The new year is the perfect time to start a project.  Whether you’re thinking of updating the kitchen, refreshing the cloakroom or giving the utility room a vibrant look, statement wallpaper and tiles are a great way to make an impact.

Here at Perrin & Rowe we love seeing our taps paired with Shaws of Darwen sinks and so many wonderful choices for wallpaper and tiles in everything from swirling patterns and prints to Moroccan-style and star motif tiles. 

In Laura Butler-Madden’s butler’s pantry (pictured above), Carnival wallpaper by Christopher Farr Cloth is fun and playful and looks stunning with our aged brass Athenian mixer and a Shaws of Darwen Bowland fireclay sink. The utility room (pictured below) is also designed in the same way featuring our aged brass Polaris 3-in-1 instant hot tap with rinse and a Shaws of Darwen fireclay sink. Photo credits Patrick Butler-Madden.

Many think that wallpaper is a big no for kitchens, utilities and cloakrooms, but that’s simply not true. As well as being easier and quicker to install than tiles (and easier to replace too), wallpaper is perfect for bringing colour, pattern and texture into these spaces. In fact, using wallpaper in these rooms is set to be a big trend for 2023, especially when used as an accent wall behind the sink or basin.

Keep in mind that it’s best not to apply wallpaper in the main bathroom or ensuite, as these rooms will generate lots of steam after showering or bathing.  Instead, use it for the cloakroom or small washroom, where you can really get creative and show off your inner interior designer. 

Design by Kate Walker Design, styling by Green House Interiors and photography Armelle Habib

Check out this joyous Gucci Heron wallpaper for inspiration, which complements our polished brass traditional basin set from The English Tapware Company beautifully. It’s so striking in fact that it graced the cover of House & Garden Australia! So, if you’d like your cloakroom to have cover star appeal, wallpaper is the solution.

To make your design more durable, look for a heavy-duty wallpaper and apply a clear decorator’s varnish if it’s going behind the basin or sink to protect it from water damage and stains as well as preventing mould from forming. The downstairs cloakroom is a perfect spot for being brave with colour, pattern and print. Maximalism is in and this is a separate space that doesn’t overpower the rest of your interior. The cloakroom is a room where anything goes...think clashing patterns and colours, bold designs, texture and fun.

For something more subtle, embrace the dark side and choose a charcoal-based wallpaper with shimmering gold birds of flight. In the cloakroom above, the moody paper works wonderfully with our Deco basin mixer with crosstop handles in chrome.

Kitchens are great spaces to use wallpaper for instant wow factor in an otherwise neutral scheme. Add a burst of colour or playful pattern behind the sink and worksurface, use it to line drawers or the back of the inside of cabinets or dressers or create a whole feature wall in an open-plan kitchen-diner to achieve a zoned look for cooking and dining.

A good quality paper can last up to around 15 years and even better if it’s wipeable. In this sociable space below, part of a beautiful Victorian house restoration by Sandra Baker of @the_idle_hands, the rose and floral paper from House of Hackney with its black background looks stunning with the reeded island and our Parthian mini instant hot tap and Ionian mixer with side rinse in aged brass.

Kitchens and utility rooms are also perfect spaces for bringing a sense of the outside, in. Biophilic design has been a huge trend of late and it looks set to continue for 2023 and beyond. It’s all about harmonising modern architecture and the outside world; connecting our interior spaces to the natural resources outside. Your choice of wallpaper is a perfect way to achieve this look. In Megan of @kitandco_’s utility room (below) a calming Sanderson Hedera Green wallpaper looks perfectly in keeping with four aged brass deVOL Mayan taps, which we make exclusively for the brand.

If you prefer the look and finish of tiles, then you’ve got so much creativity at your fingertips. Tiles come in an almost infinite number of styles, shapes, sizes, designs, patterns, prints, textures, finishes and colours to complement or contrast with your kitchen, utility or bathroom scheme. For durability, choose ceramic or porcelain. Both materials are hardwearing, low maintenance and moisture-resistant, so can be used as a splashback behind the sink and hob as well as in bathrooms, cloakrooms and ensuites. Another advantage is that they are easy to clean and hygienic. Plus, you can make even more of an impact with a contrasting coloured grout.

If you loved the trend for pink last year, you’ll adore these designs by Laura Butler-Madden and Planet Furniture. In Laura’s Menorca kitchen (below), the whole wall behind the sink is adorned with statement tiles in a blush pink with white star motif. It looks fabulous with our 24-carat gold plated brassware and marble top. Photo credit Patrick Butler-Madden.

In Planet Furniture’s scheme (below), pink metro tiles soften the moss green cabinetry and range cooker and work wonderfully with our Mimas mixer, rinse and mini instant hot tap in satin brass.

Making an impact behind the range cooker in a chimney-breast is a great way of adding wow factor to your kitchen. For Suzannah Lockwood, brass details with statement tiles and our Ionian mixer and rinse with Parthian mini instant hot tap in aged brass adds character and a luxe look to her traditional kitchen space (below).