An all-black powder room (walls, ceiling, floor) seemed like a moody, innovative idea. But it ended up being stark and uninteresting, not to mention claustrophobic. A little wallpaper, still in a dark color, maintains the original idea, but lightens the mood (and brightens the room) a whole lot. We decided to paper the sloped area under the stairs, but not the actual ceiling itself. This pattern and color on the ceiling would have been overwhelming. Another shot of the wall and sloped area, opposite corner.There’s nothing like spending an hour under the console sink! Besides all these pipes to cut around, note that the countertop is one mere inch away from the wall to the left. Peacock by Rifle Paper is extremely popular, and I’ve hung it a number of times. Search here to see previous posts. Interestingly enough, other brands have made their own versions, but homeowners still gravitate to this design. The material is made by York , one of my favorite brands. It’s a non-woven paste-the-wall product. It’s much more durable and stain-resistant than paper wallpapers, and is designed to strip off the wall easily and with no damage to the wall when you’re ready to redecorate. wallpaper installation houston
In this townhome, the powder room is at the top of the stairs. The homeowner wanted something lively and dramatic to catch your eye as you walk from the garage up the stairs.The bold and bright colors against a very dark green background, and fun flower and peacock design really answer the call!Simply called Peacock Wallpaper , this very popular design is by Rifle Paper , which is manufactured by York , one of the oldest wallpaper manufacturers in the U.S. It’s a non-woven , paste-the-wall material, and will hold up and resist stains very nicely for years to come. N-W ‘s are also designed to strip off the wall easily and in one piece , with no damage to the wall , when it’s time to redecorate
Primed walls in west Houston powder room.Boy, people sure love this Peacock pattern by Rifle Paper (made by York). I’ve hung it a buncha times, and so far always in the dark colorways. How unexpected, dramatic and fun in a tiny room!This is a non-woven wallpaper material and a paste-the-wall installation method – although I prefer to paste the material, which certainly works better in a room with things to cut around and tuck paper behind like a toilet and pedestal sink.
My favorite resource for finding your dream wallpaper is Dorota at the Sherwin-Williams store on University Blvd (contact info below). I stopped in to the store today to check out their huge selection. This is by far my favorite place to shop in Houston!
More than a hundred books, and a large table to spread them out on.York One of my favorite brands! Lots of lines and options.Thibaut Another of my all-time favorites. Just about everything they sell gets my stamp of approval!A Street Prints Wonderful quality non-woven material, lots of fun patterns.Brewster A great, dependable company that makes many lines under many names. Buy with confidence!Seabrook has long roots in the U.S. Very good brand.Rifle Paper A wonderful new line made by York, gaining popularity swiftly due to cute and innovative designs. Check out their Peacock.
No picture – Sherwin-Williams’s Easy Walls line is very good … It’s pre-pasted and a thin non-woven; easily hung and easily removed. I suspect it’s made by York, in their SureStrip line.
Essentials A compilation of other brands, most of which are good quality. A few “duds,” so consult with me or Dorota before buying. Overall, this line is the best of the lower-priced options.
Moving on to not-so-good (IMO)
Norwall Budget-priced, but long considered one of my least favored brands. Recently, though, I think they’ve improved their product. Plus, I think I have discovered a way to “tame the beast.” Still, better to avoid pre-pasted solid-vinyl products – see my page to the right.Basix Pre-pasted, paper-backed, solid-vinyl – my least preferred of all the wallpapers out there. Cheap, yes. But … ya get what ya pay for. Please click and read my page to the right.Mostly lower-end, pre-pasted paper-backed solid-vinyl materials … best to stick to brands at the top of the page.
NOTE: Avoid any and all peel & stick papers, including the S-W Easy Change line. Click and read my page to the right.
