But ,,, But ,,, I See A Butt !

Although it’s free and loose, this is essentially a symmetrical pattern . After studying the pattern on-line , I determined that this dark berry motif with the red bird was the dominant element in the design .
I measured and plotted carefully , to plant that motif right in the center above the window molding .
This would ensure that the dark berry motif would fall evenly on both sides of the window as it moves down the wall .
What I didn’t anticipate is how the individual design elements would also play out , being divided equally on both sides of the window . Take a look …

On the left side of the window molding is the rear end of a bird . See his tail ?

And on the right side of the window , at the same height , is the front end of the bird !
The flowers and other motifs were affected the same way .

The pattern is called Apothecary’s Garden and is by C.F.A. Voysey , a designer from the turn of the last century, in the Arts & Crafts period .

This is by Lord Twig Wallpaper , out of Canada . I’ve heard all positive results in dealing with this company.
Please see previous post for more information re the wallpaper itself.

Apothecary’s Garden in Powder Room – Fairy Tale Floral

Deep green wainscoting at the bottom, and on the right is a 100 year old ” dry sink ” with coordinating colored tile backsplash turned into a vanity, with period-appropriate faucet .

Fresh and lively . But can you believe the design dates back about 100 years ? – same as the house!

Close up. Looks like watercolor paint . Birds , butterflies , plants , flowers , and grasshoppers !

C.F.A. Voysey is a male designer who worked around the turn of the last century, late 1800’s through about the 1920’s , and was part of the Arts & Crafts decorating movement . Most of his patterns are somewhat symmetrical , as well as whimsical and fanciful , with heavy emphasis on nature .
This is a non-woven material , can be hung via the paste the wall method , although I prefer the paste the paper installation . It has a 20% polyester content and is thus more resistant to stains and humidity than traditional papers . And it’s designed to strip off the wall easily and in one piece with no damage to your walls when you redecorate .
The brand name is Lord Twig and it comes from Finest Wallpaper , which is in Canada.
This went in the rear powder room of a beautifully renovated 1926 4-plex apartment that has been artfully converted into a single family home , in the Woodland Heights area of Houston .

Period-Authentic Pattern in a Powder Room

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When I first visited with this homeowner, she showed me some wallpaper patterns she was considering. I looked at the style of her home, the antique furniture she had, her affinity for things old, and her “sweet” sentimentality toward decorating, and suggested she look at the designs offered by Trustworth Studios. http://trustworth.com/wallpaper.shtml

She and I were both thrilled when she took my advice. This beautiful wallpaper pattern is by Trustworth Studios, who specializes in recreating authentic designs by turn-of-the-century artists, including C.F.A. Voysey. This one is called “The Brambley.” (I have their “Bat and Poppy” pattern in my own powder room … do a Search here to find photos.)

Usually, I plan to have a certain element of the pattern hit the top of the wall at the ceiling line. What ends up at the bottom of the wall is not too important, because, really – who’s looking at the wallpaper at the floor?! But this room had a chair rail mid-way down the wall, so the bottom of the strip would be very visible. In the top photo, you see how I have placed a certain motif at the top of the wall. And, in the second photo, you see how I plotted it so that a whole element of the pattern lands at the bottom of the wall (which is the top of the chair rail, and fairly near eye-level). In this way, whole elements of the pattern appear at the top of the wall, and at eye-level, for a pleasing effect, and nothing gets chopped in half.

Note: Not all wall heights and pattern repeats work out this nicely, but when they do, it makes for a nicer effect.

In the third photo, you see the true color of the paper. (I have no idea why the first pictures show the paper as grey – it is not – it is blue, as C.F.A. Voysey originally created it.) You also see the selvedge edge, like you have in fabric when sewing clothing. This has to be trimmed off by hand, carefully and with special equipment, and a lot of time and patience.

Their papers take a little more work, but I absolutely love working with them. The trim marks are true, the paper trims nicely, the paper manipulates into place much better than most, the paper does not shrink (no gapping at the seams), the seams are invisible, it works with standard wallpaper pastes, and, if need be (I did not need to) paste can be washed off the surface with no problems.

The last photo is my ending point. In this powder room, in a new Oak Forest home, there was no “hidden” corner, so a mis-matched pattern in any corner would have been very visible. But the space over the door was only about a foot high, it was 10′ up, and decorative molding stuck out from the wall, pretty much hiding that area. So I kept the pattern true in all four corners, and put the ending point – which always ends in a mis-match – over the door, using a little creative scissors work to disguise the mis-match. It looks darned good, if I do say so myself. 🙂