Wallpaper has come a long way since your grandma used it, says designer Jen Klein at O'Hara Interiors.

The big picture: Designers have been wrapping rooms in personality-packed paper this year — and the trend is here to stay for 2025.

• Taskrabbit saw a 70% increase in wallpapering bookings nationwide from January to May 2024 compared to the same period last year.

What they're saying: "With lots of neutrals dominating many furnishing choices, it's a chance to add a pop of personality to an otherwise blank palette," Klein tells Axios.

The latest: It's not just bedrooms and dining rooms. Nooks and crannies, closets, bookshelves and laundry rooms are all getting makeovers, too.

• These small spaces are a playground for bold colors and patterns that might be overwhelming in main living areas, experts say.

Fun fact: Some people are adorning their walls with hometown pride. Texas-based company Katie Kime sells dainty prints featuring Houston "icons" such as the Astrodome and even River Oaks Theatre. (A double roll of traditional wallpaper starts at $188.)

Case in point: Austin homeowner Jesse Stowell recently installed a patterned wallpaper described as "a love letter to the Lone Star state" — filled with taco trucks, rattlesnakes, famous restaurant signs and the H-E-B logo, among other very Texas things.

What's next: Look up. Klein expects more people to wallpaper their ceilings to add a dramatic flair, especially in homes with limited open wall space.

The bottom line: "They say everything eventually comes back into fashion," Texan Jorjanna Price, whose 1950s den ceiling came covered with velvet-looking wallpaper, tells Axios.

💭 Our thought bubble: We're all for themed wallpaper, but we couldn't help but chuckle at the Houston representation, like the Westheimer Road sign. Then again, maybe the toile is accurate, and it's just time we embrace it.

• Readers, what would you put on a Houston wallpaper?

Here's Klein's advice for choosing wallpaper that matches your vibe.

💙 For a relaxing space: Pull in warm browns or soothing blues and greens.

🌿 For a pop of whimsy: Add a pattern featuring botanicals, birds or other animals.

• "Any print bringing the outdoors inside will be popping up a lot this next year," Klein says.

🪵 For an earthy look: Ground your walls with something textured, such as grasscloth or woven paper.

Pro tip: DIYers should order extra yardage to account for any repeating patterns, since the wallpaper sheets will need to line up, Klein says.

• She suggests looking to companies such as Thibaut, Schumacher and York Wallcoverings for prints and Phillip Jeffries for textured options.

🚢 The Port of Houston is preparing for a strike, which hasn't happened in the region since 1977. A strike of ports around the East and Gulf coasts would halt loading and offloading of containers representing roughly 50% of imports into the U.S. (Houston Business Journal)

🎆 Harris County approved the sale of fireworks for Diwali for the first time. (Houston Public Media)

🏗️ The former Halliburton campus in Westchase will turn into a 70-acre walkable, 2 million-square-foot mixed-use $1 billion development. (Houston Chronicle)

Wallpaper can turn "useless" space into a photogenic Zoom background, according to Brooke Bornick, co-founder of Lodgeur, a Houston-based company that helps rent out furnished apartments.

What they're saying: Bornick uses murals from Society6, which sells artist-designed pieces, to create "Zoom rooms" and accent walls, plus "design around awkward angles and spaces."

Wallpapering a room is pretty but pricey, especially if you're hiring a pro to hang your new wallcoverings.

By the numbers: Installation costs range from a few hundred dollars to thousands, depending on factors like the complexity of your space and type of paper, according to home services platform Angi.

• For instance, installation for larger spaces like living, dining and bedrooms costs about $200-$1,500 on average, while smaller spaces like a laundry room may cost under $250, according to figures Angi shared with Axios.
• In some cases, professional installation costs upward of $10 per square foot, according to Houzz, another home project platform.