Cool Fun Blue Flower Paper in Powder Room

Before. The homeowner wanted something much more fun than drab grey walls . Plus she need something that would coordinate with the brown tones in the vanity countertop.

Here’s the solution! The paper is actually muddier and murkier than these photos show it to be, so it melds nicely with the brown stone .

Here’s a better idea of what the true colors actually look like.

Close-up.

aManufacturer is York. This was purchased from Dorota at the Sherwin-Williams in the Rice Village of Houston , for a price below retail . Call before heading over to see her selection . (713) 59-6515

The Sure Strip line by York is a thin and pliable , water-activated , pre-pasted wallpaper that is DIY -friendly. It goes up nicely, and is designed to strip off the wall easily and in one piece – and with no damage to the wall – when it’s time to redecorate . I like this product a lot. Although York has been prone to lots of printing defects (including today) in recent years.
The home is in the Heights neighborhood of Houston .

Cole & Son “Woods” in Pearland Laundry Room

North corner walls, originally textured.

North corner walls, smoothed.

North corner walls, papered.

South corner walls, smoothed.

South corner walls, papered.

Close up of paper.

This very popular wallpaper pattern is by Cole & Son, and is called “Woods.” I have hung it in the black-on-white many times (do a Search here – upper right), but this is the first time to do it in this softer colorway. The décor in this home is all soft and muted greys and taupes, with a lot of natural materials (wood, stone) tossed in, so this pattern and color are a perfect compliment.

The wallpaper material is called non-woven, which has a high fiberglass content. This means it doesn’t expand when wet with paste, so there is no booking time – meaning you can hang each strip as soon as it is pasted. In fact, you can paste the wall and dry-hang the strips, if you choose. Another advantage of non-wovens is that they are dimensionally-stable, and do not expand when wet with paste, like paper wallpapers do. Very handy when measuring and laying out the room.

A disadvantage of non-wovens is that they are prone to staining and blushing. This is where the paper looks like it is wet, but it never dries and disappears. Certain pastes (880, 234) are known to cause staining on these materials, as well as too much pressure while installing, or wetting the paper with water.

This laundry room is in a newish home in Pearland, a suburb in south Houston.

Silvery Grasscloth Accent Wall in a Powder Room

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The décor in this home in Bellaire is a sort of modern rustic, somewhat heavy, Spanish-influenced blend. The powder room originally had a nicely done faux finish, and it served well for 17 years. The interior designer had that painted over with a single color, and then had me hang this silvery material with natural colored grass on one accent wall behind the vanity.

It updates the room, adds just a touch of dazzle, and blends nicely with the stone sink and rustic vanity, and the new stone floor.

The interior designer for this job is Pamela O’Brien of Pamela Hope Designs.

Great Houston Chronicle Story About Wallpaper

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Click the link to read about modern trends in wallpaper. Click the link, and you can scroll through photos of wallpaper in room settings. I hung the diamond, stone, brick, and circle wallpapers. Pamela O’Brien of Pamela Hope Designs, is the interior designer quoted in the article, and I am privileged to work with her several times a year on wallpaper installations.

I’m a little disappointed that wallpaper is described as a “luxury item,” because, while this article mentions some really “far out there” materials (LED lights), in real life, room-transforming patterns and textures are available at reasonable costs for “average” people in “everyday” homes.

If you’re getting the itch for how wallpaper can personalize and transform your home, send me an e-mail to wallpaperlady@att.net

So Realistic, You Want to Reach Out and Touch!

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Wow! Talk about fooling the eye! I was at the wallpaper store this morning, picking up paper for a client. I was in a hurry to get off to my job. But the sales gal said I had – HAD – to look at this new wallpaper sample book she had received. Boy, am I glad I did!

This book is called 3D, I forget the manufacturer, but Dorota, the seller person, can get it for you.

Anyway, these are some of the most realistic and intriguing wallpaper patterns I have seen! They truly look like they are three-dimensional. They have paper that mimics brick, stone, wood, logs, honey combs, quilted walls, floating circles, George Jetson-era “amboeas,” and fun-house I-can’t-tell-which-way-is-up designs.

I’ve seen other similar attempts before, but this book is truly fabulous. You don’t notice that the texture is not real, until you get really, really close. They are a fabulous fake / faux! These papers would be fantastic in a contemporary home, for someone who likes mid-century modern, or for someone who wants a rustic look.

If you are interested in adding the illusion of three-dimensional design to your home, contact Dorota Hartwig at Southwestern Paint near the Rice Village (Houston), (713) 520-6262.