Wallpaper.
Remember the mess we used to get into hanging wallpaper? Was it one of those jobs you enjoyed? Recall being covered in smelly, sticky, thick paste, holding up your arms until you thought they were paralyzed, all while trying to match patterns so the joins didn't show, because if they did, you would always see them even if your visitors didn't! Or, did you really hate that part of interior decoration, and instead spent a lot of money to have someone come in and hang the darned stuff for you. We won't even discuss getting wallpaper off the walls - that's truly a horror story best left in the annals of interior decorating.
Or you just slapped paint everywhere!
Don't get me wrong, I love paint. I was always painting walls - and furniture - until the shoulders hurt, the knees got weak, and climbing a teetering ladder was best left to the young. . . . . .or professionals hopefully with insurance. Did you know that wallpaper is back? Apparently you don't even need to paper an entire room, the 'in' thing now is to just cover one wall in a room, and it's called a feature wall. This requires different patterns than those tiny rose sprigs, mini checks, or narrow stripes of years back, instead you have to choose a BOLD design - a statement wallpaper which stops you in your tracks with its WOW factor!
Here are some that caught my eye online at Graham & Brown, a wallpaper company established in 1946. Their inventory is impressive and there are many really beautiful designs. Am I considering a feature wall in a main room? Doubtful because the cottage rooms are really too small, but I may consider a wall in my entrance hallway where I already have very dark paint. . . . . . this first one I really like.
The following designs, a mix of classic, funky, contemporary, nature inspired, would each look gorgeous in the right room.
So what are your thoughts on wallpaper? Is it a product you already use in your home, or are all your walls painted? I still have wallpaper in my master bath, and kitchen, but neither are stunning, more a light natural faux painted look which I must admit works for me in those areas.
BTW - they say there is better paste now - you can roll it directly on the walls making it easier and less messy to hang the wallpaper - and it's easier to strip it off later. Do you know if that's correct? It would make doing that one feature wall a breeze - maybe a soon to be Spring project!
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Oh I remember those days, 40+ years ago when we bought our first house, my husband could turn his hand to anything and he wallpapered several rooms.
ReplyDeleteWe had wallpaper in most rooms even in the kitchen, which was a washable one.
Then things changed and painted walls came into vogue! One weekend when my husband was away yachting I got to work with a paint roller and painted over the wallpaper in the living room!
I'm the first to admit I wasn't the best painter but it was all fun - that's what we did in those days!
The last paper is very similar to one we had in our bedroom, back then I thought it was so elegant!
I love the gorgeous inky blue one - it looks like the beautiful flocked damask ones of the late seventies, so pricey they were out of our league!
Your post evokes many happy memories of our early married life and the fun we had doing things 'on the smell of an oily rag'!
Happy weekend Mary and don't go near any ladders - please!
Shane x
Dear Mary - I don't have a single room with wallpaper in it but I do admire these that you have shown. When I watch makeover programmes if the walls are in good condition with no bumps etc they seem to put the paste directly onto the walls which looks much easier.
ReplyDeleteI am often tempted to have a wall of wallpaper but generally like to have all of my bits and pieces shown off in front of plain walls. I think that doing a wall in your entrance hallway is a good idea.
I haven't wallpapered for years and years. When we lived in military housing I'd often paper with so-called 'dry strippable'. Ha! You'd think I'd have learned, but ever the optimist, I'd paper and strip and strip and strip.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how I feel about the big statement the newer styles make.
I just love that it is back. So many gorgeous and yet, I found it to be the hardest part of decorating. Just too much to choose from. My new powder room in the city house has a horrid colored wallpaper I just can't stand - burgundy/garnet. I am trying to find that banana leaf pattern at the Hotel Bel Air.
ReplyDeleteWow! So much great wallpaper in my blogland this morning. My bathroom is upholstered in a damask, but otherwise I am all paint... one of these beauties, however, would look divine in one wall in my guest room.... tempting. Have a great weekend ~ebh
ReplyDeleteThese grey wallpapers are definitely you. I love the one with queen anne's lace. Our bedroom has embossed wallpaper from a day long ago. It had been painted over when we bought the house and I kind of liked the texture so left it. We have since painted over it again and still enjoy seeing the texture of the tulips. How I remember the mess of wallpapering. Just an accent wall would be nice.
ReplyDeleteThese wallpapers are really beautiful and the chalkboard ones are quite fun. When we bought our house there was wallpaper on the kitchen walls (a very small area) and the bathroom, and when baby came along we wallpapered the nursery. Renovations years later removed all the wallpaper and we have never done it again. I don't think I'd do wallpaper again but it might be nice on an accent or feature wall. I guess it's the hassle of doing it and like Pondside said above, 'dry-strippable' is NOT easy to remove but hopefully the newer ones are easier to remove. Haha.
ReplyDeleteMy husband hated wallpaper so I have never had it but like it. I especially like the non color art nouveau or deco prints .. I like the last photo and the one before the photo with the woman in it.
ReplyDeleteMary, I had wallpaper in my home when I lived back in PA. Now in my home in Raleigh, I only have painted walls. I have seen some beautiful wallpaper out there though. Thanks for your visit.
ReplyDeleteKelly
Mary, we have wallpaper in our kitchen and breakfast room, a guest bath, and in our entry hall. I'm a fan!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your project. I've never hung wallpaper myself, so no help with suggestion or experience.
I didn't realise that new wallpaper was already pre-glued or something. I wonder hwo that works in terms of packaging? Sounds sooo much easier. I love that 7th pic of the grey wallpaper the best but all of them are just wonderful
ReplyDeleteYes, I know that feature walls are all the rage now. If one ever goes to an open house, it;s the nrom these days to see at least one wall with a bold and different colour. usually they are painted but I have noticed more wallpaper too and knew that it was coming back. I think that is great. For one, our aesthetics are way better than they were in the 70's when wallpaper was more popular! The designs are so much better now too.
Great post, Mary. I enjoyed the hop over to the hop over to Graham and Brown as well. Great photos.
Some of these are gorgeous! I've never played with wallpaper before, as it was already well "out" of fashion by the time I was living on my own. How stunning is that Queen Anne's Lace wallpaper, though?! And I am very drawn to the textured "honeycomb" pattern two photos down from that. I'd love an accent wall of a nice wallpaper for the nursery... but my oh my, I'd have to do my research, as I am not at ALL familiar with it!! :( xo
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