Before. Way too much white! A handsome new look. The homeowners are going to paint the bottom area below the chair rail a softer white. They were waiting for the wallpaper to be in place before making a decision on a coordinating paint color . Looking toward dining room and family room . Coat closet and hall leading to bath s and bedroom s. I like to say that a texture like this is reminiscent of a man’s tweed suit . The material itself is an embossed vinyl , so has actual texture to it. It’s color is pretty consistant . This is a great alternative to real grasscloth – a product that presents many disappointing variations in color . Close up of texture and color . Note the bits of gold that reflect light . The homeowners hung a large mirror with a dark gold frame , which really set off against the wallpaper. (dumb me didn’t think to take a picture!) The wallpaper is by A Street Prints , under the Brewster umbrella. It’s a non-woven / paste the wall product , and was easy to install . Because NW contains 20% polyester , it is strong and durable . The vinyl surface is resistant to stains . It’s designed to strip off the wall easily and in one piece and with no damage to the walls when it’s time to redecorate . A very good alternative to real grasscloth or other natural materials . This purchased through Dorota at the Sherwin-Williams in the Rice Village. Wed – Sat , call first, please. (713) 529-6515 The homeowners made an appointment and then brought Dorota photos of their room, the floor , the mirror , along with their vision for the space. Dorota immediately went to the shelf and pulled out the selection book and opened it to this option. The couple loved it immediately! They did look at and consider other patterns and also ordered samples , but ultimately went with their first choice – this one. The home is in the Tanglewood / Galleria area of Houston . installer
It’s been a few years since I’ve visited this place, but today I was working right around the corner, and finished early enough to stop in. And I wanted to check up on my friend Ron Dillon , who’s been selling wallpaper for about 30 years – and I’ve known him just about that long, too!Calico (formerly Calico Corners ) sells mostly fabrics , drapes , and upholstery . But they do have wallpaper , too. OK, only a couple of books right now, but all good brands . York and A Street Prints (which is under the Brewster umbrella.) And the corporate office has plans to issue more books. Please note that if you find something you like, even if Calico doesn’t have the selection book in-house, if it’s a brand they sell (like York ), they can most surely order it for you. Calico has many vignettes displaying furniture with their upholstery . And racks and racks of fabrics .There is a current trend toward grey and/or white rooms. So I was thrilled to see that Calico offers plenty of options with color , too.As well as grey , of course. (Decorated up for Valentine’s Day in this photo.)Area where you can sit and work with a designer for your fabric decorating. Oh – and don’t forget about wallpaper!Faux suede fabric samples .Photoboard display.I love this Check List. Especially “Make an Appointment.” This ensures you’ll have the designer’s full attention. And especially “Wallpaper Guest Bedroom.” 🙂 In fact, I think you should paper every room! 🙂Lorena Sosa is the store manager , and a skilled designer. Ron has a degree in Interior Design , as well as decades of experience selling (and installing !) wallpaper. He also has a knack for “seeing” the client’s room in his ” mind’s eye ” and knowing intuitively and immediately what fabrics and papers and paint colors will work to pull everything together. Also a kind and upbeat person. My clients who work with him always rave about their experience.
This is a 2-room powder room in the Memorial Villages area of west Houston. The home is new and openly spacious, but has many classic elements like very elegant moldings and trim work. I absolutely LOVE this 1890’s Victorian era marble sink with metal legs – a lucky eBay score. The homeowner has young kids and an active family and wanted to do something ” wild ” in the powder room. I’d say this Wonderland pattern fills the bill!The look is especially effective due to the homeowner’s bold choice to paint the woodwork this rich mustard ochre color. Looking from the sink room through the arched doorway into the potty room. Cute, cute pattern! And lovely material to work with. The glass flower light sconces are vintage, too, dating to the ’50’s or ’70’s. A similar-themed glass, floral, and brass chandelier will hang in the adjacent potty room. This is the mirror that will go up, almost touching each light sconce on either side. The grey tones in the mirror look super good with the grey marble vanity / commode sink. Manufacturer is Borastapeter distributed by Brewster , both fine companies. It’s a non-woven material and can be hung by the paste the wall method or by pasting the paper. The original wallpaper came from Finest Wallpaper in Canada, a good company. But the homeowner ordered half of what was needed, and was not able to get more in time for our install date. I suggested she call Dorota at the Sherwin-Williams on University in the Rice Village (713) 529-6515) and, sure enough, she found a source that had the paper in stock and could get it here lickety-split. This is the second time I’ve hung this paper in one week, and I’ve hung it several times previously and have it coming up again – always in this dramatic and colorful black version. People sure love the whimsy of frolicking frocked pigs!
