There’s an art to ordering the right amount of wallpaper. Running out midway through your project is incredibly frustrating but you also don’t want piles of leftover rolls cluttering up your spare room either. It’s all about striking that perfect balance.

The best way to work out how much wallpaper you need is to ask your decorator, if you’re using one. Alternatively we can help you estimate your requirement, although our advice is for guidance only. Please email us at [email protected] and be sure to include the following information:

• The name of the wallpaper design
• The height and length of each wall

In the meantime, Farrow & Ball has put together this handy guide for estimating how much you need — and we do mean estimating. 

1. Measure the height and width of the surface you’re papering — whether that’s an alcove, one wall or a whole room — and note any areas that don’t need wallpaper, like windows and doorways.
2. Find the pattern repeat* of your chosen paper, which will be listed on our website or your sample. For example, Check has a pattern repeat of 62.3cm.
3. Use the measurements of your surface, pattern repeat and wallpaper roll (every roll is 10m long and 53cm wide) to calculate how many rolls you’ll need. In general, for a standard, 2.4m high room, we estimate:
   • Three drops per roll for small pattern repeats e.g. Samphire
   • Four drops per roll for striped papers e.g. Closet Stripe
   • Two drops per roll for large pattern repeats e.g. Helleborus
   • As an example, for Closet Stripe on a wall measuring 2.5m wide in a standard room, you’ll need approx. five drops, so roughly two rolls
4. Add one more roll! Whatever you estimate, we recommend adding one more roll to allow for trimming or mistakes when hanging. This is especially important because Farrow & Ball's traditional techniques mean the pattern and colour can differ oh-so-slightly between batches.

*Wondering what a pattern repeat is? We’ve got you covered. A pattern repeat is the distance between the pattern starting, finishing and starting again. It’s important to be aware of so you can line the pattern up properly. Some papers, for instance the stripes, don’t have a pattern repeat, making these papers more straightforward to hang.

All wallpaper is made to order at the Farrow & Ball factory in Dorset, England and is considered final sale. Archived papers require a 10 roll minimum purchase (archived papers are not listed on our website and are eligible as in store or telephone orders only).

Placing Your Order

Once you know the quantity of rolls required to complete your project, you can visit us in store to place your order, or go ahead and complete your order through our website. The lead time for Farrow & Ball wallpaper production is 5+ business days. Once your order is complete they will ship to our boutique and we will contact you for in store pickup or prepare for shipping. This process can take approx. 2-5 weeks so do make sure to place orders well enough in advance to ensure your wallpaper arrives in time for your project timelines.

Do not hesitate to contact us during boutique opening hours at 780.498.1900 or by email at [email protected] if you have any questions or require further support.