Daughter Has Moved Out / Her Bath Gets an Update

Before. The turquoise isn’t working with the new blue wall tile.

Brighter, airier, and in better sync with the blue tile.

There is wonderful “movement” in this design.

“Priano” by Serena & Lily – one of my favorite brands.

This wallpaper was hung in the Briarpark (Galleria / Tanglewood) area of Houston.

Door Hidden by Wallpaper

You can just barely see the outline where the door is.

Here is a swinging door that leads from the dining room to the kitchen. The homeowners wanted it to “disappear,” and covering it with wallpaper was the perfect way to have it blend in with the other walls.

I won’t get into logistics, but the four strips of wallpaper needed to cover this space were complicated and tricky. I’d say I spent three hours on just this corner of the room.

Even though this was a non-woven “paste-the-wall” material, it worked much better to paste the paper, because then it became more pliable and cooperative.

The homeowners have sworn that they will place a small clear acrylic push-plate to keep people’s hands off the paper as they pass through.

The pattern is called “Pine” and the manufacturer is Sanderson. The home is in the Tanglewood / Galleria area of Houston.

Foresty Pattern in Dining Room

Textured wall has been smoothed and primed – ready for wallpaper.

I love the way this coordinates with the green moldings.

The pattern is called “Pine.”

Manufacturer is Sandberg, a Scandinavian company. I love that their word for “pattern” translates to “monster.”

Can’t wait to do the remaining three walls tomorrow.

This is a non-woven (synthetic) material, and I hung this first wall with the paste-the-wall method. Due to the complexity and characteristics of the remaining walls, I may opt to paste the paper.

The homeowners had never used wallpaper before, so they were a little uncertain going in. Once they saw this first finished wall, they are thrilled!

The home is in the Tanglewood / Galleria area of Houston.

“Les Touches” Dots for 5-Year Old Girl’s Bedroom

Primed and ready

Pattern nicely centered on this focal wall

Close up

“Les Touches” (touch/dots/blots) is a decades-loved pattern by Brunschwig & Fils, a French company.

It has movement, but, having only two soft colors, is subdued. Thus it works nicely on one accent wall. Or, as in this young girl’s bedroom, on all the walls.

I hung this wallpaper in the Tanglewood / Galleria neighborhood of Houston.

Note that the hour-glass striped pattern is hard to see if you are only looking at a strip of wallpaper on your table. Before hanging, it is important to look up the pattern on-line or in a selection book, to see what the overall design and secondary pattern will look like when played out across a wide wall.

Dampness in Walls = Problems with Wallpaper

I hung this wallpaper in a dining room in Tanglewood a few years ago. In that time, the house has had some settling issues, and some moisture issues.

In the first photo, you see a seam that is perfect. It is a seam on an interior wall. In the second photo, you see a seam that has separated a little – not just separated, but the surface of the wall underneath has actually pulled away from the sub-surface, creating a little curl and gap. This is an exterior wall.

I believe this happened because moisture got inside the wall, and compromised the layers of Sheetrock, paint, joint compound (used to smooth the textured wall before applying wallpaper), primer, and paper. The seams in wallpaper create a weakness in the surface, and provide an opportunity for the wall to give way, if a stressor is placed on it. Stressor? This could be expansion and contraction due to temperature, humidity, moisture, foundation shifting, etc.

Unfortunately, there is not a quick cure for this, and involves resurfacing the whole wall area. AFTER, of course, fixing the source of the leak.

This wallpaper is by Osborne & Little, a British company that prints on what we call pulp paper substrates. The interior designer is Shirley Webb, and I love her rooms and I love working with her.

Van Gogh Takes Sleepy to Vibrant

When the homeowner remodeled this mid 1950’s home in the Galleria / Tanglewood area of Houston, she thought she wanted a serene “spa-like” look. She soon realized that “bland beige” didn’t suite her “live wire / life of the party” personality.

As this Van Gogh-inspired wallpaper pattern in a brilliant aqua hue from the Van Gogh Museum Collection started covering up those boring walls, she was literally jumping with delight!

