Wallpaper and wall coverings — texture comes back to the walls.

Wallpaper hasn’t disappeared, it has reinvented itself

Over the past few years, wallpaper and wall coverings have moved back into the spotlight — panoramic wallpapers, textile non-wovens, botanical patterns, textured finishes. Hung well, on a properly prepared surface, wallpaper transforms a room in a way no paint can.

But the result depends 80% on surface preparation and the precision of the hanging. That is where the difference is made between an elegant wall and a wall that peels off six months later.

The coverings we hang

• Non-woven wallpaper — the most common today, easier to hang and to strip, with a stable backing.
• Traditional paste-the-paper wallpaper — for classic patterns and premium coverings.
• Expanded vinyl — moisture-resistant, suited to damp rooms and high-traffic areas.
• Textile / linen wall coverings — high-end finishes that call for very careful surface preparation.
• Panoramics — made to measure, with precise pattern matching, ideal for a living room or a headboard wall.

Before hanging, the surface must be carefully prepared

1. Stripping of old coverings — loosening, sanding, complete removal of glue residue.
2. Surface assessment — cracks, defects, signs of moisture.
3. Preparation — filling, skimming, final sanding.
4. Wallpaper primer or bonding primer suited to the chosen covering.
5. Precise hanging — plumb check, pattern matching, invisible seams.
6. Finishing — clean cutting at corners and joinery, quality control.

Where to source your wallpaper

You pass us the reference (collection, pattern, required quantity) — we order and hang it. Alternatively, we work with the main ranges available in Geneva and across French-speaking Switzerland. Advice on quantity, hanging direction and how it sits with the existing scheme is available on request.

How many rolls should you buy?

A question that often comes up during quotes. The general rule:

• Standard drop = 0.53 m × 10.05 m = roughly 5.3 m² per roll, once pattern matching is taken into account.
• Wide drop (often used for modern non-woven) = 0.68 to 1 m × 10 m, i.e. 6 to 9 m² per roll.
• Pattern match — a straight-match wallpaper wastes little, whereas a drop-match or offset wallpaper can lose 10 to 20% of its surface.
• Safety margin — always allow for one extra roll for future touch-ups and corrections (manufacturing batches vary).

Renovhome SA calculates the exact quantity during the visit, taking into account the hanging direction, the pattern match and the ceiling height — a Haussmann-style flat in Champel does not require the same quantity as a modern studio at Le Lignon, even for an identical surface area.

Non-woven hanging or traditional hanging?

Two techniques coexist today:

• Non-woven hanging (modern paper) — the paste is applied to the wall, not to the paper. Faster, more stable, and simpler to strip later. Most current wallpapers are non-woven.
• Traditional hanging (classic paper, on a paper or textile backing) — paste applied to the back of the drop, with a soaking time to respect before hanging. It calls for more skill, but remains essential for premium coverings and certain vintage patterns.

Renovhome SA uses both techniques, depending on the chosen product.

Designer wall coverings — 2026 trends in Geneva

The return of wall coverings to Geneva’s walls has been confirmed since 2023. A few trends we are seeing on recent projects:

• Stylised botanical patterns — soft foliage, ferns, olive trees — particularly in bedrooms and studies.
• Panoramics on a single accent wall (mountain landscape, botanical scene, graphic mural) — typically in reception rooms and main bedrooms.
• Woven textiles — hemp, linen, jute — for a high-end textured effect in living rooms and libraries.
• Trompe-l’œil and faux marble — decorative effects making a comeback on entrance walls and hallways.
• Textured Japanese paper (washi, ramie) — for an understated, mineral look on curved or uneven walls.

A recent project: wallpaper and dado rail in a child’s bedroom

A recent example in Geneva: in a child’s bedroom, we hung a non-woven wallpaper with a floral pattern on the upper part of the wall, separated from a two-tone painted lower wall by an MDF dado rail (moulding) set out to a string line. Careful surface preparation, clean pattern matching, tidy cuts around the exposed beams.

See the detail of this project — wallpaper and MDF dado rail

Wall coverings in damp rooms

Expanded vinyl is the only wallpaper-type covering suited to partially damp rooms (entrance, ventilated bathroom, closed kitchen). In very damp rooms (shower, bath without a screen, laundry room without extraction), we instead recommend our enamel finishes service, which is technically more durable.

Wall coverings after water damage

A water leak that has affected a papered wall calls for a specific protocol: see our water-damage repair service. The damaged paper is fully stripped, the surface is treated, and the new covering is hung on a dry, clean wall.

A wall with character changes a whole room. If you are unsure about the pattern, the finish or the quantity, we can discuss it during the visit. Request your quote — quick reply.