Wonderful Feel of Primitive Wallpaper

What qualifies as primitive can be boiled down to four basic factors. These factors include the type of colors used in the pattern and the subject matter of these patterns. We can determine if a wallpaper is primitive if it contains any of the following:

  • Soft Palette Colors – Traditional patterns such as damasks, plaids and stripes qualify as primitive if the colors fall in the soft palette colors, such as beige, burgundy, sage or olive hues.
  • Natural Materials – Paper features look or texture of brick, wood, marble or stone.
  • Country Setting – Paper features country or small-town themes, reminiscent of quieter, simpler times, such as farms, fields or cottages.
  • Still Life – As in art, the subject matter of traditional still life paintings evoke a cozy, homey, nostalgic feeling and therefore qualify as primitive. This can include farm animals such as chickens and livestock, as well as fruits and vegetables.

All of these categories bring that feel of simple, country life. This is most popular in larger homes that are actually located in the country. But more and more we are seeing customers who live in crowded suburban or urban environments decorating with primitive wallpaper.

Some words that are often associated with the category include rustic, country, heritage and keepsake. When you see these words in the description of the wallpaper pattern you are considering you can be certain that pattern will fall into the primitive family of styles.

It is important to keep in mind that one does not need to dedicate an entire wall to a mural of a horse farm to get the feel of primitive style. In fact, wallpaper borders in this category are even more popular than traditional wallpaper and murals. Wallpaper borders are perfect for smaller rooms, like the bathroom, or large rooms where walls pace is at a premium, such as the kitchen where cabinets occupy a lot of wall area.