Here I’m about to place my last wallpaper strip, which will run from the ceiling to floor, about 5” wide strip along the cabinet (in this photo this strip has already been placed – just imagine it as being blank wall). And then the area under the cabinet, about 20” wide x 4’ high. It’s awkward to handle a strip that’s 20” wide x 9’ long, if you only need to cover a 5” wide area. Also it slops a lot of paste onto the cabinet, that you then need to wipe off. So normally I would split this strip vertically, from ceiling to floor, to 6” wide, enough to cover that 5” wide area next to the cabinet, plus underlap the cabinet by 1”. This 1” provides stability in case of shifting, and also in case the wall isn’t exactly straight or my measurements a tad off, or paper expands, etc. After that 6” wide strip was in place, I’d take the left side of the split strip (remaining 14” wide piece) and put just the bottom 4’ of that into place. But I realized that it would be simpler in this instance to cut the strip horizontally, a little above 4’ high. There was a conveniently placed tree branch that disguised my cut.Here’s the upper 5” wide section in place. Here is the bottom section going into place.Tree branch meets tree branch, the joint is invisible. Next the excess under the cabinet will be trimmed off, as well as where this strip meets the existing piece in the corner, at the far left. This corner will be hidden behind the dryer in this laundry room , so was chosen to be the kill point / mis-matched corner . The pattern is called Fruto Prohibido and is by Cole & Son . It’s a nice non-woven / paste the wall material , although I usually paste the paper .
Here you’re looking at a laundry room, under the counter, and behind the sink. I’ve got to put wallpaper back there. Even though nobody’s going to look under here or scrutinize, I want it to look perfect. Good thing that I’m small, because I can fit under here and maneuver fairly well. Still, working around these pipes is really taxing. You have to make a lot of relief cuts , and other measures, to get the wallpaper to fit around the pipes and then lie against the wall. Additionally, usually the drywall guys were not able to get the wall perfectly smooth in these areas. Escutcheons (decorative plates) will hide a lot of wall bumps, imperfect cuts, gaps, overlaps, and other normal occurrences in situations like this. Only thing is, the plumber “forgot” to put escutcheons around the water lead lines and the drain pipe under this sink. I think that I was able to trim neatly enough that no escutcheons are needed. 😊 This wallpaper pattern is called Frutto Proibito and is by Cole & Son . It’s a non-woven / paste the wall material , easy to strip off the wall when you redecorate , and easy to hang (except for cramped areas under sinks ! )
Look close – there are monkeys stealing fruit !Window wall before. Here I’ve applied my wallpaper primer to the upper portion of the wall, and am working my way down. Closer view of sink area. The dryer and washer will be placed against this wall, and into this corner . If there’s any words to describe this family , it’s lively and fun-loving . No wonder the mom chose this pattern ! The interior designer loved it, too. Stacie Cokinos of Cokinos Design . The wallpaper pattern is by Cole & Son , a long-established British company , in their Fornasetti (” edgy ” ) line. Like most British papers these days, this is a non-woven material and a paste the wall installation method . Although I usually prefer to paste the paper . The pattern is called Frutto Proibito – Forbidden Fruit . This is in a townhome in the Montrose area of central Houston .
This project has been in the works for more than a year, and the young family was chomping at the bit to get it done! Here is the “before” pic, after I have smoothed the textured wall and primed. See other post for info on the smoothing process.Done!The homeowner had gotten some left over paper from a friend, and only had one full double roll plus 20′ on another roll. I would have liked more paper, but I was up to the challenge, and was able to pull some tricks out of my hat and get the room done with what we had – with about 13″ left over! Close-up.I love raised-ink papers like this. They add just a tad of texture to the room. The manufacturer is Serena & Lily . I love hanging most of their papers. This ” Feather ” pattern is very popular, and comes in many colors. The home is in the FM 1960 / Cypresswood area of Houston .
