Swirling Dragons and Swooshing Garments

OK, that’s a really dumb title. 😦 But every time I look at this restless dragon surrounded by roiling foliage and water, I think about the clothing tumbling in endless summer-saults in the washing machine in this room. Yes, this fun and mystical wallpaper is enhancing a laundry room.

The home is in the Rice University / Medical Center neighborhood of Houston. The wallpaper has bright shades of green-blue on a silver metallic background. It’s a non-woven material, and could be hung by the paste the wall method. Since this room had a lot of obstacles and weird angles and obstructions like non-removable shelving, I opted to paste-the-paper instead. This also rendered the material a lot more flexible and malleable, which was much appreciated, since the room had a lot of features that made it quite difficult to hang.

Normally, I wouldn’t be too crazy about wallpaper in a humid room like a laundry – especially since the air circulation is pretty poor. Humidity can cause wallpaper seams to let loose and curl. But because these newish non-wovens are made of natural and synthetic materials (such as fiberglass), they are more breathable, and thus shouldn’t present issues of curling seams or delaminating. They are also designed to strip off the wall easily and in one piece, when it’s time to redecorate.

This wallpaper is made by York, one of my favorite companies, in their Dwell Studio Line. 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.

Turbulent Intertwined Arboreals

I love this pattern. It’s swirly and ominous and woodsy and fun all at the same time. I hung it in the black and white colorway not long ago. It’s very similar to “Daintree” by Thibaut – As I like to say, for every cool pattern, there is someone making a knock-off.

This one is by York, one of my favorite brands, and is in their Dwell Studios line. It is a non-woven material, and can be hung by the paste-the-wall method or the paste-the-paper method (I used the latter). Non-woven does not expand, and can be hung immediately after pasting (as opposed to having to sit booked for a few minutes). I colored the edges of the paper with chalk before pasting, so the white backing would not show at the seams.

This went in the powder room of the same MidCentury Modern house as my three previous posts. The walls were equally unplumb, and the ceiling off-level, so it’s good that the pattern was forgiving.

Some Patterns are More Fun to Hang than Others

Wow! What a cool pattern, and super fun colors – I couldn’t wait to hang it!

This wild dragon and flora wallpaper on a silver metallic background went in a largish powder room in a new townhome in the north Heights neighborhood of Houston. The single guy homeowner went through a maddening number of choices before finally settling on this one. Boy, is it a great one!

The paper was a little testy to work with, though. It is a thick and stiff and somewhat spongy non-woven material which was difficult to manipulate around features like the light fixture and the vanity top. In addition, the metallic surface was very prone to creasing.

The wall-mounted light fixture could not be removed, and I knew that working the paper around it would result in visible creases. My solution was to split the strip horizontally right where it would land on the light fixture. This made it easier for me to make relief cuts and to ease the wallpaper around the fixture.

I used similar techniques in other areas of the room.

The paper is a lot more vivid and colorful than the photos show. All that teal and chartreuse and silver, and the relentless swirling tails and scales and leaves combine to make one mesmerizing room! A mirror with a wide, dark brown frame set it off.

This wallpaper pattern is by York, in their Dwell Studios line, 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.

Foresty Flair for a Bare Powder Room

Covered with beige paint, this powder room in a new home in the Rice Village / Medical Center area of Houston didn’t have much going for it. And despite it’s large foot print and 12′ high ceilings, it felt close and claustrophobic.

This lively pattern helped a lot, by visually opening the space. All those swirling tree branches add a lot of movement. Yet the paper does not feel busy, because of the monochromatic color scheme.

To reach the high ceiling, I had to bring in my 8′ stepladder. Working with it is always a challenge, especially in tight quarters like a powder room.

This wallpaper pattern is by York, in their Dwell Studios line, and reminds me a lot of “Daintree,” by Thibaut. https://wallpaperlady.wordpress.com/2017/03/19/wild-whimsical-wallpaper/

This paper is on a non-woven substrate, and could be hung using the paste-the-wall method, or the paste-the-paper method; I chose to paste the paper.

This 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.

UnBEARably Cute

Digital Image

Digital Image

Digital Image

Here’s something cleverly fun for a little boy who’s coming in a couple of months.  Bear paws and bear faces.  What could be cuter?!  The color coordinates beautifully with the blue paint chosen for the walls and ceiling.

This wallpaper is by Dwell Studios and is in the Sure Strip line, one of my favorite wallpaper brands.  It is pre-pasted and easy to work with, thin and hugs the wall tightly, seams are invisible.  And, when it’s designed to strip off the wall easily and in one piece with no damage to the wall.

I hung this in a baby boy’s nursery in the Cottage Grove neighborhood of Houston.

Spring Meadow Wallpaper

I’ve got a client looking at this paper for her to-be-born baby girl: http://www.dwellstudio.com/sparrow-meadow-wallpaper.html?utm_source=mediaforge&utm_medium=remarketing&utm_campaign=brand&utm_content=sale&utm_term=300×250

I was on line today and this image popped up. Hmmm. I wonder if that’s how she found it, too.

It’s unusual in that it comes in panels instead of rolls, and the width is 24″, which is not standard. It’s pre-pasted, which is unusual in “boutique” papers such as this.

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