• Outdated wallpaper designs can prove overwhelming at best.wallpaper image by Svetlin Rusev from Fotolia.com
  
  Wallpaper designs of the 1950s and 1960s ranged from sedate to funky, but most would be hopelessly dated and unusable today. Contemporary wallpaper uses color, texture and shape in fresh, visually interesting ways. In addition, you can employ wallpaper on a single accent wall, rather than enrobing the walls of the entire room with a single pattern or texture. Striped, glass-bead, and metallic wallpaper can add contemporary polish to your decor.
  
  

Striped Wallpaper

• Wallpaper covered with bold, broad stripes can add fresh, modern appeal to any room. Choose wallpaper made with analogous colors--those that lie next to each other on the color wheel--or in varying shades of the same color. Another option is wallpaper in neutral cream, gray or beige with narrow pinstripes in bolder colors at regular intervals. According to HGTV, this wallpaper design can "give a 3-D feel to the wall." If you prefer to produce a striped effect using paint, apply tape vertically along the wall at intervals that represent the desired width between stripes. Paint the area between the strips of tape with the color of your choice. Remove the tape, and voila--a striped wall effect.
  
  

Natural Materials

• Natural-fiber wall coverings establish a natural feel to a space.wallpaper texture image by Andrius Maciunas from Fotolia.com
  
  While not exactly paper, wall coverings of jute or burlap create a natural, unvarnished feel to the walls. This type of wall covering is also considered "green" or eco-conscious, according to HGTV, in part because natural wall coverings typically are treated with natural dyes. The colors of these dyes, such as beige, blue and gray, jar neither the eye nor psyche. Once again, you can opt to cover just one wall with a natural material. Try plum jute in the study, sky-blue to complement blue-print drapes in the bedroom, or slate as a neutral backdrop in to more adventuresome color choices in the family room or den.
  
  

Metallic Wallpaper

• No, this does not mean a wall covered in unrelieved Dupont Mylar. Contemporary designs include subtler metallic finishes in wallpaper. Many papers feature printed or embossed designs adorning paper of a metallic finish. Many styles come in matte paper highlighted with metallic-finish floral, stripe, or other repeating patterns. A vast array of colors and styles exist. For a public room or room used for entertaining, consider flocked velvet patterns on metallic paper of a subtle sheen. Or try a textured matte wallpaper with metallic designs of silver, muted bronze, or gold. For a teen who thrives on novelty, consider using muted silver on a single wall. He can adorn the wall with awards or artwork, then create his own lighting scheme to enhance the effect.
  
  

Glass-Bead Wallpaper

• For novelty of texture, glass-bead wallpaper is an adventuresome selection. In this modern creation, glass beads, large or small, cover the surface of the paper. "The beads on flexible paper are perfect for turning walls into shiny, unexpected focal points," according to HGTV. Designs are available in dramatic shades such as silver, gold, or fuchsia, in addition to black, blue, and gray. Moreover, you can find designs in which the glass beads are flecked with metallic glitter. Once again, with these designs, lighting can create dramatic effects for public rooms, dens, or basement recreation areas. Think about aqua glass beads behind a large aquarium washed in gold or blue light. Or consider silver glass bead paper in place of wall art above a sleek black mantelpiece. In a basement or rec room, glitter-flecked black wallpaper can cover a single wall, providing a dramatic complement to leather furnishings, plush throw rugs and metallic door or window blinds.