The bold green “raw silk” look paint was put up by a skilled faux-finisher about 15 years ago. It was a beautiful look in this dining room for all those years. But it was time for an update, and the homeowner wanted to go with a cleaner, quieter look.
It’s very hard to see in these photos, but this wallpaper has a subtle pattern, comprised of squares of varying widths, with some of them having smaller white squares inside them. All of these squares work together to form a wide striped pattern that plays itself out horizontally every 54″ across the wall. For the whole pattern to be visible, you need wallspace of 108″ (9′). Scroll to enlarge the photos, and hopefully you can see something of the pattern.
It’s interesting to note that you get this effect by reversing every other strip. In other words, hanging one strip right-side-up, and the next one upside-down. That way, the same edge of the paper is next to itself, so the pattern repeats as a mirror image of itself as it crosses the seam. In other words, on the first seam, the white squares are next to each other. On the next seam, the tan squares are next to each other.
I rolled the bolts out on the floor, side-by-side, so I could get an idea of how the pattern would work on the client’s walls. I decided the pattern would give the most impact if the white area was centered on each section of wall. There were six of these sections, each one a different width, separated by five windows and doorways of varying widths.
But centering the pattern on each section of wall, instead of hanging each strip sequentially as is typically done, meant that the pattern would fall out of sequence over the doors. Ah … but that’s a topic for the next blog post.
Back to this current post … So I found the center of each wall space, and used my laser level as a guide to hang the first two strips with the white squares butting the red laser line. The crown molding was not level, so the ceiling line wavered a little. But, the chair rail is more important because it’s closer to eye-level, and it was amazingly level. My squares marched perfectly across it with no tracking up or down, all the way around the room.
This wallpaper is a non-woven material. This stuff has a high fiberglass and synthetic composition, and does not need to sit (book), so it can be hung immediately after pasting. It also is dimensionally-stable, meaning that moisture from the paste will not cause the paper to expand. Thee factors made it a little easier and quicker, and kept measurements more accurate, in this room.
This wallpaper pattern is by Designer Wallpapers, 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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