Having until recently been thought of as more of a background, wallpaper, has now established itself at the forefront of interior design and is seen as an effective way of keeping your interior bold, beautiful and inline with the current trends.

This recent popularity, along with people’s general shift toward sustainable living, has seen more and more designers producing eco wallpaper collections. Printed on paper that has either been recycled or sourced from responsibly managed forests, eco wallpapers are dyed using water-based inks that release none of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) so commonly found in conventional wallpapers.

Environmental credentials aside, it’s how these eco papers measure up in the style stakes that will determine their success, and ultimately, shape attitudes towards eco design. And although these have come a long way from what was once commonly considered to consist of ‘various shades of hemp’, on brief investigation I came across attitudes such as ‘decoratively disaterous’, ‘dull’ and even, ‘spinachy’!

So, in a bid to prove it is anything but, (and quite apart from getting carried away looking at nice wallpaper), I’ve compiled a comparative selection, putting some of the best eco wallpapers up against the competition. Hopefully fellow decorites will see that eco wallpapers can certainly hold their own, and making eco friendly choices needn’t necessitate a compromise on style.

**Please note, some are eco and some non eco wallpapers, point being to compare.
Descriptions in brackets aren’t actual design names and are just there for you to identify each design.

Sheet 1.

Top left (green waves) – Paper Flavor, http://www.flavorleague.com/wallpaper/ – Non Eco wallpaper

Top right (silvery gold leaves) ECO wallpaper, http://www.eco.se/main.aspx?l=4 – Eco wallpaper

Middle left (gold squares) Designers guild, http://www.designersguild.com/ – Non Eco wallpaper

Bottom right (pink flowers) Crinson, http://www.crinson.com/Dominic_Crinson_Tiles/Home.html – Eco wallpaper

Bottom left (pink on grey) Madisonandgrow, http://www.madisonandgrow.com/ – Eco wallpaper

Sheet 2.

Top left (silhouettes) Ferm living, http://www.ferm-living.com/ – Non eco wallpaper

Top right (green leaves) ECO wallpaper, http://www.eco.se/main.aspx?l=4 – Eco wallpaper

Middle left (50′s) Sanderson, http://www.sanderson-uk.com/ – Non eco wallpaper

Middle right (plants) ECO wallpaper, http://www.eco.se/main.aspx?l=4 –  Eco wallpaper

Bottom left (cars) Studio Ditte, http://www.studioditte.nl/ – Non eco wallpaper

Bottom right (penguins) My Little Eco, www.mylittleeco.co.uk – Eco wallpaper

Pippa Jameson Interior’s Shopping Contributor, Liz Danon, visited the Ideal Home Show and has this fantastic interview with Linda Barker .  Read on for a sneaky insight into Linda’s design influences, people’s spending habits and trend predictions for 2011…

When you decided to set up really Linda Barker, what was the style you began with and what did you draw your inspiration from?

It’s my signature look; it’s quite contemporary but its really friendly and comfortable. If I didn’t like it it wouldn’t be in the catalogue and it’s very much about how I decorate.
And my inspiration is really as a designer you just keep your eyes open wherever you go. I do all the trade shows so you’re always looking at what’s new, people profile new looks. You can go into a new hotel or a bar to find your inspiration.

Have you seen anything today that has caught your eye?
I have had a little look, I like the prince’s house, lots of style things in there which are really good. A lot of what I’m doing at the moment which is sort of salvage trends. They’re using a lot of clever materials. The beach house and the eco house that I’m involved in. It’s all quite inspiring.

I noticed that you did fine art at university, who is your favourite artist?
I like a lot of artists, Howard Hodgkin, his colour was amazing. A lot of art, not just painting, I like light installations. And then I like the masters, Piccaso, Monet and the modern stuff too like Tracey Emin, I do try and go to galleries when I get the time.

What trends of 2010 influenced you the most?
Probably the recycling trend, eco trend. Everybody’s got to be a lot more clever about the materials they use in their homes. it’s a very strong message.

Do you think that the current economic situation has contributed and influenced the way people spend?
Yes definitely, when people are buying things for their home, there are much more considered purchases, they’ve got to work quite hard in the home. People don’t just want a quick fix, they want longevity. We’ve found that people are spending a bit more on long lasting products.

What are your predictions for 2011 trends?
We’ll be much more aware of the providence of things that we put in our homes. I think we’ll be looking after the environment a lot more, but we’ll be having fun with interiors. It’s about creating an individual look, so not about a mass manufactured house. Maybe we’ll be making and crafting things ourselves.

What inspired you to become an interior designer?
I suppose having a strong art back ground and then combining that with being a house owner. Put the two together and loved it from then on.

What inspires you daily?
At the moment probably looking at design blogs.

Design disaster?
Probably on changing rooms, I did have a shelf of tea pots collapse on me. They all broke and they were somebody’s collection, about 30 of them.

What would you do to spruce up a room in an hour?
Move the furniture around, you can really give a room a whole new look by just shifting things. By bringing things into the bedroom from the living room, rugs, pictures everything can be interchanged.

What’s your favourite item in the home?
Probably a lovely wooden Buddha head that I found in a salvage yard

Most recent item you purchased?
I think I bought some glasses, because im doing some projects here for the theatre on recycling. And I bought some beautiful vintage champagne glasses from a charity shop, there were three which is probably why they were being chucked out. They’re very beautiful.

Most enjoyable part of the design process?
Thinking about the initial concept, that’s very exciting.

Thank you Linda for a great interview!

I was invited to My Deco bloggers meet up last week where the lovely Margarita Lorenzo from Chocolate Creative was showing her beautiful home accessories.  It was a really interesting night; as well as getting the chance to meet some fellow bloggers, My Deco talked to us all about some great tools that will make the whole blogging process much easier.  I will keep you posted about when they become available…

Margarita also took the time to talk to us about her lovely designs and below are a few examples of her work, see her full collection at Chocolate Creative or visit her lovely blog.

I recently came across the work of Polly Hope and wanted to share it with you all as I am a big fan.  Her Eco freindly collection includes interior textiles, cushions, lamp shades, upholstered chairs and illustrations.  I think her choice of colours are spot on.  The style is decorative and feminine but has a very sophisticated feel due to her choice of subtle colours.  Her cushions would make a fantastic focal point on any plain chair, bed or sofa.  I am particularly drawn to the one below, uh oh,  I can feel a purchase coming on…(the only down side to this job is that when you see something you fall in love with you just HAVE to have it!)

Here is what Polly has to say about the collection: “The textiles are special because they are very Eco friendly, all organic cottons, peace silks and linens and the dying and printing is carried out naturally using herbal dyes and designed by me. I spent 4 months in India last year researching the right factory for production, it was important for me to know the people I was working with and make sure the whole production process was sustainable and  the workers were treated fairly.”  Click here to see for of her work and her contact details.  She also publishes a gorgeous blog – good work Polly!

Whilst we are all loving the fashion for clever ‘upcycling’, I thought I would post some great pieces of work by a company called Weckner Design. They are a Glaswegian based furniture company who’s objective is to redesign old, discarded furniture to create unique, sustainable and functional design (up-cycling).

Each retro piece has been lovingly created using a wide variety of materials with a slight Scandinavian feel.  If there is a particular object that you are looking for then just make an enquiry as they also offer a commissioning service.

You have to love the ethos behind up-cycling as in today’s throwaway society it’s great that we can prolong the life of an object rather than it becoming part of a landfill