You’re looking up at the bottom edge of crown molding , where the painter let his brush cover the surface with flat orange wall paint. Gee, to me, beautiful molding is elegant and elevates the appearance of the whole room. It would look so much nicer to have that edge painted white like the rest of the molding. A painter who’s either too lazy or unskilled to ” cut a clean line ” between the wall and the woodwork .
Window wall before. Due to the logistics of plotting and hanging grasscloth, this one wall took me six hours. More on that in a separate post.Finished wall with drapes replaced. The drapes compliment the slight sheen of the grasscloth material. How elegant ! Below the windows.Below the windows .Rounded bull-nosed edges on this entry arch . The edges are always tricky to wallpaper . Arch done. East corner. I stripe the wall with dark paint to prevent the white wall primer from showing in case of tiny gaps at the seams . The southwest corner had an odd angle in it, probably due to the powder room or stairs or maybe A/C ducts on the other side of the wall. The light hits that one angled wall differently. This photo also nicely shows the fine texture of the grass material, and the subtle sheen . Also note that the seams in grasscloth are always visible . So good installer will take care to plot so the panels are placed in the most pleasing manner – in this case, down the center of the wall to the left. This does eat up a little (or a lot) of extra paper – the rolled up scraps you see are leftovers from this process. They can’t be used anywhere else, so will be thrown away . Planning all this is another reason to have the installer figure how many rolls / bolts are needed. Purchasing based on square footage would result in an unbalanced panel layout . Northwest corner. Grasscloth often has shading or paneling ( color differences ) between strips. This particular grasscloth was amazingly homogeneous in color, and I was very pleased. In fact, over this entry to the home office was the only place where there was any noticeable color difference at all. (also visible in previous photo) Unfortunately, I don’t know the brand . But I suspect that a lot of grasscloth and other such natural materials are made by the same manufacturer – just sold under different brand names . The home is in the West University area of central Houston .
Originally simply painted a rather dull and lackluster sorta orange, the homeowner chose this pattern to both brighten the entryway and make it feel welcoming. Entry door wall primed and ready for wallpaper. I love the columns on either side. The black door and molding really stand out against the wallpaper. The mom / grandmother described this as “elegantly soft.” There will be artwork hanging on the walls, so it was important that the wallpaper pattern not overwhelm or take center stage. This Willow Boughs pattern will form a perfect backdrop for other focal points.Close up.Closer up, showing the light textured surface of this material.The designer is William Morris , dating back to the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and the Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts period. Morris & Co. is the manufacturer. Morris makes two types of wallpaper – non-woven and the traditional British pulp . It’s important that this homeowner took my advice and selected the non-woven option. NW is much easier to work with. But also, since it has a high polyester content, it’s designed to strip off the wall easily when it’s time to redecorate . It also is stronger and more stain-resistant than most other types of wallpaper . That’s good, because this family has three little kiddies running around! The home is in the Braes Heights neighborhood of Houston . installer
Red is a classic dining room color, and painted walls served well since the late ’90’s. This homeowner has classic taste – note the elegant moldings below the chair rail and around the windows. The update is lighter and brighter and opens up the room, making it feel larger. Note the wallpaper around the corner on the right.This is the paper in the adjoining hallway, which has been in place for decades. The new pattern coordinates beautifully in theme and color!Close-up. Roses and script.Norwall is a very economical brand (something like $25 per double roll on sale). Not my favorite quality, because the gritty paper backing can absorb humidity and separate from the thick vinyl surface, plus the seams tend to “pouch” a bit and don’t look great. But I’ve discovered that rolling a bit of wallpaper paste onto the wall under the seam areas will help to “suck down” the edges, creating better seams. I also do believe that the manufacturer has improved the substrate. I was pleased with the way the seams looked on this install. You’re looking at a very close-up picture. Once the paper is dried and from two feet away, these seams will be invisible. In fact, the homeowner kept walking around the room remarking how she couldn’t even find a seam. Note the slightly textured surface.
