I hung this same paper in this same kitchen not even a year ago. A few months later, the homeowners suffered “burst pipes” from the big freeze storm that hit Houston in February 2021. Consequently, their whole kitchen had to be torn out and replaced – drywall, flooring, cabinets, electrical, plumbing, and, yes – wallpaper.
They chose to go back with the exact same pattern they had used last year.
The manufacturer is Anderson Prints, it’s a traditional paste-the-paper product, and it was purchased from Stacey at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet.
A toile is a sort of pen-and-ink drawing in one color. It’s a very classic look, and usually includes depictions of life in a by-gone era -although you can find toiles with nautical, fairy tale, animal, and many other themes.
This toile is from the Waverly line. I hung lots and lots of Waverly back in the ’90’s. Today, virtually none of it is available. This particular design has been discontinued.
The homeowners had this exact same wallpaper pattern in three of their former homes. They wanted it in their current home, too. Through thorough sleuthing, the homeowner was able to track down a stash of this pattern. He was able to access it through Sarah at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near Kirby.
The toile is by York, in their SureStrip line, one of my favorites. It is pre-pasted, and is designed to strip off the wall easily when it’s time to redecorate.
The powder room was more than a little wonky, with a wavy ceiling line and un-plumb corners. A pattern like this is forgiving, because its so busy and “scratchy” that you don’t notice if some of the motifs are going a little off-track as they move around the room.
The home is in the Cinco Ranch subdivision of Katy in far west Houston.
I adore this home – a cute, yellow-brick bungalow directly across from Rice University (Houston). It has been updated, yet kept mostly authentic to its 1930’s roots. I papered several rooms in the main house a few months ago, and was back today to paper the bathroom in the garage apartment.
Originally, the homeowner wanted wallpaper from Hannah’s Treasurers, which would be the real-deal old wallpaper from the 1930’s or 1940’s. https://hannahstreasures.com/ But for various reasons, she ended up choosing this more modern, yet timeless, pattern of ginger foliage. One deciding factor was that the colors coordinate perfectly with the green subway tile in the shower.
The wallpaper has a vinyl surface (resistant to water splashes and light stains) on a non-woven backing (much superior to the paper backing used on lower-end pre-pasted vinyls – read more on my page at the right). It was nice to work with, and should hold up well over many years.
The wallpaper is by York, in their designer line by Antonina Vella. It was purchased from Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near the Rice Village.
The original wall treatment in this dining room was a nicely done deep red faux finish (see yesterday’s post). It was beautiful – but the fauxed trend has run its course, and the homeowner was ready for an updated look.
This lighthearted trellis design (La Giaconda) in gold on cream is checking off all the boxes!
This was a pleasing pattern to work with in this room, because it did not need to be matched absolutely-dutely perfectly. That meant that I could manipulate it where needed to maintain the ceiling line, and to keep things matched up while going around the SIX windows in the room.
The wallpaper manufacturer is Thibaut, and it was purchased from Southwestern Paint, Bissonnet just west of Kirby in Houston.
I normally love Thibaut wallpapers. But this one was oddly thick and stiff, and it had scraggly bits along the edges that I had to remove with a sanding block. The seams didn’t lie down well, and it took me a day and a half to figure out the best approach.
What tamed the beast was to paste the paper, book it, dip the ends in water, put all in a plastic trash bag for several minutes, and then, before hanging, roll a thin stripe of paste onto the wall under where the seams would fall.
Note: The shading on the wall in the 4th picture is shadows from the chandelier.
The top photo shows the classic savoy pattern by Waverly that I have hung so many times – in the early ’90’s. Time for an update!
The new wallpaper maintains the same navy and white colorway, but in a stronger presence and with more upward movement. I mean, what lifts your spirits better than soaring shorebirds?!
I really like the way the navy background stands out against the white woodwork. Much of this kitchen is the area above the cabinets, and the color and pattern play out very well in that short area.
This wallpaper is by Anderson Prints. It is a traditional paper, and was fairly thick, compared to most of their papers. I think the extra heft was due to the manufacturer printing on a dark substrate. This helps keep white from showing at the seams as the paper dries and shrinks a tad.
Speaking of which, I was pleased that the paper did not shrink much at all. With a dark paper, even the smallest shrinkage will allow the wall surface to peek through.
The job is an older townhome in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston. The wallpaper was bought through Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet.
The furnishings in this home are traditional, so I was surprised when the homeowners chose this ombre (shaded, graduated, faded) pattern for their powder room. I have to say, it turned out fantastic!
This innovative look is a mural, packed as two 36″ wide panels per “roll.” It took seven panels (four rolls) to do this very small powder room.
