Wild and Fuzzy in a Heights Dining Room

The top photo shows me starting to apply smoothing compound to the textured wall of a 1930 frame bungalow in the Woodland Heights neighborhood of Houston. Originally, all the walls of this dining room were a dark purply-navy flat paint. This wall will become a feature wall.

It took a long time to get the wall smoothed, but when it was finally time to hang the paper, I was ready! – It’s such a beautiful, unusual, daring, and fun pattern. What’s more – it combines a shimmery silver background with 3-dimensional flocking. That’s the coal-balck velvet-like fuzzy material that sticks up about 1/16″ from the surface, creating a dramatically gutsy effect.

The second photo is funny, because it makes the wall look hashed and diagonal. But in real life, you don’t notice this cross-hatch design; your eye only sees the pairs of peacocks and the dramatic colors.

This wallpaper is a non-woven material and I hung it using the paste-the-wall method.

The pattern is called “Tail Feather.” It is by ASW – A Shade Wilder, and was bought through Wayfair.com

Grasscloth the Color of Milk Chocolate in a Kingwood Master Bedroom

This couple got married, blended their families, built a house, then got flooded by 3′ of water during Hurricane Harvey – all within less than a year…. Talk about stress!

Well, now that the home is back together, this soothing master bedroom will give them a calm and quiet sanctuary. The wallpaper went on one feature wall, behind the headboard.

This is a grasscloth wallpaper the color of milk chocolate. Although there were some minor shading issues, I was very pleased that the color of the strips was pretty consistent from strip to strip. The bottom photo shows a discrepancy in the weaving – this is not considered a defect, but “part of the inherent beauty of this natural product.”  Luckily, it was in a location that would be hidden behind the bed.  There was one more similar spot, but it was much smaller and not anything to complain about.

The name on the label was something generic like “Quality Wallcoverings.”

The material 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.

Bold Watercolor Floral for a Toddler Girl’s Bedroom Accent Wall

Here’s a bolder twist on pastel flowers for a 2-year-old girl’s room. I’ve hung similar patterns for other little girls (do a Search here) done in this water-colory look, but in “sweeter” colors of pink and peach.

Interestingly, these all appear to be made by the same manufacturer (Sure-Strip, by York), but the design and colors have been changed just a bit, and then distributed through different vendors. Today’s was sold by Caitlin Wilson, but most of the others came from Anthropologie.

No matter who makes it and what brand is put on the label, this pattern is a wonderful choice for this young gal. The charcoal greys “grow it up” a little. It is not “babyish” and will grow with her, and can last well into her teen, and even college age, years.

The paper is wonderful to work with. It’s pre-pasted, which means it has paste on the back that is activated by running it through a water tray – as opposed to having to apply paste with a brush or roller to the back of the paper. It’s printed on a “non-woven” substrate, and is designed to strip off the wall easily and in one piece when it’s time to redecorate. Yet, unlike many non-woven materials, this one is thin and pliable and the seams lie very flat.

I hung this on one accent or feature wall in a newish home in the West University neighborhood of Houston.

Textured Accent Wall With Faux Cork

People these days are loving textured walls, and wallpaper is a great way to achieve that. Here is a very realistic faux cork made from vinyl that is far more durable than the real stuff, and has none of the color variations that can cause jarring differences between strips.

I hung this on one feature wall (accent wall) in a guest bedroom. The distant photo doesn’t do justice to the material; in person, it has a warmth and an earthy texture that greatly enhance the room … See yesterday’s post, which shows the woodsy view out the window of this bedroom.

The interior designer on this project is Neal LeBoeuf of L Design Group in Houston.

Master Bedroom Feature Wall – White on Soft Blue

Digital Image

Digital Image

This pup looks like he’s in a 1930’s Hollywood glamor movie shot, doesn’t he?

The owners of this newish home in the Houston Heights were originally looking at a smaller design that was sort of a blue pen-and-ink drawing on a white background. At our initial consultation, I told them I thought the fist-sized scale was too timid, and that the thin ink lines were too frail for such a large wall (it’s about 15′ wide by 10′ high).

After consulting with Dorota (see below), they chose this pattern. This is a much better choice! The size of the motif stands up to the dimensions of the wall, and holds its own against the tufted headboard without overpowering it. The color harmonizes perfectly with the paint on the other three walls, and the overall look is fantastic.

Even Bob gives his approval. 🙂

This wallpaper pattern is by Thibaut Designs, #839-T-158, and was bought at a discounted price from Dorota Hartwig at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near Kirby. (713) 520-6262 or dorotasouthwestern@hotmail.com. Discuss your project and make an appointment before heading over to see her.