Primed and ready for wallpaper.Vanity wall done. I placed the trees so they would frame the mirror and light fixture evenly.The slope is the underside of the stairs. At first the homeowners said not to paper this sloped area, as it is considered part of the ceiling.After the first wall was papered, we decided that the slope would blend in better if it were covered with paper. I’ve hung this Shimmering Foliage pattern before, but this is the first time in this gorgeous colorway. It really sets off the pretty moldings and white vanity in the room.In this close up, you see the embossed (raised) texture in the vinyl surface. The gold is not metallic, but it sure shines! Made by York, in the Candice Olson line. Just about everything she touches is glittery and elegant. This is a non-woven material, and can be hung using the paste-the-wall method, although I pasted the paper instead, which makes it more pliable and also ensures that paste will get to all areas, including around intricate moldings and behind the toilet. Non-woven papers will strip off the wall easily and in one piece when it’s time to redecorate. Houston wallpaper installer.
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.
Wow – Not many people get to sleep in a bedroom like this! The walls are covered in a cork wallcovering that is coated with silver metallic blocks that are about 6″ square. Then a gold metallic damask pattern was superimposed on top. It looks like someone rubbed gold leaf on the walls!
The result is an elegant, shimmery, somewhat edgy look. It’s all complimented by a deep red accent wall composed of large, 3-dimensional square blocks (visible on the left in the top photo). The bed and headboard sit in front of this red wall.
Silver, gold, red – stunning!
Cork is a natural material (like grasscloth, as an example) so irregularities and color differences are to be expected. In the top photo, you can see a vertical line down the left edge of one strip – I believe this to have come from a roller at the factory that was pressing too hard, or perhaps was too hot.
Beyond that, there are differences in color and sheen and pattern between the strips on the wall. All of this is normal, and not considered a defect.
This was a thick material and took a lot of strength to press tightly against moldings for trimming, and it was pretty difficult to work around outside corners. But the main obstacle was that it was all but impossible to see the pattern. The sheen of the silver and gold, and the scratchy look of the design, printed on the textured surface of the cork … all combined to drive the installer’s eyes crazy.
In the end, though, I got ‘er done. 🙂
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.
This is a handsome wallcovering, but unfortunately it’s best to see it in person, because it simply doesn’t photograph well. It’s real cork, stained a dark chocolate brown, with glittering flecks of silver in the background. The true beauty of it is revealed when light from the chandelier hits it, which is what I tried to show in the third photo.
The chandelier is stunning in itself, because it came from South America, having belonged to the homeowner’s grandfather. Sorry – that didn’t photograph well, either. 😦 I think it’s cool how the elegant, traditional light fixture works well with the modern style of the wallpaper and the rest of the house.
This natural cork wallpaper went in the powder room of a new contemporary style townhome in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston. The interior designer for this job is Elizabeth Maciel.
The wallpaper is by Monarch, 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.
The original red wallpaper in this tiny under-the-stairs powder room in a classically styled 1917 home in the Rice University area of Houston was fine enough. But it darkened the room, it didn’t suit the new homeowner’s taste, and it had become stained (see water splashes around the faucet handle on the right.)
The second photo shows the room after the old paper has been stripped off, little areas of the walls have been patched, and primer has been applied.
The new orange animal print on a white background greatly brightens the room. I love the gutsy way this homeowner has combined a modern pattern with old-world features, such as the elegant gilded mirror and the engraved gold tone towel ring and toilet paper holder (not shown).
She’s included contemporary elements, too – note the modern art hanging over the toilet. She also found a beautiful hand towel embroidered in bright orange with the family name’s initial. These little details are the crowning touch!
This homeowner is a friend of another gal I did wallpaper for a couple of times, who lives a few blocks away. I love it when people pass my name back and forth!
This wallpaper pattern is called “Panthera” and 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.
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