How to match your wallpaper designs when hanging wallpaper.
It first comes to the choice of wallpaper design. Some designs are with a particular match, for others it is irrelevant, sometimes it is tricky. There are three categories of wallpaper design match
No match needed or Free match : this is for all single color wallpapers, and papers designed with this concept in mind. You simply hang the wallpaper strips side by side without any loss, and without thinking about matching the designs. It is still important to find a certain harmony when the colors or the motifs have small variations. The greatest advantage is easier hanging and fewer scraps. Biggest disadvantage is that selections are rather restricted. On some wallpapers you will find this symbol to indicate this type.

The second type is a design with a straight match. A straight match wallpaper is when a the motifs can be placed side by side. Each strip (or width) must be cut in a way that will match the previous one. A wallpaper is called a straight match when the motifs are aligned on two adjacent widths.
Lastly we have offset match wallpaper. This refers to designs where the motifs are (obviously) offset. Scraps resulting form hanging this type of paper are much more consequential, but you will have access to a much wider range of designs.

A tip to calculate the number of wallpaper rolls you will need when using straight or offset match, the distance for the match is sometimes indicated on the rolls. If it is not indicated, my suggestion to figure out how much you will need is to calculate the area you want to cover and add 1 roll for large motifs. It is important to buy a sufficient amount of rolls as color lots might vary on a subsequent order. If you buy your paper locally you might be able to return the unused and unopened rolls. Recently many local stores no longer carry rolls in the stores and you are forced to order online anyway, of course your online selection will be much greater so you will still benefit.
