Walls that Speak with The Wallpaper People
Forget everything you thought you knew about wallpaper. Kathy Sundstrom meets a local business owner turning walls into statements and encouraging women to back themselves.
Nothing changes the look and feel of a room in quite the same way wallpaper can. A bland, corporate, personality-less room becomes vibrant and cheerful with a splash of floral wallpaper. A flat wall becomes layered and a neutral space takes on mood and personality.
Don’t tell my husband, but the wallpaper in our children’s room was the deal-clincher when we bought our home in Coolum Beach. An atlas of the world that transformed a bedroom into a playground of possibility – then and now, 22 years later.
For many, wallpaper is linked to bad memories of peeling corners, stubborn glue and weekends spent with our parents scraping back decades-old patterns that refused to budge. That version of wallpaper is gone. Today’s options are lighter, more refined, environmentally-friendly and adaptable.
It is this shift that drew Alicia Davies-Crampton to The Wallpaper People. After 15 years in the corporate world, Alicia understood how to build and scale a business. What she had not anticipated was how much she would enjoy stepping into a creative space.
She purchased the Queensland-based business three years ago, recognising what it already was and what it could become and has already reshaped the business, digitising systems and strengthening relationships.
The Wallpaper People sources collections from manufacturers in the UK, Germany, Italy and the USA, supplying them through paint stores, interior designers and specialist retailers rather than selling directly to consumers. It is a deliberate approach, designed to ensure people engage with the product properly.
“Wallpaper is something you need to experience,” Alicia says. “You need to touch it, see the texture, understand how the colour works in your space.”
It is advice she gives often, particularly as wallpaper becomes more expressive in both residential and commercial design.
From bold, large-scale prints to subtle textured finishes, wallpaper is increasingly being used to define spaces rather than simply decorate them.
And for those still hesitant, the process is no longer permanent. You can change your wallpaper, relatively inexpensively.
“If you change your mind in 12 months, you can take it down and replace it,” Alicia says. “You can completely change the feel of a room without a full renovation.”
It’s not only in the home that wallpaper is making a resurgence, it is finding a strong foothold in commercial environments.
Restaurants, bars, offices and hospitality venues are using it to create identity and atmosphere. On the Sunshine Coast, it has been installed in spaces like Fish House Steak & Grill and The Architect Bar, Maroochydore while other commercial projects in Sydney continue to expand its reach.
The shift is being driven not only by aesthetics but by innovation.
Advances in materials mean wallpaper can now be used in areas once considered off-limits, including bathrooms, with the support of appropriate sealants and waterproofing systems.
At the same time, manufacturers are responding to growing demand for environmentally responsible products, developing eco-friendly options that align with conscious design choices.
“It is constantly evolving,” Alicia says. “That is what makes it so interesting.”
For Alicia, The Wallpaper People sits alongside two other businesses, each very different, yet connected by a shared mindset. Her recently rebranded hair salon, Studio Calia in Sunshine Cove, operates in a creative, client-focused space; while an aged care service she established with her daughter was born from a desire to improve standards and provide more considered support for those who need it.
Running three businesses has required adaptability, structure and a clear sense of purpose.
“I get calls from women who want to do something different but are unsure how to start,” Alicia says. “If you are passionate about something, look at it from a risk perspective, build a plan and back yourself.”
It is not about taking reckless leaps, but about making informed decisions and stepping beyond what feels comfortable.
“Have the right support around you and believe you can do it,” she says. “That is often the difference.”
Of the three businesses, wallpaper remains the most complex and, in Alicia’s words, her favourite. Perhaps because it sits at the intersection of creativity and transformation. Or perhaps because it continues to surprise.
