BGILMAN DESIGN

What is heritage-inspired wallpaper?

Heritage-inspired wallpaper takes design cues from historical textile and wallpaper traditions — think 18th and 19th century florals, botanicals, and classic motifs — and reinterprets them for today's homes. At BGilmanDesign, that means patterns rooted in English cottage and French country style, but with a fresher color palette and simpler, less fussy layout than a true antique reproduction. It reads as collected and timeless, not costume-y.

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What's the difference between English cottage and French country style?

English cottage style tends to lean floral, layered, and a little romantic — think chintz, ditsy prints, and gingham, in soft, muted colors. French country style is a bit more refined and pared-back, often built around toile, stripes, and provincial motifs in warmer, earthier tones. Both share a love of pattern and history, which is why they mix so easily — a lot of my own collections, like Heartsease, borrow a little from each.

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Where can I buy vintage-style wallpaper and fabric?

You can shop BGilmanDesign wallpaper and coordinating fabric on Spoonflower and Etsy, or browse the full collection on my website. Patterns are available by the yard or as wallpaper panels, so you can order swatches first if you're not sure how a print will look in your space. My wallpaper is also on display in person at Made & Found, a design studio featuring my showroom.

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Do you design for interior designers, or only DIY decorators?

Both! Many of my patterns are made with home decorators in mind — the kind of prints you fall in love with and want to build a room around — but I also work with interior design professionals looking for designer wallcovering with a heritage sensibility. If you're a trade professional, I'm always happy to send samples for active client projects.

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How do I choose wallpaper for a whole room, not just one wall?

Start with the room's largest fixed elements — trim color, flooring, and any built-ins — since those won't change. From there, it helps to pick your wallpaper first and let it guide your fabric and paint choices, rather than the other way around. If you're working with a heritage pattern, look for a coordinating ditsy print or check that can carry the pattern onto pillows, curtains, or a window seat without competing with the main print. I put together a room-by-room planning checklist that walks through this step by step — it's a helpful starting point if you're staring at a wall trying to decide where to begin.

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What's a wallpaper coordinate, and do I need one?

A coordinate is a smaller-scale print — often a stripe, check, or ditsy floral — designed to pair with a main wallpaper pattern. You don't need one, but it's an easy way to bring a print into fabric, trim, or an adjoining room without it feeling matchy. Most of my collections are built with at least one coordinate in mind from the start, so the pairing feels intentional rather than accidental.

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How much wallpaper do I need for a room?

It depends on your wall height, room perimeter, and the pattern's repeat size — larger repeats usually need a bit more overage to match seams cleanly. As a general rule, it's smart to order 10-15% more than your exact measurement to allow for pattern matching and mistakes. If you're not sure, ordering a sample swatch first is worth it — it lets you see the true color and scale in your own light before committing to a full order.