You haven’t seen wallpaper like this

Wallpaper was a booming industry for years until the late 1990s, when it fell out of fashion as faux paint finishes captivated the interior decorating scene. Floral patterns and fruit borders were no longer innovative.

Wallpaper looked tired.

But fear not, people: Wallpaper has been making a comeback. But it’s different – so different, you might not recognize it.

Popular TV designer Candice Olson, host of HGTV’s “Divine Design,” wallpapers an accent wall in many of her designs and is helping to make wallpaper hip again. She started her own line of wallpaper, available through York Wallcoverings, a year and a half ago. Olson’s new collection comes out in December.

Consider these emerging trends:

PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGERY

Trove is a wallpaper studio based in New York. It uses photographic imagery to create depth in large-scale prints. This pattern, Indi, inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” is simply stunning. Roll width is 35.5 inches, $16 per square foot. The image featured is 12 feet high by 6 feet wide.

Trove, under the direction of Jee Levin and Randall Buck, began with images inspired by the 100-year-old flower market in the middle of Manhattan. The studio uses natural elements as the basis of its designs. Serendipitous, too, that the paper itself is eco-friendly and recyclable. Learn more at www.troveline.com.

DECALS CREATE FUNKY ART

Wall stickers are suddenly cool again. Domestic, in France, has graphic designers/artists create their concepts and submit them to Vynil wall stickers, an alternative to wallpaper. The artists have full autonomy, and Domestic has original and innovative art. The scenes are funky, European hip and would look best in a minimalist setting.

Cloud from Tado is another interesting wallpaper. Tado is made up of Mike and Katie, two designers based in Sheffield, England. From their tiny studio, they pump out demented characters, trying their best to make the world a happier place. Cloud sells for 74 euros (about $116). Shipping is extra. Another is Ich & Kar’s Jungle coquelicot, also 74 euros, which is from a tandem of graphic designers whose aim is to inspire with lightness and humor; available at www.domestic.fr.

FAUX FINISHES

Those faux finishes that are sometimes hard to achieve with paint can be foolproof with wallpaper. Paper can give the look of sponging, marbling, ragging and texturing.

Torn paper is another faux-finish style. A good pick is one from Valhallan, $4 per square foot (www.vahallan.com).

BLACK-AND-WHITE

This trend is not subtle. It’s versatile, dramatic and striking. The look is classic yet eye-catching. I like the Bird Vine Shadow, available through www.yorkwall.com.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Do you have a phrase that inspires you? Wallwords.com is for you. You can place an inspirational phrase such as, “Sit long. Talk much. Laugh often,” over your favorite reading nook. Or, to add a little fun, put this quote above your washer and dryer: “Laundry Room. Drop your drawers here.” The Web site offers more than 50 fonts. For phrases 10 words or less, the price is $29.95. For 31 to 40 words, the cost is $59.95, but I think that would be more like a short story covering the wall.

GRASS CLOTH

Keeping it “green” is an eco-friendly trend for the year, and this includes wallpapers in grass cloth and linen. Warm metallic tones such as gold and copper are being used in foyers, bathrooms and home offices. Olson’s line includes a grass cloth with a metallic hue. You need to look at it in person – online samples do not do it justice. This tone-on-tone is rich in texture and subtle in pattern. To get an initial idea of this fresh look, you might also want to page through a book of her samples. Candice Olson Fine Wallpapers, available at wallcovering stores, includes pearlized grass-cloth wallpaper. Candice Olson Sisal Twil has metallic underlays in this grass-cloth pattern, $64.99 for a single roll, York Wallcoverings, www.yorkwall.com.

DAMASK, PAISLEY

These patterns are traditional, but there’s nothing traditional in these color combinations: hot pink and brown, reddish-orange and gold. Candice Olson Dotted Paisley, York Wallcoverings, $59.99 per single roll, www.yorkwall.com.