Any good play starts with the stage set, and a well-designed room is no different. One of the easiest ways to accomplish that is with wallpaper. Walls have come a long way since the development of wallpaper in the 16th century. Today, almost anything goes on the wall. Best of all, today's options are much more far-reaching than just prints and stripes.

Wall coverings are undergoing a long overdue re-evaluation. New technologies are making wall coverings more durable, easier to install and remove and more environmentally friendly, with a new take on design making them even more appealing to a new generation of consumers. You can wrap a room with the look of leather, add multidimensional architectural details or create a unique mural effect. In fact, the most difficult aspect of wallpapering today is narrowing down the choices.

Before you select your wall coverings, it is important to determine what role they will play. Do you want your walls to stand quietly in the background, allowing the other furnishings to take center stage? Or do you want them to play the leading role, providing the inspiration for the entire color scheme?

The design and color of wall covering can have a dramatic effect on the appearance of space in a room. Remember these simple rules when selecting your wall covering:

n Very dark walls tend to make a room look smaller.

n Vertical stripes make a low ceiling seem higher; horizontal stripes seem to broaden space. Use narrow stripes for a subtle look and wide stripes in contrasting colors for a dramatic look.

n Small prints, geometrics, small florals and gentle abstracts will not overpower a small room, but can appear busy if not carefully chosen.

n Large patterns on walls and ceilings can make a room seem smaller. However, some more open, large patterns can actually give rooms a more spacious feeling.

n Paper can serve as a great solution to walls with minor flaws in the plaster or wallboard.

n Well-chosen pattern, color and texture in the form of paper on your walls can cozy up cavernous spaces or visually open up smaller ones. It will almost always add personality to your rooms in a way that plain paint just can't.

In choosing wallpaper, you'll want it to make a statement consistent with the feeling your are trying to create in the room. Perhaps that involves adding texture that is either visual or tactile. Some of the best textures in wallpapers are made of natural fibers, such as strings, grasses and bamboo. Faux finishes are another way to provide visual texture, and the choices within this category are almost endless, from the ages-old look of Tuscan frescoes to the subtle color washes of seashore pastels.

If your room calls for more than just texture on the walls, consider significant pattern, upon which the furnishings in your room can really sing. Again, the possibilities are endless, ranging from the huge popularity of Asian and ethnic influences, to the more masculine looks found in men's collections from designers such as Ralph Lauren, Raymond Waites and Bob Timberlake. Soft watercolor looks of artists such as Cheri Blum are very popular now, and let's not forget the perenially favorite traditional looks of florals, toile and Jacobean prints.

As in all decorating, it's important to remember that the better the quality of wallpaper, the better it will perform for you in installation, durability, retention of beauty and, eventually. removal when you are ready for a change. Also, avoid skimping on the amount of paper that you think you'll need; shorting yourself can result in mismatched run numbers and, in the long run, a lot of wasted time and money.

If the options seem overwhelming, enlist the help of a design professional, who can help you select a stunning paper that you will enjoy for years to come.

Next time: Let's think spring.

Julie Meyers is the owner of Interiors by Decorating Den in Waverly. She can be reached at 352-1379 or juliemeyers@decoratingden.

com.