Go to a wallpaper store and flip through sample books. It is important to look at patterns and styles that you normally avoid. Expose yourself to all that is available. By expanding your horizons, you will further develop your sense of style. Just because you always thought you were straight-laced-traditional doesn’t necessarily mean you are. It may be that you’ve chosen a traditional style because it’s all you’ve known.

Make stacks of samples, dividing them into "yes" and "no" piles. Make decisions quickly. Don’t second guess yourself or spend time studying the samples. Put the "Yes, I like that, I’m not sure for where, but I like it" patterns in the "yes" stack. Put the "Well, I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not" in the "no" pile. In about fifteen minutes, you will be pleasantly surprised to realize that there are similarities among your choices. Usually color, pattern, or overall personality will be much the same from one "yes" sample to the next. You may, for example, find that many of the samples you have chosen are plaid. They will also have similar colors. They may be different hues (shades) of the colors, but the samples usually fall within the same color families, like warm or cool colors.