Wallpaper layout: agree on the pattern before installation

Choose what the pattern should line up with

Decide whether the visual center is the wall, the bed or another fixed feature. Those positions may differ. Show the installer where furniture will sit after the room is finished, including anything that will cover a large part of the design.

Graham & Brown notes that a design's center does not always coincide with the center of its roll. Ask to see the proposed motif placement using the actual paper. For a large floral or geometric design, review both its height and its position across the wall.

Review the beginning and the end together

For a whole room, ask the installer to identify the starting area and the final meeting point. Milton & King's hanging instructions recommend finishing in the least conspicuous corner. Have the proposed location shown on your room photo so you can judge it from the doorway and normal seating position.

For a feature wall, mark both side boundaries. Specify whether paper stops at an inside corner, continues onto a short return or meets a trim edge. Include any proposed trim or adjacent paint work in the estimate.

Look closely at corners and openings

Graham & Brown cautions that walls and corners may not be straight and that stripes can emphasize irregularities. Ask how the selected design will look at the actual corners, ceiling line and baseboard. Have any expected pattern compromise identified before approving the layout.

Its guidance also advises avoiding narrow strips beside doors and windows. Review those areas as part of the full layout, especially when an opening sits close to the main motif. State whether recessed sides of a window or doorway are included or will remain painted.

Assign removal and reinstallation

List curtain brackets, shelves, mirrors and other wall-mounted items. Mark which return to their existing positions, which move and which leave holes to repair. Agree who removes and reinstalls each item, and when.

Include wall lights, switches and outlets in the photos without dismantling them. Any electrical disconnection or alteration should be assigned to the appropriately qualified trade in the scope.

Keep a short layout record

Send Coast & Craft the product link and marked photos with these decisions:

• Main motif position and final furniture locations.
• Papered surfaces, side boundaries and recessed areas.
• Proposed start, finish and any visible pattern compromises.
• Items to remove, relocate or reinstall, with responsibility agreed.