Where to Buy Wallpaper in Houston:
BEST OPTION FOR ASSISTANCE IN WALLPAPER SELECTION: Dorota Hartwig is my No. 1 go-to for personal help finding your perfect paper. At the Sherwin-Williams at 2525 University. With 20+ years selling wallpaper, she knows what’s in all the books and can quickly help you narrow down the search. Most major brands are available, with those wonderful S-W prices! There are four parking spots in front of the store, but better is the free 2-hour parking on the shopping center roof across the street. Her hours right now are Tuesday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – best to be there before 1:00 p.m. – but that can change, so call first. (713) 529-6515
In addition to the above in-store books, if you find something on-line, she may be able to get it for you. Here are some sure-bets:
No reason to search anywhere else! Plus, as I mentioned, she knows what’s in ALL the books, so can track down exactly what you’re looking for, saving you time and hassle.
Walls have been skim-floated smooth, primed, and are ready for wallpaper.Note that the wall-mounted faucet and handles have been removed to make the wallpaper install easier, and to eliminate a lot of relief cuts.This Peacock pattern is very popular. I’ve hung it a bunch of times.Rifle Paper is made by York , one of my favorite brands. This product is a non-woven / paste-the-wall material.
I love it when homeowners are adventurous and willing to go BOLD. Well, this wild peacock pattern and strong color sure do that!
I hung this in the laundry room of a brand new contemporary townhome in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston. Other than this one lucky accent wall, every other wall in the entire home is plain white. 😦 A jolt of color and fun was sure called for!
One photo shows how I have rolled the paper out on the floor, to find the pattern match and plot where to place design elements.
Another photo shows the very narrow space – about 10″ ? – between the EXTREMELY heavy and unmoveable washing machine and the wall. I had to squeeze myself into that little space and reach way back about 30″ to the abutting wall, to get the first strip adhered and trimmed in place.
Rifle has been making paper goods for a long time. They have recently branched out into producing wallpaper. Smartly, and unlike many upstart companies, they researched how to make a good product, and partnered with York Wallcoverings (one of my favorite brands) to make their wallpaper. Good move!
This is a non-woven material, and I was able to use the paste-the-wall method.
I love the dark, dark green color, the vibrancy of the oranges, whites, and blues, and the luscious matt finish.
One of the homeowners has familial ties to India, and he wanted their new home to reflect that feel. Presenting “Peacock Garden,” which perfectly conveys the feel of rural parts of that country, while complimenting the colors of their dining room.
This wallpaper is 54″ wide – which is about as wide as I am tall! Since I don’t have scaffolding, I used two ladders, set close together (not pictured), so I could walk back and forth between them to augment my wingspan.
The paper was untrimmed – had a selvedge edge that had to be roughly trimmed off by hand. Next, a perfect pattern match was achieved by overlapping the seams on the wall and double cutting – an industry term for splicing. The process requires special tools, and takes a good bit of additional time. Do a Search here to find related posts.
The material is a durable non-woven, which meant that I could install via the paste-the-wall method. Eliminating paste from the back of the paper made each 54″ x 10′ strip much lighter and easier to get to the wall.
The contemporary home is a new build in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston.
This wallpaper pattern is by Zoffany, 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.
Another “all white” house gets a little personality and definition from a light dose of color and pattern. What a pleasant change!
The first three photos are Scalamandre’s “Balinese Peacock.” It came with a selvedge edge that had to be hand-trimmed off with a razor blade and a 6′ straight edge.
The last two photos are a fun elongated triangle floral stripe by Schumacher. My “after” sink photo didn’t come through, unfortunately, but the other pictures will give you an idea of the pattern.
Even though these papers are by two different manufacturers, the blue color is identical. It’s a lot brighter and prettier than my crummy camera depicts. The blue picks up hints of blue that the homeowner has in her living room (throw pillows) and in the dining room (navy blue paint above the wainscoting).
The peacock went in a small bar area off the living room, and the foliage stripe went in the under-the-stairs powder room that is right off the bar. The home is in the West University neighborhood of Houston.
You are looking at the bottom of a wall papered with a peacock pattern by Cole & Son, where it meets the baseboard, which is painted bright turquoise. The wall is designed to look like it is “floating” above the baseboard, and they achieve this by leaving a 1/4″ gap between them. You find this in homes going for a sleek, crisp, modern look.
This requires a slightly different trimming technique when I get to the bottom of the wall.
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