have a darker edge. House of Hackney's dreamlike designs, such as Hackney Empire and Flights of Fancy, are also on trend this season (houseofhackney.com).

Paint shades are getting darker too, with Dulux launching colours such as the deep grey Raven Plume and strong blue of Indigo Night (dulux.co.uk). "This year's colours change appearance and mood as the light varies at different times of the day and night," says Dulux creative director Marianne Shillingford. "Using these darker shades on walls can sometimes take a bit of a leap of faith but the risk pays off in spades as they'll add instant sophistication to an interior."

Keep an eye out too, for a newly launched paint collection by interiors brand Mini Moderns (minimoderns.com). The 12 colours, including a shade called Welsh Slate, are made with up to 90 per cent recycled waste paint that's been diverted from landfill or incineration. Very eco-friendly.

glamour sheen With shades of gold, slate and tumeric and a simple pattern, this Persephone wallpaper by Clarissa Hulse adds a touch of glamour without dominating a space. £48, clarissahulse.com

zebra style

This zebra-skin inspired wallpaper with a touch of silver from Osborne & Little has an exotic and glamorous feel to it. £71/roll, fabricsandpapers.com

fantastic walls Striking geometric patterns with a touch of the fairy tale, this Blue Moon print from MissPrint evokes a Tolkien vibe. £59.95/roll, johnlewis.com

botanical lux

This season is all about bold botanical patterns – we like the strong colour and lush details of the Tropicana design from Surface View, which can be applied to walls or velvet fabric for a truly luxury feel. £70 sq/m, surfaceview.co.uk

miles better

The first collection by young designer Kit Miles features vivid hand-drawn designs and lush colours. £290/roll, kitmiles.co.uk

east geometry

This gold geometric pattern by Chinese designer Steve Leung for Graham & Brown is sophisticated but also simple enough to live with over time. £30/roll, grahambrown.com

autumnal hues Tapping into the trend for dramatic botanical imagery, this design has a warm colour palette that's perfect for autumn. £85/roll, johnlewis.com

Causing a stir Complement this season's wallpaper designs with the latest darker shades from Dulux. £24.29/2.5l, dulux.co.uk

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