There is more to wallpaper than just picking colour and pattern.
Print-on-paper’s more durable cousin is paper-backed vinyl. Simply put, it has a paper substrate laminated to a sheet of vinyl. Paper-backed vinyl is grease – and moisture – resistant (for kitchens and bathrooms), and easy to clean and install.
An even better product is fabric-backed vinyl. Here, a woven fabric backs a decorative vinyl sheet. This wallpaper not only withstands grease and moisture but also wear and tear. This is a great choice for corridors, staircases or playrooms.
“Flocked” papers have a raised velvety fabric and make a great tactile addition to any space. Like flocked papers, embossed papers have three-dimensional designs, creating a raised, textured effect. Both work well for covering walls that are slightly damaged or have imperfections.
Foil and Mylar wallpapers have a glossy metallic finish, perfect if you are looking to create an illusion of space or simply add some bling to your palette. The down side is they highlight imperfections and need a perfect surface for installation. So make sure to think about how you will use your space before you select the type of wallpaper you need.
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
