PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Historic types of wallpaper and decorative schemes of interiors
commodity. Interiors of the late 19th century were unthinkable
without wallpaper. By the beginning of the 20th century decorating
rooms with wallpaper had become common. However,
by the 1920s and 1930s the necessity of using wallpapers was
questioned widely by architects and interior designers. Although
wallpaper was still being used, its importance in fashionable
interiors started to decrease.
Knowledge of decorative schemes, including wallpapers, is
crucial for anyone working with historic interiors. Numerous
conservation projects in Estonia have shown that the main attention
is focused on painted and stuccoed surfaces, which results
in neglecting historic paper decorations. A lack of thorough
research on historic wallpapers may lead to misinterpretations
of historic interiors, inappropriate conservation approaches or
even the destruction of valuable wall covers.
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