Mind The Gap was founded in Transylvania, Romania, by three designers with a shared love of art and storytelling, and their wallpapers are anything but background noise. This guide will help you pick the right bold design for each room, with practical advice on scale and colour and examples from the range.
Start with the mood, not the pattern
Before you fall for a design, decide how you want the room to feel. Calm and restful? Lively and sociable? Cosy and enclosed? Mind The Gap's designs range from soft, airy botanicals to dark, dramatic scenes, so knowing the mood first narrows the choice quickly. Then think about how much time you spend in the room: the busiest patterns often work best in spaces you pass through or use for a few hours at a time.
Room-by-room ideas
Hallways and stairs
Halls are often narrow, so look for designs that add height or depth. The Danube Stripe Wallpaper has tall, slender cattails in shades of blue, from pale sky blue to navy and indigo, on an off-white ground. The vertical stems draw the eye up and down, giving an impression of height.
Dining rooms
A dining room is the place for a wall that starts conversations. Gardens Of Jaipur Wallpaper is full of life, with prowling leopards, leaping deer, strutting peacocks and relaxing cows among trees, flowers and grasses. Parrots of Brasil Wallpaper mixes illustrated parrots, from the scarlet macaw to various parakeets, with tropical plants for a lush, vibrant feel.
Bedrooms
For a bedroom, many people prefer something bold but restful. The BYOBU Wallpaper is a traditional Japanese design inspired by the decorated wind walls of Japanese culture, with a relaxing yet inspiring feel. For extra glow, BYOBU Metallic Wallpaper is printed fully on metallic foil, which catches lamplight beautifully behind a bed. If you love a classic look, Chinoiserie Wallpaper features French-style drawings by Jean Pillement from the end of the 18th century and comes in blue or coconut white.
Studies and snugs
Equestrian Plaid Wallpaper is Mind The Gap's take on tartan, with supersized checks built up from tonal stripes. It brings warmth and a classic country-house feel to a study.
Cloakrooms and downstairs loos
Small rooms can take the boldest choices. Oceania Wallpaper shows an underwater world of fish and algae on a black background: dramatic, enveloping and a real surprise for guests.
Getting the scale right
- Large-scale patterns are not just for large rooms. In a small room, a big design can blur the corners and make the space feel bigger than a busy small print would.
- Think about viewing distance. Fine detail is lost across a big room but rewarded in a hallway or cloakroom where you see it up close.
- Allow for furniture. If a wall will be covered by a sofa or bookcase, choose a design whose best motifs sit high enough to be seen.
- Check the roll size and repeat. Sleeping Beauty Wallpaper, for example, comes on rolls of 52cm x 3m. Always check the dimensions and pattern repeat on each product page before ordering.
Working with colour
Light or dark ground. An off-white background, like Danube Stripe's, keeps a room bright. A dark ground, like Oceania's black, makes walls recede and colours glow, and it is especially cosy in the evening.
Repeat one shade. Pick a colour from the paper and use it on woodwork, a cushion or a lampshade so the scheme looks considered.
Monochrome for pattern lovers. If you want pattern without a riot of colour, try On the Stage Monochrome Wallpaper, where a single line charts the twists and turns of a lively night with a band.
Order a sample. Colours shift with daylight, so look at a sample on the wall in morning and evening light before committing.
Browse the full range of Mind The Gap wallpapers to find your favourite, and look at the matching fabrics if you would like to coordinate soft furnishings. Visit us in the shop in Somerset or contact the team for help choosing the right design.
