Walk through any Old Town Fort Collins neighborhood, and you’ll notice something: the homes that stand out aren’t necessarily the biggest or the newest. They’re the ones where someone paid attention to the walls. In a region defined by historic brick bungalows, mid-century ranch homes, and a growing wave of new construction near CSU and the Poudre River corridor, wall finishes have quietly become one of the most talked-about home improvement categories in Northern Colorado.
It makes sense. Paint is everywhere. Every builder-grade home in Fort Collins, Windsor, and Timnath has the same flat white or greige walls, and homeowners are looking for a way to differentiate a space without a full renovation. That’s where wallpaper and decorative wall finishes come in — and where local demand has shifted noticeably over the past couple of years.
Why walls are the new focus room
Kitchen and bathroom remodels used to dominate the home improvement conversation. Now, designers and installers across the Front Range report a different trend: homeowners are investing in accent walls, entryways, and powder rooms as standalone projects — smaller in scope, faster to complete, and dramatically higher in visual impact per dollar spent than a full remodel.
According to Kris A., a decorative wall finish specialist and member of both the Wallcovering Installers Association (WIA) and the Interior Design Society (IDS), this shift is partly generational and partly practical. Homeowners want character in their spaces, but many are also renovating older Fort Collins homes where the original plaster walls have texture and imperfections that modern flat paint doesn’t flatter. A well-chosen wallpaper or a hand-applied plaster finish can work with those imperfections instead of fighting them…