Add wow with wallpaper

Discover a host of clever ways to transform your home with these versatile wall coverings

- Anna-Lisa De'Ath

As well as adding pattern and colour, wallpaper can have a transformative impact on the feel of the space. Depending how and where you hang it, you can use wall coverings as a secret device to make a room appear taller, wider, larger or cosier than it really is, without ever calling in the builders. If you're not able to paper your walls, you can still make a style statement by applying pattern to furniture and accessories. Once you've got to grips with how to use wallpaper for this seductive effect, the tricky thing will be knowing when to stop!

The height of fashion

Open up the space in rooms with low ceilings with sensational stripes. Try hanging wallpaper with vertical stripes to help increase the sense of height this is a flipped version of the technique for widening narrow spaces. The stripes don't have to be straight-edged designs, vertical wiggles or vertical rows of florals will still draw the eye, creating the same effect of visual height.

Open wide

If your rooms are long and narrow, using a wall covering with horizontal stripes will make the space appear wider. When hanging striped wallpaper, use a spirit or laser level to ensure the stripes will run perfectly horizontally around the room. It's easy to assume that your floor or ceiling is level, but they rarely are, especially if you live in an older property. So use a levelling tool before you start hanging your wallpaper to avoid costly mistakes. If you love this effect but can't find a paper with horizontal stripes that suits your space, try hanging a vertical-striped wallpaper horizontally to achieve the same effect. It will be a bit more difficult to put up, as you'll be working against gravity, so try user-friendly, paste-the-wall paper if you can.