Sweet Toile Trellis For Baby Girl

Baby’s coming, so the nondescript tan walls in this this home office are about to make way for a nursery.

I love how one wall done contrasted against the plain painted wall shows how much more life and brightness wallpaper adds to the space.

Sweet, but not overly gooey , this pattern and simple two-tone colorway will grow with the child and be appropriate from infant to teen years.

Opposite corner.

Window wall.

Toile is a French word that describes a sort of pen & ink line drawing of one color on a simple background . Classic toiles are cherubs floating and shepherdesses playing flutes while lambs frolic in the meadow. But these days there are lots of themes, from seaside villages to Winnie the Pooh to the Cities series by Katie Kime (do a Search here to see more of that ).

This is a non-woven substrate with a lightly textured raised ink surface. It can be hung via the paste-the-wall method. But I usually prefer to paste the material , which worked nicely this time because the wallpaper was thick and stiff, and moisture from the paste softened it and made it much more pliable and workable .

This pattern is Rosalind Floral and it’s by McGee and Co. But I highly suspect that the actual manufacturer is York , one of my favorite brands.
This is a nicely renovated 1920’s home in the Heights neighborhood of Houston .
wallpaper installer

Sweet Priano in Dusty Pink for New Baby Girl

The first-time parents of this soon-to-be-here baby girl have done a super job of coordinating colors in the nursery. This wallpaper from Serena & Lily, the crib and changing table from Pottery Barn, a rug, and other accessories all share the same “toned-down” shade of pink.

The swirling leafy design of the wallpaper is a sort of background pattern (as opposed to making a huge statement on its own). It will suit any age child, from infant to school-girl to teen.

The home is in the Spring Branch neighborhood of Houston.

“It Makes My Heart Happy To Walk In Here”

“It makes my heart happy to walk in here. I’ve had neutral pallets for so long, I was ready for something cheerful and colorful and happy.” That’s what the mom of this 11-day-old baby girl said when she saw the transformation of her infant’s nursery. Originally all the walls had been painted a soft pink. Three walls are still pink, but the fourth accent wall is abuzz with color and critters.

This cute pattern by Anthropologie (sorry, I musta forgotten to take a photo of the label) has colorful flowers in shades of salmon pink, and foliage in shades of green – but is also dotted with butterflies, grasshoppers, and other whimsical cuties. The mom noted how the design makes the room look larger.

This wallpaper is sold by Anthropologie, and is made by York Wall, in their Sure Strip line. It is pre-pasted (water-activated), is thin and pliable and hugs the wall nicely, and is on a non-woven substrate which is designed to strip off the wall easily and with little-to-no damage to the wall when it’s time to redecorate. Sure Strip is one of my favorite products to hang. Most of what York makes is mighty nice, too.

Originally this family was prepared to wait a few months for my next opening (I stay pretty booked with work), but I had a last-minute schedule change and was able to get their job worked in with – literally – only about 10 hours’ notice. Happy baby girl!

Overselling the Customer

I got a call from a prospective client who had another company install wallpaper in her infant’s room only a month ago.

This company also sells wallpaper. The gal said the store must have had some paper they were trying to get rid of, and the salesman did a hard sell, to convince her that a particular selection would have a nice soft look for her baby’s room. Instead, it was very bright and garish.

It’s only a month old, and she wants to re do the room. What a shame, because this is a lot of unnecessary expense and distruption to the homeowner. It’s also disappointing, because new mothers want things to be so special for their babies.

The caller sounded pleased when I said that I would do the work myself, instead of having a crew of guys clammering around her house. I don’t know if she was unsatisfied in some way with the previous installation company, but I do hope she will hire me to redo the room.