This happens not infrequently, and it’s puzzling to me. At the top of the wall, the pattern match drops down to the right.Yet at the center of the wall it matches perfectly.But get to the bottom of the wall and it drops again, but this time to the left.
Yes, some papers do stretch / expand when they get wet with paste. But that’s not the situation here, because this is A.) a non-woven material, which generally do not expand, and B.) every strip was treated the same way. In other words, if every strip is pasted, booked, and left to sit for the same length of time, ALL the strips should expand the same amount, right? And the pattern should match at the top, middle, and bottom. Right?
But even that argument doesn’t apply, because this, again, is a NW / non-expansion material, and, besides, I didn’t paste the wallpaper but pasted the wall instead. So the material had no chance to get wet or swollen with paste.
I believe this is a factory trimming issue. Somewhere along the line, the trimmers got off-track, or started trimming on the bias, just enough to throw off the pattern match.
In cases like this, the rule of thumb industry standard is to match the pattern as best as possible at eye level (middle of the wall) and let nature take its course, as they say, on the upper and lower sections.
Luckily this particular pattern only had one motif area that matched across the seams, and there were only three of those per the height of each strip. So the two slight mis-matches were both way above and below eye level, so not very noticeable.
This pattern is called Palm Leaves and is by Cole & Son . Other than this printing snafu, it’s a good quality wallpaper. See previous post
Finished living room accent wall. This was a looong wall – 24′ wide. It took 14 strips of wallpaper!Before. I’m getting ready to skim-float the textured wall to smooth it, then apply a wallpaper primer .Ready to hang, with my “A” and “B” strips lined up in the order they will be hung. This is a paste-the-wall product, and I like to roll them backwards so the surface doesn’t bop into the paste as I position the strips on the wall. I secure with elastic head bands from the dollar store. First strip starts in the center of the wall, both to balance the pattern. But also because the ceiling line is way not level and the pattern will go off-track at the ceiling, this will minimize the tracking by spreading it outward 12′ each way from the center. If I start at one corner, the tracking would be a lot more noticeable by the time it crossed the whole 24′ of wall. Close up.This is simply called Palm Leaves and is by Cole & Son , a good brand. It’s a non-woven material and is designed to strip off the wall easily and with minimal damage when you redecorate. It’s also a little more durable and stain-resistant than paper wallpapers. It was very nice to work with. The home is in the Westbury area of Houston. The couple has mid-century modern furnishings, and this wall looks fantastic as a backdrop !
Old, dated and dingy paper has been stripped off, walls are primed, and now ready for wallpaper. Done. Palm leaves accent wall on the left looks out into a landscaped courtyard. The quieter paper on the right going on three walls.Close up of the accent wall. The paper has a light sheen. By Fine Decor. A non-woven material / paste the wall installation method (I usually prefer to paste the paper).Bright pastel colors, and an easy-to-live with design that sort of fades into the background, giving a textured look. This is a good choice when you want the items in the room (furnishings, artwork) to take center stage, and the wallpaper simply provides a soft backdrop.Close up.A Street Prints, a very good brand. This is also non-woven, paste-the-wall wallpaper.
This room adjoins the master bath I blogged about on Nov. 12. Scroll down and see how beautifully the papers in all three areas coordinate, both in color and in theme.
Gradually, through my blog posts, you will see how five rooms in this home were updated and “cheered up” by the new colors and patterns.
This home is in League City, a south suburb of Houston.
Guest bedroom, before.Wallpaper adds so much dimension and personality. And it makes the room look larger, too!
So often, it’s impossible to perfectly coordinate fabrics and wallpaper. One manufacturer makes the fabric, and another makes the wallpaper, both independent of each other – and, of course, the inks and dyes will never be absolutely, perfectly the same.
Amazingly, in this case, all fell perfectly into place, and the homeowner’s searching found the perfect union. The color of the tufted headboard coordinates absolutely perfectly with the “Alabaster Pink Mint” colorway of the Cole & Son “Palm Leaves” wallpaper.
There was a nice multi-page spread in the current issue of Magnolia Journal on wallpaper. It talked about various ways it can be used, and how pattern and color can change a room.
