Jungle Book / Beverly Hills Hotel / Tropical Foliage

I hung wallpaper in this bathroom about 15 years ago. The girl has grown up and gone off to college – and it’s time for her room to get an update.

This banana leaf design is by Nobilis. Tropical greenery is a popular concept, and there are lots of manufacturers making similar patterns; you can find something beautiful at any price range.

This Nobilis product is printed on a non-woven substrate. It is meant to be a paste-the-wall installation, but I preferred the flexible handle-ability I got by pasting the paper instead. In addition, because the manufacturer printed the dark paper on a white substrate, it was highly likely that the seams would show up by hair-bredth gaps.

I used a black chalk pastel to color the edges (where the dark blue crossed the seams), to prevent the white backing from showing – and they disappeared. I didn’t have a green chalk stick, so left the green leaf areas untreated … so the seams did show a bit more. But visible seams are pretty expected with dark papers, and with thick non-woven materials.

A Really Nice Faux / Fake Grasscloth

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Grasscloth is all the rage right now, but I cringe when clients talk about using it. There are so many problems with shading and paneling and color variations (Do a Search in the upper right on these terms.), as wall as staining, bleeding, and shredding by pets.

There are faux products that are pretty realistic, and some are better quality than others. (Again, do a Search here.) This homeowner wanted the look and texture of grasscloth in her bathroom, but knew that the real deal would not hold up to a busy family with little children.

She found this paper-backed vinyl product on an internet sales site, and got a really good deal on some expensive paper. The rolls she got were not all the same run, so had to be kept on separate walls, but there was plenty of paper, so I was able to get the room done.

I was very pleased that there were no color variations (except between runs, and I kept different runs segregated on separate walls), and she is happy that the vinyl paper will withstand water and little hands. The vinly surface is embossed with a realistic texture, too. I was able to do this powder room while the toilet and sink were out of the room, making the install much easier, and also ensuring that there would be no cut edges along the top of the sink (which could wick up splashed water and cause curling).

The brand is Elitis, a French company, and the product is a paper-backed solid vinyl. I hung this in the powder room of a darling 1930’s home in the Rice University area of Houston.

Smoky, Misty “Wood” Look Textured Vinyl Wallcovering

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This new home is contemporary in style, and everything inside is all taupy grey brown charcoal cream white. This subdued pattern, reminiscent of wood planks, in the same hues and shades, is the perfect match. I’m not big on contemporary décor, but when the first strip of wallpaper went up, I was just blown away by how good it looked against the countertop and how well it coordinated with the rest of the house.

This is a textured heavy vinyl material, with no pattern match, so it looks a little like grasscloth on the wall. The manufacturer is Elitis, a French company. The interior designer is Neal Le Bouef, of L Design Group (do a Search on Google, HOUZZ, and Facebook), a lovely and fun person to work with, and who designs rooms that are crisp and sleek but still warm and welcoming and livable. This home is in Spring Branch (Houston).