Before. Good colors. But nothing inspiring. Done. Boy, this paper really visually pushed the walls away and made the room look larger ! Easy on the eye tone-on-tone pattern , lighter colors , and a teeny bit of gold sparkle .
Note the 5/8″ high strip of wallpaper under the medicine cabinet on the left.
Because those faucet handles sit up so high above the backsplash , it’s likely that when people reach for the handles, water will get splashed onto the wallpaper . To prevent splashed water from wicking up under the wallpaper – which could cause the paper to expand and curl away from the wall – I ran a bead of clear siliconized caulk along the top of the backsplash . The color is skewed in this shot, but you get an idea of the tropical foliage and pattern scale . Toile is a French word for a sort of pen and ink drawing in one color on a background that may be colored or may not be.Close-up , showing a truer color . Note the palm trees and the monkey . This material has a woven -look textured surface , and it mimics fabric . I almost felt like I was install ing linen , instead of wallpaper . The brand is Rasch , a company out of Germany . Their papers are consistently nice to work with. This one was unexpectedly thin and flexible . It’s textured vinyl on a non-woven substrate . The vinyl makes it durable and stain-resistant , and the NW makes it easy to remove later when you’re ready to redecorate . The seams are positively invisible. This powder room on the first floor just off the home office / study comes complete with a shower . Just for fun – one of the obstacles in this room was this rain shower head – sticking out right where I need to be on my ladder , and keeping me from reaching those walls . On top of that, the faucet handles also stuck out much further from the wall than most do. While priming the walls, as I was climbing down from the ladder , my clothing actually got entangled in the handles and – turned on the water ! Yes, I got a shower at work today ! The home is in the Woodland Heights neighborhood of Houston .
I have no idea what’s going on here, but it happens from time to time. I had been rolling on wallpaper primer in two rooms for a few hours . I’m suspecting I held a tool in a certain way for a long time , or somehow blocked circulation to a part of this finger . It doesn’t hurt , but it is a little swollen. The color got darker and lighter during the rest of the day. I did some shopping on the way home, and the store was cold , and that seemed to exacerbate the issue – finger got cold and numb and really purple . Back at home in my nice warm home office , it’s still discolored , but not as much.
Breakfast nook before. The blue is a pretty color. But … … the wallpaper is so much brighter and lighter. The homeowners will have the banquette painted (still deciding on what color) and a cushion made for the seat (still deciding on color and pattern). The rest of the home has a strong mid-century modern feel, so this mod pattern and colorway fit right in. The gold is slightly metallic. The brand is Designer Wallpapers. It’s a traditional wallpaper material, and I like this brand a lot. The home is in the far north east Heights area of Houston.
Red is a classic dining room color, and painted walls served well since the late ’90’s. This homeowner has classic taste – note the elegant moldings below the chair rail and around the windows. The update is lighter and brighter and opens up the room, making it feel larger. Note the wallpaper around the corner on the right.This is the paper in the adjoining hallway, which has been in place for decades. The new pattern coordinates beautifully in theme and color!Close-up. Roses and script.Norwall is a very economical brand (something like $25 per double roll on sale). Not my favorite quality, because the gritty paper backing can absorb humidity and separate from the thick vinyl surface, plus the seams tend to “pouch” a bit and don’t look great. But I’ve discovered that rolling a bit of wallpaper paste onto the wall under the seam areas will help to “suck down” the edges, creating better seams. I also do believe that the manufacturer has improved the substrate. I was pleased with the way the seams looked on this install. You’re looking at a very close-up picture. Once the paper is dried and from two feet away, these seams will be invisible. In fact, the homeowner kept walking around the room remarking how she couldn’t even find a seam. Note the slightly textured surface.
Everything else in this newish townhome in the far northwest area of Houston is generic beige. But the homeowner envisioned something much more bold and fun for the large powder room.The slope at the top left is the area under the stairs.Close-up. At the far right you can see a seam … the paper was slightly shaded darker on the left edge and lighter on the right edge, resulting in this. It looks like the seam is curled up, but actually it’s perfectly flat. The pattern is called Marigold and it’s sold by Anthropologie. The manufacturer is York, and it’s in their SureStrip line, which is one of my favorites. This is a pre-pasted material, and you activate the paste by wetting the back. The instructions suggest using a squirt bottle – ouch! Can you say wrist pain?! I sprinkle water on with a sponge and then roll it around with a paint roller. I also add a little extra wallpaper paste to the mix.
Re my previous post, here is a bathroom in a strong black-on-white geometric that I hung just a few years ago. A new family with younger kids has moved in, and wanted something lighter and brighter.
This fluttery butterfly pattern went in the guest bathroom, which is attached to the little girl’s bathroom (Jack & Jill set-up).
The pattern is subtle; it shows up better in person than in my photos.
This wallpaper pattern is by Wallquest, in their Ecochic line, 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.
The home is in West University Place (Houston) – and just so happens to be right down the street from Dorota!
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