Dining Room Wallpaper in Goa

The wall opposite the window is usually the best: it's lit evenly by day, faces most of the diners and isn't fighting glare. The wall behind a sideboard or crockery cabinet is another good choice — the furniture frames it and protects the lower part.

Avoid papering a wall that has the sink or the stove on the other side, an external wall that gets driving rain, or the wall immediately next to a kitchen door where steam escapes every time it opens.

Diners look at the wall from a seated position, a couple of metres away, for an hour at a time. Medium and large patterns read well at that distance; very small busy prints can feel restless over a long meal. In a narrow dining area, vertical patterns add height; horizontal stripes make the wall feel wider.

If the dining area is visible from the hall, pick a paper that also looks right from the sofa. Bring a photo of the hall curtains and sofa fabric when choosing, or let us see them on the visit.

A paper that looks fresh at noon can look grey or brown under warm lamps at nine. Hold samples on the wall at both times before deciding. Deep greens, blues and inky colours often look richest at night; pale cool colours can look flat.

Papers with a slight sheen or metallic thread reflect a pendant beautifully but also show bumps in the wall, so the plaster needs to be smooth. Matt and textured papers forgive older walls better.

Paper above a dado rail, panelling below, is the most practical arrangement for a family dining room: the hard-wearing panel takes the chair backs, the paper gives the colour. It also lets you use a more delicate paper, since nothing touches it.