A lot of my clients are choosing designs that harken back to the turn of the (last) century, particularly by William Morris. A lot of those are made by higher-end companies, and the material can be hard to work with. So I was thrilled when my favorite wallpaper sales person, Dorota, showed me these new books at her Sherwin-Williams store in the Rice Village. British Heritage is by Wallquest , a brand I like a lot. Below are room-set photos from those books.This is the very popular Strawberry Thief by William Morris. I’ve hung it before, and have it coming up again soon in the Heights ( Houston ). Arts & Crafts designs are very rhythmic and stylized. Some, like this, have a lot of color and impact.Others, with muted or tone-on-tone color pallets, are more subdued.Revival is another wallpaper selection book with designs of the same theme. A Street Prints is by Brewster, another great company. Most A Street Prints are on a non-woven , paste-the-wall substrate, which makes them quite user-friendly and affordable. CFA Voysey was a designer of the same period. I would say he was far ahead of his time, with some patterns reminiscent of MC Escher, and others bordering on … well, sort of psychedelic. Very progressive for the 1880’s! He continued to design through the Art Nouveau ( 1920’s ) and Art Deco ( 1930’s ) periods. I have his Bat & Poppy in my powder room. Search here to see photos. The fluidity here speaks of the Art Nouveau style. Alphonse Mucha was a European artist known for his elaborate theater and advertising posters in this style. I was lucky enough to have seen a fabulous exhibit at the Taft Museum when I was in Cincinnati for a Wallcovering Installers Association annual convention.
Not all Sherwin-Williams stores have wallpaper books, so call before you head over. Dorota isat the 2525 University store. This store has more wallpaper books than any other in Houston. Her hours vary, and someone may have checked the books out, so call before you head over. (713) 529-6515
My favorite resource for finding your dream wallpaper is Dorota at the Sherwin-Williams store on University Blvd (contact info below). I stopped in to the store today to check out their huge selection. This is by far my favorite place to shop in Houston!
More than a hundred books, and a large table to spread them out on.York One of my favorite brands! Lots of lines and options.Thibaut Another of my all-time favorites. Just about everything they sell gets my stamp of approval!A Street Prints Wonderful quality non-woven material, lots of fun patterns.Brewster A great, dependable company that makes many lines under many names. Buy with confidence!Seabrook has long roots in the U.S. Very good brand.Rifle Paper A wonderful new line made by York, gaining popularity swiftly due to cute and innovative designs. Check out their Peacock.
No picture – Sherwin-Williams’s Easy Walls line is very good … It’s pre-pasted and a thin non-woven; easily hung and easily removed. I suspect it’s made by York, in their SureStrip line.
Essentials A compilation of other brands, most of which are good quality. A few “duds,” so consult with me or Dorota before buying. Overall, this line is the best of the lower-priced options.
Moving on to not-so-good (IMO)
Norwall Budget-priced, but long considered one of my least favored brands. Recently, though, I think they’ve improved their product. Plus, I think I have discovered a way to “tame the beast.” Still, better to avoid pre-pasted solid-vinyl products – see my page to the right.Basix Pre-pasted, paper-backed, solid-vinyl – my least preferred of all the wallpapers out there. Cheap, yes. But … ya get what ya pay for. Please click and read my page to the right.Mostly lower-end, pre-pasted paper-backed solid-vinyl materials … best to stick to brands at the top of the page.
NOTE: Avoid any and all peel & stick papers, including the S-W Easy Change line. Click and read my page to the right.
Where to Buy Wallpaper in Houston:
BEST OPTION FOR ASSISTANCE IN WALLPAPER SELECTION: Dorota Hartwig is my No. 1 go-to for personal help finding your perfect paper. At the Sherwin-Williams at 2525 University. With 20+ years selling wallpaper, she knows what’s in all the books and can quickly help you narrow down the search. Most major brands are available, with those wonderful S-W prices! There are four parking spots in front of the store, but better is the free 2-hour parking on the shopping center roof across the street. Her hours right now are Tuesday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – best to be there before 1:00 p.m. – but that can change, so call first. (713) 529-6515
In addition to the above in-store books, if you find something on-line, she may be able to get it for you. Here are some sure-bets:
No reason to search anywhere else! Plus, as I mentioned, she knows what’s in ALL the books, so can track down exactly what you’re looking for, saving you time and hassle.
Can you say ’80’s?! Dated and soiled, it really was time for this 30+ year old original paper to go. Poor colors in this photo – the new paper is actually aqua and green a a bit of grey. One pattern was used for the walls, and another for the fir down / soffits. A little better view of the true colors.There is a pearlized or iridescent quality to this wallpaper. Candice Olson’s line by York. Anything she touches, you can bet it will have a bit of shimmer and glimmer and glam. Curlicues, caterpillars, or corn curls – this is a fun and active design, used just on the fir downs over the cabinets. The Easy-Walls line in the Chesapeake collection by Brewster is a very nice pre-pasted paper, easy to install and easy to remove. It’s a very thin non-woven material, similar to another of my favorites, the Sure-Strip by York. This shot, taken through the adjoining dining room, shows how beautifully the colors and patterns coordinate. Oh, and did I mention the beautiful new blue and green glass tile backsplash?!
