Frames Wallpaper by Graham and Brown

The April 2011 Issue of Family Circle magazine had a spot on this unique wallpaper. Interestingly, I have intalled this same paper in a client’s home, and an interior designer whom I know had it in her previous house.

The paper is white and has what look like various sizes and shapes of picture frames drawn on it by hand with a black ink pen. The idea is that you then hang your own framed or unframed pictures or snapshots in the openings. CUTE!

grahambrown.com

And here’s the paper itself:

http://www.grahambrown.com/us/product/52050/Frames+%3A+Black+%26+White+Wallpaper

Flavor Paper – Unique Designs, Hand Made Papers

Recently I got an e-mail from someone who has purchased wallpaper from Flavor Paper, a “boutique” manufacturer in New York City (with a location coming soon in New Orleans).

Their patterns are pretty unique, to say the least! Many are very fuzzy or blurry, giving an interesting effect, some are mural-like, others are graphics, and others are, well, just plain weird – in a good way!

Take a look…

http://www.flavorpaper.com

From their site:
“Two re-engineered versions of Ted’s original table are the centerpiece of the Lab and the backbone of our wallpaper printing operation. To support our hand screened printing process, the Flavor Lab houses a darkroom, screen etching equipment, and an ink room where we custom mix all of our colors. Printing becomes street art as the front windows allow pedestrians to watch the process happen in the massive overhead mirrors. The Flavor Paper showroom is located on the second floor and offers clients a unique way to view wallpaper and experience the bespoke offerings that make Flavor Paper the only place to purchase fine wallpaper in the city of New York.”
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West University Place Home Tour

Yes, I’m a home tour groupie! I attend as many as I can. Love ’em.

In this year’s show, every single home had wallpaper featured somewhere, in one room, or in several rooms.

More proof positive that wallpaper is BACK!

Galveston Home Tour pt III

One of the homes on the tour had an interesting wall treatment in the entry foyer.

It looked like a faux finish painter had applied a finish intended to mimic raw silk.

It was in panels, to coincide with the width of a bolt of fabric, and had a faint “woven” texture (done with paint) and variations of color, as you would see in a shimmery satin or silk fabric.

The artist had done a good job, but I have to say, this was not my favorite part of the tour. Just didn’t like the effect.

The Galveston Home Tour pt II

In addition to the beautiful lived-in homes, the Galveston Home Tour always includes a “work in progress” by the Historical Foundation. This year’s home was a cottage that had been badly burned – and I mean, most of it was nothing but charred studs and lath and a roof open to the elements.

In the dining room and front room, some of the plaster walls were still partially intact. I was tickled to see some shreds of wallpaper clinging to them. The paper had to be quite old, as it appeared to be the original paper, since it was applied directly on the plaster walls. The house dated to the late 1800’s or early 1900’s.

Of interest to me:

The paper was installed directly on the plaster walls. Usually there is a “cheescloth” type fabric tacked to the walls, and the paper is applied over that. So this installation was unusual.

The paper was installed directly on the plaster, with no primer. (A sizing could have been used, as it usually was in those days.) There was so little paper left to examine, it was hard to tell, but new plaster, or even cured plaser, for that matter, can bleed or weep, causing stains on wallpaper.

As time went on, a homeowner redecorated. The new wallpaper was applied directly on top of the original wallpaper. Since the plastic coatings of today were not used back then, I think it was OK to do this, since adhesion would be possible because there was no slippery plastic coating.

The original paper was a very plain off-white with a barely-there white or silver design. The second paper had maroon flowers, green leaves, and a sort of geometric pattern.

As I usually note, the colors were as bright and attractive as they originally were. Only smoke had darkened the paper, not age.

I tried to wipe off some of the smoke from a section of paper, and it was pretty successful. This means the wallpaper was durable and washable, and has stood the test of time.

Hand-mixed wheat-based paste was used in those days. They must have added insecticides and mildewcides, as there were no signs of insects have eaten the paper or paste. (Since wheat is a food, bugs will eat the paste off the paper, if no insecticide is added.)

The Galveston Home Tour

As I do every year, I attended the Galveston Home Tour yesterday. As usual, all the homes were fantastic.

In one of the homes, the homeowners had taken great pains to recreate what would have been in an authentic Victorian home. I was thrilled to see the wallpaper they had chosen – easily recognizable to people like me who love these papers – Bradbury & Bradbury brand papers.

This company makes reproductions of actual patterns from “the old days,” including Victorian, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, and more. The patterns and colors are truly stunning. In many instances, they are meant to be layered, meaning that there will be a wall pattern, then a dado or soffit or wainscotting, then a border, and maybe some other sort of trim.

Check them out at: http://www.bradbury.com/

What was in the front room of this home looks quite similar to what is in the upper right corner of the web site’s home page.

The papers are of the finest quality, and often include metalic gold in the ink. They are untrimmed, meaning the installer has to hand-trim each seam. Layering the intricate borders and dados is even more involved.