Including right here on the cover! And a real coup! … A magazine that’s pretty much dedicated to the all-white or all-grey trend in decorating, as well as minimalism … it’s so exciting to see some pattern and color in the ” farmhouse ” themed homes. Let’s take a look …Textured grasscloth behind bookshelves in a living room .Two-tone classic toile on one wall as a background to a stairwell . It warms up the space, without hitting you in the face. Soft , cloud – like feel behind this credenza . Look carefully right above the baskets , and you’ll see an overlapped seam. Some commercial murals are hung like this, as well as the very popular patterns by Spoonflower , which is a budget-friendly and DIY – able , good quality material and brand . (But ONLY their ” prepasted smooth ” option. Do NOT get the ” traditional pebble ” nor their ” peel and stick . “More of the toile pattern , in the entry , with batten board wainscoting and a chair rail , in a mud room . Also called rear back door entry . : )Floral pattern in the laundry room . I’m getting lots of queries for wallpaper in laundries … must be trending right now!Soft two-tone floral in small bathroom .Textured grasscloth behind desk in home office .Apologies for the sideways image … WordPress used to be easy to use, and I could correct this. But they “upgraded” their program and made many, many features much more difficult to work with. I tried tutorials on how to fix this, but after reading and watching tons of info and videos, I gave up. It used to be just one click ! Anyway, note the cheery breakfast room. Colorful without being overwhelming . Closer picture. Very innovative use of floral pattern with subdued color around the archway / entry to another breakfast nook . Note that the back of the nook also wears a textured wallpaper . Sorry for the out-of-order picture … another frustration from the “upgraded” WordPress Editor . This gives an idea of what the afore-mentioned breakfast area looked like pre-wallpaper. The magazine didn’t mention a brand, but this sure looks like one of Serena & Lily ‘s designs . Of course, when one company makes a popular pattern , many other companies make their own versions . These days, usually you see pattern on the accent wall behind the headboard . So it’s a little unusual to see wallpaper on all four walls of this master bedroom . But it works, because the pattern is simple and the colors are kept to only two , so the overall feel is calming , rather than busy . Fooled me! I thought this headboard accent wall was done in tile – but it’s wallpaper !The same paper on a kitchen cabinet .
A few months ago, I papered the adjoining powder room in this same watercolor -y wallpaper pattern. Now that the homeowner’s new custom cabinetry has been installed in the laundry room, I’m papering that area, too. Here’s the before picture.The homeowner made the point that, after all the money they spent on the carpentry, everything was swallowed up by the all-white walls. Well, a little color and pattern from wallpaper changes all that! Besides being beautiful, note how the wallpaper makes the moldings and cabinets stand out. Here the roses look purple … they’re actually more navy blue in color. Close up. The design looks like real watercolor brush strokes. Note there’s a slight pattern mis-match at the seam. This is a very close-up shot. From three feet away, you don’t notice it. Tomorrow I’m hanging another room with the same pattern but from a different run … Let’s see if the pattern matches better in the new run. The pattern is by Caitlin Wilson and is in the Sure Strip line, made by York , one of my favorite manufacturers. This is a unique pre-pasted material, as it’s designed to strip off the wall easily when you redecorate. I like Sure Strip a lot. Do a Search here to read about my install techniques with these. This is a nicely renovated and updated home in the energy corridor / Memorial area of west Houston.
I hung this bold and fun pattern a few years ago in a Spring (north Houston) laundry room. I’m back this week to wallpaper their kitchen, so took a minute to snap this shot.
It has a hand painted , water color -y look. I don’t remember the brand, but I’m thinking it’s from the Joanna Gaines Magnolia Home Collection in the SureStrip line by York.
The homeowners in this Memorial / Dairy Ashford area of Houston live to ski! When they throw parties, they set the drinks up on the counter in their laundry room, and everyone congregates there.
So this “Après Ski” pattern by Katie Kime was the perfect wallpaper pattern.
The material is a smooth vinyl on a non-woven backing. It will be somewhat more resistant to splashes and stains than a cotton or wood pulp paper. The instructions said it has a non-woven substrate and could be hung by pasting the wall, but I got bubbles doing that, so I opted to paste the paper and book it for a few minutes, as with a traditional paper, which worked better.
Before: Drab, lifeless khaki paint.After: Bright and cheerful, and definitely unexpected.Wallpaper coordinates nicely with the stained glass window.Fun surprise – Are they pineapples or flower bouquets?The pattern is “Ludic” by Woodchip & Magnolia.
The home is a nicely renovated bungalow in the Houston Heights. The only place to tuck in a laundry room was in an alcove off the master bedroom. Not only does the wallpaper brighten the space, but it looks pretty when viewed from the bedroom.
The material is “non-woven” and can be hung by pasting the back of the paper, or by pasting the wall. I usually choose to paste the paper.
Who wants to spend laundry day in a bland, boxy room? Here’s how some gutsy color will make wash day a whole lot more fun!
My favorite photo is the 2nd to last, where you see how the very small amounts of tan (instead of glaring white) in the pattern soften the look and coordinate with the off-white woodwork. And especially how the wallpaper plays off the new tiled floor!
Find this by Googling words like: York, Sure Strip, Ashford, toile, Mandarin, red, Chinoiserie
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