The versatility of wallpaper means that nearly every style, pattern and texture can be a perfect addition to your interior design with the help of a wallpaper specialist to choose the specific design to bring out the best in a space.

Textured wallpaper is particularly flexible and therefore an often very fascinating choice, as it can add dimension to otherwise quite bare and minimalist styles, or it can be used to accentuate a rich, decadent pattern and create a timeless luxury look.

This luxurious feel was, in fact, the very reason why textured wallpaper became popular, and in doing so revolutionised how people decorated their walls in the present day.

For centuries, the main way to decorate the walls of a luxury home was through hanging up textiles such as tapestries, elaborate damask designs or cuts of soft fabrics such as velvet, which were often shaped into ornate designs similar to damask. 

Once block printing methods were developed, many early wallpapers attempted to emulate the former, providing paper replicas of popular tapestry designs. They were very successful, but ultimately highlighted more what they were not than what they were.

This would change with the incorporation of “flock” into the production of wallpaper. Flock was a byproduct of wool production in the early parts of the Industrial Revolution, available as a relatively cheap and plentiful powder.

When applied to a surface such as a cheaper cloth or thick paper, it created a soft textured pattern that when applied to a wall resembled the look of damask whilst costing considerably less, lasting longer and being far more versatile.

By the late 17th century they were available, and by the 1730s they had started to be seen in the halls of power and in Hampton Court Palace, according to the Victoria And Albert Museum.

This represented a fundamental change away from textile walls and towards the wallpaper that we know today, particularly as block printers found ways to replicate the look of flock wallpaper without relying on the powder itself.

Whilst flock would ultimately see its popularity fade as lighter tones and cleaner designs entered the vogue, but they can still be found for restoration purposes and they have inspired later textured designs still seen today.