The design is the ideal scale for this master bathroom. The colors in the tree branches match perfectly with the floor tiles and countertop. The wallpaper even has a textured surface that mimics the brushstrokes of an actual oil painting. (see close up photo)

This wallpaper was a joy to hang. It is a very thin embossed (textured) vinyl on a thin non-woven backing. It is way more flexible and malleable than most non-wovens, so I could manipulate as needed. Like most N-Ws, it is dimentionally-stable, meaning that it does not expand or shrink. It requires no booking time, so you can paste and then hang it immediately. It is also designed to strip off the wall easily and cleanly and in one piece, when it’s time to redecorate.

No, Virginia, These Walls Are NOT Ready For Wallpaper!

This powder room in a townhouse in the Galleria / Tanglewood neighborhood of Houston has been remodeled. When the old vanity countertop was removed, the drywall was torn.

When the old vanity, which had spanned from wall-to-wall, was removed, it revealed the original wall behind it, complete with heavily-textured paint.

The contractor made a half-hearted attempt to smooth the torn drywall. But he didn’t even attempt to cover the textured bottom portion.

Seriously? Does anyone think that wallpaper can be applied over walls in this condition?!

Humming Birds on Aqua in Powder Room

This is one of my all-time favorite wallpaper patterns. It’s just pretty – PRETTY.

I’m told it dates back to the late 1800’s – about the same time the manufacturer founded its company. In fact, the paper is 18.5″ wide, instead of the more standard 20.5″ width, because it is printed on the same rollers and drums that were used back then.

I’ve hung it many times over two decades. But I think this is the first time I’ve done this aqua colorway.

The under-the-stairs powder room is too small for me to get good photographs. But you can see how the paper glows.

This wallpaper pattern is by Thibaut Designs, one of my favorite brands. If you look closely at the last photo, you can see the “raised ink” used in the printing process. I love that look and feel.

The material is pre-pasted, so all you have to do is wet it to activate the paste. I do also run a light coat of augmentive paste on the wall.

The home is in the Tanglewood area of Houston.

It 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.

Tanzania Leopard Spots in Grandkids’ Bathroom

Here is a really popular pattern by Thibaut that I have hung a good number of times. This is the first time that it came in vinyl, though. (It’s usually paper.) Do a Search here to see other rooms I’ve put it in.

The vaulted area is the rear portion of the ceiling. The homeowner and I discussed painting the “beam” dark brown – I think she should.

The 10’+ high, steeply vaulted ceiling with its weird angles and narrow crevices was difficult to get wallpaper on. Once done, it looks great.

The homeowner wanted something cute and ageless, because the grandkids will use this bathroom. It’s on the third floor of a townhouse in the Galleria / Tanglewood neighborhood of Houston.

This wallpaper pattern is by Thibaut Designs, called “Tanzania,” 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.

White “Woods” Wallpaper Wakes Up A Dark, Dated Powder Room

OK, so my original whole-room photo of the “before” powder room didn’t take. But in the top photo here, at least you can see the dark color that the windowless room was covered with. Actually, this faux-finish pattern and dark color was a good look for back in the ’90’s when this townhome in the Briargrove / Tanglewood neighborhood of Houston was built.

But the homeowner now wanted a brighter room; she was leaning heavily toward black & white, with some hits of red tossed in.

I stripped off the old vinyl wallpaper (those photos didn’t turn out, either! 😦 ), then patched areas where the old paper had pulled paint off the wall, sanded smooth, and then primed all surfaces with Gardz.

The homeowner is completely in love with the new paper and the new, bright powder room. She will accent with a mirror in a wide black frame, and with some custom-painted artwork that will incorporate touches of black, white, and red.

This wallpaper is by Cole & Son, a British company. It is a very popular pattern called “Woods.” It’s on a non-woven substrate, which has a fiberglass component to strengthen it; it is designed to strip off the wall easily and with minimal damage to the wall, when it’s time to redecorate It is a little more cleanable than a paper-wallpaper.

It 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.