Five-Room Re-Do – Updating the Dining Room

Originally the walls were heavily textured. See previous post for how I smoothed them. Here they are smooth, primed, and ready for wallpaper.

With it’s squiggly upward movement and bright aqua & lime color scheme, this paper adds so much life and energy to the space!

This close-up best shows the true colors.

A Street Prints is a very nice brand. These are almost always non-woven, paste-the-wall materials, but this time the instructions said to paste the paper. I usually do that anyway.

The home is in the League City suburb of Houston.

Wallpaper Featured in Better Homes & Gardens Magazine, September 2021

Jungle pattern in dining area.

Paisley, green, and purple invoke the Inner Bohemian in this bedroom.

Paint-splatter look in kids’ homework station.

Subtle palm fronds.

You can get away with a lot of drama in a small powder room!

Colefax & Fowler historic wallpaper pattern.

Just about every month, this magazine shows at least one home decorated with wallpaper. This month’s selections cover a wide variety of tastes and styles.

Warmth With An Ethnic Feel For Heights Hallway

Boring

Warm and engaging, without overpowering

“Appleton” by Sister Parish

One doesn’t spend much time in this tiny hallway separating the living / dining rooms from the family room / kitchen. But the homeowner – an interior designer – felt the small space merited more attention.

This medium-scale, tight, two-color design called “Appleton” by Sister Parish fills and warms the space nicely, without overwhelming.

Further, it’s a wonderful backdrop to two hand-carved sculptures that will hang on the wall – both are sort of figureheads (like on the front of a pirate ship). They exhibit both a feminine and Asian look.

The wallpaper sets these works of art off way better than the previous plain painted wall.

The interior designer is Stacie Cokinos of Cokinos Design.

My Work Table On Client’s Dining Table

My folding work table and trestle legs take up a space about 5′ x 8.’ Usually there is space for me to set it up somewhere near where I am working.

But sometimes it works better for me to use the homeowner’s dining room table.

With their permission, I place a padded moving blanket over the table, spread dropcloths around and under, and put my table (a set of three boards) on top.

All ready now to hang wallpaper!

Fabulous Fake / Faux Grasscloth Wallpaper

Digital Image

Digital Image

Digital Image

Digital Image

These young homeowners of a new townhome in the Houston Heights were originally considering natural grasscloth for this 35′ long wall in their kitchen / dining / living room. I told them of my disappointment with grasscloth’s visible seams, shading, paneling, and color variations (do a Search here). I was happy when they took my suggestion of this faux grasscloth alternative.

This is a printed horizontal grasscloth pattern on a paper substrate, with a vertical stringcloth material on top. The strings give the paper the texture that people are loving these days. But unlike real grasscloth, this product is more stain-resistant and durable. And it has a pattern that can be matched from strip to strip, so, unlike the real stuff, you don’t see the seams. (See photo) And there is virtually no shading, paneling, or color variations (do a Search here on those terms).

The end result is a beautiful, textured, homogeneous, warm and cozy living space.

The bull-nosed (rounded) corners on the windows gave me some argument and took a lot of time, but turned out great.

This wallpaper pattern is by Wallquest, in their EcoChic line, and in their Grass Effects book. It was bought at below retail price from 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.