Each panel is 8′ high. Like most newer homes, this townhouse has 9′ high ceilings. So, to shorten the wall height, the homeowners decided to add a very short wainscoting at the bottom of the wall, topping it off with a strip of decorative chair rail molding. The deep navy color works perfectly with the tones in the mural, as well as the graduated saturation effect. I like it better than having the design come all the way to the floor.
The homeowners said it was near Divorce Court, with both of them squeezing into this 3′ x 6′ space (and toss in a toilet), trying to measure and hammer and paint and agree on install steps.
They were wise enough to not tackle hanging the wallpaper themselves. 🙂
Back to the wallpaper. This is by Brewster, in their A Street Prints line. It is a non-woven material, and can be hung via the paste-the-wall method …. but I chose to paste the material, for more flexibility and for getting around obstacles like the vanity and toilet.
This wallpaper should strip off the wall easily when it’s time to redecorate. The mural was purchased from Southwestern Paint / Benjamin Moore near the Rice Village, but can also be bought on-line from various vendors, including Brewster’s own website.
Resembling a watercolor painting, this wallpaper looks even better in person. The colors are gorgeous, and the pattern is invigorating. The homeowner is in love with this update to her 30 year old guest bathroom in the Katy neighborhood of Houston.
This is the finished look to the room in yesterday’s post. The wallpaper is by Designer Wallpapers, a company that makes very good quality paper.
I papered this powder room about 15 years ago when the homeowners first moved into the house. Somewhere along the line, that paper was removed, and the room was painted plain white. The look was fresh – but cold.
Now the homeowner was ready for a change, seeking texture and warmth. This grasscloth by Thibaut fills both bills perfectly.
The photos skew the color – the wallpaper is actually an off-white, leaning toward soft tan. The weave has just enough texture to be visible, but is not overly coarse or rough.
I was pleased that there was no issue with shading, paneling, or color variations, as is often the case with grasscloth.
This wallpaper was bought from Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet. Talk to Sarah, who is in charge of the wallpaper department. (713) 520-6262.
Originally decorated in the 1990’s, this powder room was perfectly in sync with the era. But time marched on, and it was time to update. And brighten!
The homeowner is originally from India. Her home contains a lot of artwork and other items brought back from that country. She didn’t set out to choose an ethnic-themed pattern, but I really do think that this design is in tune with what one would see in India. In fact, the last time I hung it, it was for a young couple with Indian roots.
Despite the pink cast in the second photo, this wallpaper is a beautiful soft seafoam green color, with raised-ink in gold forming the textured design.
The wallpaper is by York, one of my favorite brands, and is a non-woven substrate. This material doesn’t expand when wet with paste, so you can get accurate measurements, paste and hang immediately with no booking wait period, and you have the option to paste the wall instead of the paper. Since this powder room had tricky areas (behind the pedestal sink and toilet), I opted to paste the paper.
The home is in the Memorial Villages area of west Houston. I worked for this gal’s daughter in Bellaire a few years ago.
I’ve hung this pattern before, but in the more typical black-on-white colorway (do a Search here to see pics). This version, with blue ebbing to red, is softer and nicely suited to a baby’s nursery accent wall. The little guy was born just two days before this mural went up!
The design has a sort of scratchy pen & ink look that you only notice when you get close.
This product is not wallpaper with the typical repeating pattern, but a mural. Each bolt contains four strips, which combine to 9′ wide x almost 10′ high.
In the last photo, you see how the manufacturer has provided a mock-up of how the strips look and how they should be placed, as well as a picture of the overall design.
This wall required one 9′ wide 4-panel set, as well as two additional strips from a second 4-panel set.
The wall height was less than 8′, so more than 2′ of the height had to be cut off and discarded. The mother wanted to see both blue and red colors. So the grandmother (Mom was still in the hospital) and I rolled everything out on the floor to accurately compare the height of the wall with the length of the panels, and then determine how much to cut off from the top and from the bottom.
I tweaked the placement a little more, because I wanted to include as much of the clouds on the top far right side as possible, while still keeping a good amount of red at the bottom.
The pattern is called NUVOLE AL TRAMONTO in DUSK/PINK, and is by Cole & Son, a British company. It is printed on a non-woven substrate, which has a high fiberglass content, and is designed to strip off the wall easily when it’s time to redecorate.
N-W’s also don’t expand when they get wet with paste, which allows for accurate measurements. Also, it requires no booking time, so it enables you to use the paste-the-wall method – which is what I did today. No need to drag in my big loppy pasting table. 🙂
This wallpaper 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 the West University neighborhood of Houston.
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