The two-sister duo who selected patterns and colors for this League City (Houston) home did a superb job coordinating the two bedrooms, one bathroom, and the dining room and kitchen. The whole house has a very pulled together look, with a theme of gardens, light, fresh, and uplifting.
Before. Getting ready to apply wallpaper primer.Finished accent wall.This is a non-woven material, so can be hung via the paste-the-wall method. And no corners to turn. So no need to lug in my big table! Here I’m measuring the strips on the floor, and then rolled them inside-out and secured with elastic hairbands. This keeps the surface from bumping into the pasted wall during installation. The white 5 gallon bucket with the red lid is my paste, and on the ladder shelf is the paste roller and an angled brush for getting the paste into the corners and edges.The pattern is called “Sakura”Close-up shows the “raised ink” slight texture. This is unusual for non-woven papers, and I liked the effect. A Street Prints, by Brewster, is a good, dependable brand, with a lot of pattern themes and choices.
This young family recently moved back to their house in the Houston Heights after several years overseas in Malaysia. The daughter is ready for a room of her own. An accent wall covered with “Sakura” by A Street Prints is reminiscent of cherry blossoms on trees in the Orient.
So I’m always happy when clients take my advice to consider other options. These homeowners chose a faux grasscloth with an embossed texture (that mimics the tactile appeal of the real stuff), a pattern that can be matched (eliminating jarringly visible seams), on a non-woven substrate (easier install / easier removal when it’s time to redecorate), with a surface that is resistant to stains (as opposed to real grass, which can be stained easily by toiletries, cleaning agents, or even plain water), and, because it’s man-made, greater assurance of homogeneous color – effectively eliminating the woes of paneling and shading and other color variations between and even within strips.
I was pleased with most aspects of this product. For some reason, my camera made the texture look zig-zaggy, but in real life, it really did mimic real grasscloth. The close-up photo gives you a good idea.
One thing that surprised me – and disappointed me – is that, even though this is a man-made material controlled by factory standards, there ended up being a slight color difference between the right and left side of each strip. Look at the fifth photo, particularly the top, and you will see what I’m talking about.
Since this is made in a factory using inks that are mixed at the same time, poured into the printer at the same time, and applied to the wallpaper at the same time, I really don’t understand how the material can have this color variation. Especially since virtually all of the products I have hung by Brewster have been very consistent in color.
In this case, the color variation was fairly minor, was less noticeable when I removed my 100 watt work light, and pretty much reflects what real grasscloth looks like, anyway. The homeowners were fine with it.
The wallpaper is by Exclusive Wallcoverings, which is made by Brewster. It is on a non-woven substrate, and can be hung via the paste-the-wall or paste-the-paper methods. The home is in the Memorial / Beltway 8 / Briarpark area of west Houston. I hung this in a guest bathroom.
I would call the home’s style as contemporary / industrial. This faux grasscloth really softened the room. The horizontal lines in the wallpaper complimented the lines in the shower’s tile. The overall look went from cold and commercial to soft, inviting, and almost spa-like.
The furnishings in this home are traditional, so I was surprised when the homeowners chose this ombre (shaded, graduated, faded) pattern for their powder room. I have to say, it turned out fantastic!
This innovative look is a mural, packed as two 36″ wide panels per “roll.” It took seven panels (four rolls) to do this very small powder room.
Each panel is 8′ high. Like most newer homes, this townhouse has 9′ high ceilings. So, to shorten the wall height, the homeowners decided to add a very short wainscoting at the bottom of the wall, topping it off with a strip of decorative chair rail molding. The deep navy color works perfectly with the tones in the mural, as well as the graduated saturation effect. I like it better than having the design come all the way to the floor.
The homeowners said it was near Divorce Court, with both of them squeezing into this 3′ x 6′ space (and toss in a toilet), trying to measure and hammer and paint and agree on install steps.
They were wise enough to not tackle hanging the wallpaper themselves. 🙂
Back to the wallpaper. This is by Brewster, in their A Street Prints line. It is a non-woven material, and can be hung via the paste-the-wall method …. but I chose to paste the material, for more flexibility and for getting around obstacles like the vanity and toilet.
This wallpaper should strip off the wall easily when it’s time to redecorate. The mural was purchased from Southwestern Paint / Benjamin Moore near the Rice Village, but can also be bought on-line from various vendors, including Brewster’s own website.
The manufacturer is Brewster, in the A Street Prints line. It’s a medium-weight non-woven material, and I used the paste-the-wall installation method.
Because the dark wallpaper was printed on a white substrate, to prevent the white from showing at the seams, I used a dark grey chalk pastel to color the edges of the seams. You have to do this from the back, and be careful not to let the chalk rub onto the surface, because it could cause a visible dark line – just as visible as a white line.
The home is in the Bellaire neighborhood of Houston.
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