The Journal

Notes on pattern, colour and rooms

Ideas, how-tos and the designs we keep coming back to — written by the team behind the shop in Beverley.

Featured · Editorial

A Plain Guide to Laura Ashley Wallpaper

The sprigged florals, the soft greens, the damasks and toiles. Here's what Laura Ashley wallpaper is actually like to choose and hang, with real repeats and what £52 a roll gets you.

Read the entry 28 July 2026

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23 entries

Editorial

Art Deco wallpaper: how to use it without overdoing it

Fans, sunbursts and metallic edges. Art Deco wallpaper looks harder to pull off than it is. Here's how to use it on one wall without the room turning into a film set.

26 July 2026

Editorial

Living room wallpaper ideas that work in a real room

Most living room wallpaper advice ignores the sofa, the telly and the radiator. Here is how to choose a paper for the room you actually sit in.

24 July 2026

Editorial

A plain guide to Joules wallpaper

Pheasants, ditsy florals and ticking stripes. Joules wallpaper is better understood by its specifications than its reputation, so here is what the range is actually made of, what the repeats cost you, and where it works.

22 July 2026

Editorial

How to wallpaper around corners, windows and awkward shapes

Flat walls are the easy part. Here are the plain rules for papering internal and external corners, window reveals, doorframes and arches, so the pattern stays straight and the seams sit flat.

20 July 2026

Editorial

Sage Green Wallpaper: A Calm Colour That Goes With Everything

Sage green is the colour people ask for by name. What it actually is, why it is so easy to live with, and the sage papers we keep coming back to.

18 July 2026

Editorial

Wallpaper for a dark room with no natural light

A room with no sun can't borrow warmth from the light, so the paper has to bring its own. Here's how to choose for a genuinely dark room, whether you want to lift it or lean in.

16 July 2026

Editorial

Maximalist Wallpaper, Done Tastefully

Maximalism done well is one confident decision, not ten. How to pick a bold paper, build a scheme around it, and keep the room from tipping into clutter.

14 July 2026

Editorial

A plain guide to Cath Kidston wallpaper

Roses, ditsy florals, gingham and spot. A plain guide to Cath Kidston wallpaper: who makes it, the patterns and who they suit, the specs, and where it works.

12 July 2026

Editorial

Paste the wall or paste the paper? Plainly explained

Two hanging methods, one small label that decides which you use. Here's the plain difference between paste the wall and paste the paper, and how to tell what your roll needs.

10 July 2026

Editorial

Grasscloth and texture: 2026's quietest big trend

No loud pattern, no bright colour. Just a wall you want to touch. Here's why textured wallpaper is the trend doing the most while saying the least.

8 July 2026

Editorial

William Morris wallpaper: why it still works 150 years on

Morris designed his first wallpaper in the 1860s. The patterns are still in print, still going up on walls, still selling. Here's why they last.

2 July 2026

Editorial

Hallway and stairs wallpaper ideas that last

The hallway takes more knocks than any room in the house. Here's how to pick a paper that still looks good in five years, not five months.

1 July 2026

Editorial

Oxblood, ochre and ink: using deep colour on your walls

Deep colour is easier to live with than people fear. Here's how oxblood, ochre and ink behave on a wall, and where each one earns its place.

30 June 2026

Editorial

Can you wallpaper a bathroom? Yes, here's how

Yes, you can wallpaper a bathroom, as long as you pick the right paper, keep it off the splash zones and let the room breathe. Here's how to do it properly.

29 June 2026

Editorial

Is peel-and-stick wallpaper any good? An honest take

Peel-and-stick is brilliant for renters and small jobs, and wrong for forever rooms. Here's where it works, where it fails, and how to choose.

26 June 2026

Editorial

Where to buy wallpaper in Beverley and East Yorkshire

If you want proper wallpaper near Beverley, the local options are thin. Here is what is out there, and where we fit in.

25 June 2026

Editorial

Dark Japandi: the calm, moody look defining 2026

Japandi has gone darker. Ink walls, warm wood and a single quiet pattern make a room that feels still rather than stark. Here is how to get the look at home.

25 June 2026

Editorial

How to wallpaper behind a radiator without taking it off

You do not have to drain the radiator to paper behind it. A long roller, the paste-the-wall method, and a bit of patience get you a tidy finish.

24 June 2026

Editorial

How much wallpaper do I need? A plain guide

Work out how many rolls you need without the guesswork. Measure, allow for the pattern repeat, round up, and study the product page first.

22 June 2026

Editorial

Dressed in pattern: the new function room at Zarleys, Beverley

A swanky new private hire room has opened in town, papered top to bottom with designs chosen from our shelves. A little story about what happens when independent businesses back each other.

16 June 2026

Editorial

Choosing wallpaper for a north-facing room

North light is cool and steady. The wrong paper goes flat in it. The right one warms the whole room.

30 April 2026

Editorial

Pattern matching basics: a five-minute primer

Straight match, half-drop, free match. What they mean, what they cost in waste, and what they ask of you when hanging.

30 April 2026

Editorial

Five 2026 wallpaper trends from our buying trips

What we saw at the trade shows, what's actually selling, and the one supposed trend we don't believe in.

30 April 2026