Unfortunately, it mentioned peel & stick products as a viable option – they are NOT. Truly horrible stuff. Read my Page to the right.
The first photo is an unconvetional use of color and pattern. Love it.
Third photo, I have hung this pattern, or similar, a good number of times. It is a mural that can be custom-sized to fit your wall.
Fourth photo, “Daydream” by Hygge & West, is very popular and I have hung it many times. Not my favorite brand, because their ink fights their substrate, and tends to curl at the seams.
Palm and banana leaves are always popular. This photo shows how a really large scale can be used effectively in a small space.
Last photo, a really cool idea, to include wallpaper just in the area between the high wainscoting and the crown molding. Note also the dark colors of the wood and the wallpaper. This must be a custom-sized mural, or a border.
Both the room and the wallpaper are an updated take on the “frieze” borders that were common back in the 1910’s and 1920’s – the Art Nouveau and especially the Arts & Crafts decorating movements. Most often placed above dark paneled moldings in dining rooms and living rooms. Today, Bradbury & Bradbury is the most prominent maker of these authentic looking patterns. Interestingly enough, just this week I got a call from a homeowner wanting to put a B&B frieze in their historic home here in Houston.
It’s become popular to put wallpaper on the backs of bookshelves. But usually, people choose a texture, or at least a very small, tight pattern. That way, the wallpaper serves as a backdrop, and the items that are placed on the shelves will stand out.
I spotted this photo in Better Homes & Gardens magazine. I can’t say I love the look. I think the palm leaf pattern is too busy, and detracts from the artful objects that have been placed on the shelves.
In my opinion, that tropical pattern would work better on the walls outside the bookshelves. Or, since it’s such a strong pattern, just on one accent wall.
Dark powder rooms are a good look. But dark paint by itself can feel uninteresting and even closed-in.
A bit of glowing aqua and green palm leaves on this black background really punch up the drama in this Montrose (Houston) area powder room! The stacked leaves add a distinct upward movement (and fun!) to this tall, narrow space.
The homeowner searched for a long time to find a pattern she liked, in a colorway that would compliment the ice-aqua color of the glass sink. (Sorry, my poor photo doesn’t do justice to the beautiful color of this unique sink.) (The wall to the right of the wallpaper and above the sink is covered with tiny squares of tile, and the lighted mirror.)
The original blue paint just blended in with the medium-toned brown bamboo free-standing console vanity sink base. But against the black wallpaper, the stained bamboo really stood out.
This tropical wallpaper pattern is called Kalani, and is in the “Fine Décor Collection” by Brewster. It is a non-woven material (which means it should strip off the wall easily when it’s time to redecorate), and is designed for a paste-the-wall installation (but I opted to paste the paper, instead.).
The material was thin, which I like, but I wasn’t fond of the plastic-y feel to the surface, plus it creased really easily. Because the paper was black and was printed on a white substrate, I used chalk to color the edges of the paper, which prevented white from showing at the seams. Once this was done, the seams were practically invisible.
This is a master bathroom in Bellaire that had just been completely renovated. The homeowner wanted a serene spa look. When I first consulted with her, she was pretty set on a very plain, cream colored paper that almost matched the countertops and floor. I told her I thought it was too inert. I suggested something with a soft pattern, to fill the space on her 10.5′ high walls. And I told her that a little stronger color would add definition by standing out just a little, against the tile and woodwork.
I also mentioned that it’s more interesting to use different – but complimentary – patterns in the main room and the potty room.
She considered my points, went to my suggested source for wallpaper, and came home with this. BINGO! What a wonderful choice!
The palm leaves are soft and earthy, lending to the spa feel, and are the perfect scale to fill the high walls. The color goes nicely with the stone in the room, and it stands out just enough to give the room definition. The companion bamboo pattern went in the toilet room. In the last photo, you can just barely see how the two patterns work together.
Both these papers are by Anderson Prints, by EcoChic, and were a positive delight to work with. And they are paper, not vinyl, so the homeowners do not need to worry about humidity causing the seams to curl.
This wallpaper 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.
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