Colorful, Tribal, Fun – All In One

The owners of this newish townhome in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston spend much of their year in Africa (oil patch). The wife had a few goals for enhancing the all-beige space.

She wanted color. She wanted to tie in with some bright artwork the couple had collected. And she sought to bring a little of the African / ethnic feel they have come to love into their Houston home.

To me, the fun turtles on this wallpaper pattern look like batik-dyed pagne fabric. The teal is a wild jolt of color in an unexpected place – the master bathroom water closet.

The homeowner loves it so much, she is already thinking of adding more bright wallpaper to a more visible space – the adjoining master bedroom.

This wallpaper pattern is by Thibaut Designs, and was bought from my favorite source for good quality, product knowledge, expert service, and competitive price – Dorota Hartwig at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near Kirby. (713) 520-6262 or dorotasouthwestern@hotmail.com. She is great at helping you find just the perfect paper! Discuss your project and make an appointment before heading over to see her.

Wild Bursts of Water-Colory Hues!

Oooooo …. Here’s something fun!

This 5-year old townhome in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston is typically all pale grey and tan. The homeowner wanted to brighten it up, as well as pull in some colors that coordinate with vivid artwork they have collected in Africa.

This pattern with bold swipes of primary colors in a sort of faux-finish design is perfect!

I hung this in a large powder room, as well as two walls in the adjoining bar area (no photo yet – see separate post).

This wallpaper is by Wallquest, and was sold by my favorite source for good quality, product knowledge, expert service, and competitive price – Dorota Hartwig at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near Kirby. (713) 520-6262 or dorotasouthwestern@hotmail.com. She is great at helping you find just the perfect paper! Discuss your project and make an appointment before heading over to see her.

Fans on a TV Room Wall

This pattern reminds me of the marques and fanfare around movie theaters in the Art Deco period of the 1930’s. So it’s fitting to use in a large living room / TV room in this townhouse in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston.

Since the area where the pattern hits the edges of the paper is dark, and the paper is printed on a white substrate, I used dark chalk pastels to color the edges, to prevent white from showing at the seams.

The paper is by A Street Prints, and is a non-woven material, and I hung it using the paste-the-wall method.

The homeowners have a lot of artwork in the form of colorful glass plates and other pieces, and this pattern will be a fabulous backdrop.

Leopard Spots Across a Heights Dining Room

The original incarnation of this dining room in a nicely renovated bungalow in the Heights neighborhood of Houston, with its medium-grey walls (the first photo shows the room after I applied my white wallpaper primer), was classic and bordered on elegant. But that look did not suit this young couple.

They wanted something more youthful and fun, and also a background that would set off their collection of “somewhat wild and colorful” artwork.

Thibaut’s ‘Tanzania’ wallpaper pattern in chocolate brown on a very light tan background fills the bill perfectly. Note how the dark ceiling plays off the walls.

A Geometric Pattern Adds Subtle Warmth

This week I’m working in a very contemporary newish home in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston. Everything is straight lines and white walls. The bathrooms are getting a little warmth and personality with wallpaper.

The color scheme, pattern, and scale of this wallpaper all help it feel muted, so it doesn’t overpower the “minimalist” feel of the home. The geometric design, on the other hand, goes very nicely with the clean lines of the home, and with modern artwork collected by the homeowners.

This product is paper (not vinyl or non-woven) and is by Anderson Prints. It is not particularly easy to work with, since it tends to dry out after only a few minutes of booking time, and I had to repaste most of the edges so the seams would stay down. It also tears up my razor blades faster than most papers.

It was bought from my favorite source for good quality, product knowledge, expert service, and competitive price – Dorota Hartwig at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near Kirby. (713) 520-6262 or dorotasouthwestern@hotmail.com. She is great at helping you find just the perfect paper! Discuss your project and make an appointment before heading over to see her.

Unusual Mounting Bracket for a Bathroom Mirror

Digital Image

It’s best to take accessories off the wall before installing the wallpaper, so that the wallpaper can go behind them, and leave a smooth, uniform look. “Accessories” can mean anything from light switch plate covers to towel bars to light fixtures to artwork to, as in this case, mirrors.

This mirror (not shown) was supported by a bracket that held it a few inches away from the wall, and allowed it to swivel up and down. I had not seen one like this before, so it was interesting to me to figure out how it worked and how to get the mirror off the wall – and then back onto the wall, after the wallpaper was up.

This mirror was affixed with “female” mounting receptacles that fit over the “male” rods protruding from the bracket on the wall. Then there was a largish hex-shaped set screw that fit into the top and joined the rod and the receptacle together and held them tight – with the help of an allen wrench. Now the apparatus is ready to support a heavy, framed mirror.