Although it’s free and loose, this is essentially a symmetrical pattern . After studying the pattern on-line , I determined that this dark berry motif with the red bird was the dominant element in the design . I measured and plotted carefully , to plant that motif right in the center above the window molding . This would ensure that the dark berry motif would fall evenly on both sides of the window as it moves down the wall . What I didn’t anticipate is how the individual design elements would also play out , being divided equally on both sides of the window . Take a look … On the left side of the window molding is the rear end of a bird . See his tail ?And on the right side of the window , at the same height , is the front end of the bird ! The flowers and other motifs were affected the same way . The pattern is called Apothecary’s Garden and is by C.F.A. Voysey , a designer from the turn of the last century, in the Arts & Crafts period . This is by Lord Twig Wallpaper , out of Canada . I’ve heard all positive results in dealing with this company. Please see previous post for more information re the wallpaper itself.
Deep green wainscoting at the bottom, and on the right is a 100 year old ” dry sink ” with coordinating colored tile backsplash turned into a vanity, with period-appropriate faucet . Fresh and lively . But can you believe the design dates back about 100 years ? – same as the house! Close up. Looks like watercolor paint . Birds , butterflies , plants , flowers , and grasshoppers !C.F.A. Voysey is a male designer who worked around the turn of the last century, late 1800’s through about the 1920’s , and was part of the Arts & Crafts decorating movement . Most of his patterns are somewhat symmetrical , as well as whimsical and fanciful , with heavy emphasis on nature . This is a non-woven material , can be hung via the paste the wall method , although I prefer the paste the paper installation . It has a 20% polyester content and is thus more resistant to stains and humidity than traditional papers . And it’s designed to strip off the wall easily and in one piece with no damage to your walls when you redecorate . The brand name is Lord Twig and it comes from Finest Wallpaper , which is in Canada. This went in the rear powder room of a beautifully renovated 1926 4-plex apartment that has been artfully converted into a single family home , in the Woodland Heights area of Houston .
A lot of my clients are choosing designs that harken back to the turn of the (last) century, particularly by William Morris. A lot of those are made by higher-end companies, and the material can be hard to work with. So I was thrilled when my favorite wallpaper sales person, Dorota, showed me these new books at her Sherwin-Williams store in the Rice Village. British Heritage is by Wallquest , a brand I like a lot. Below are room-set photos from those books.This is the very popular Strawberry Thief by William Morris. I’ve hung it before, and have it coming up again soon in the Heights ( Houston ). Arts & Crafts designs are very rhythmic and stylized. Some, like this, have a lot of color and impact.Others, with muted or tone-on-tone color pallets, are more subdued.Revival is another wallpaper selection book with designs of the same theme. A Street Prints is by Brewster, another great company. Most A Street Prints are on a non-woven , paste-the-wall substrate, which makes them quite user-friendly and affordable. CFA Voysey was a designer of the same period. I would say he was far ahead of his time, with some patterns reminiscent of MC Escher, and others bordering on … well, sort of psychedelic. Very progressive for the 1880’s! He continued to design through the Art Nouveau ( 1920’s ) and Art Deco ( 1930’s ) periods. I have his Bat & Poppy in my powder room. Search here to see photos. The fluidity here speaks of the Art Nouveau style. Alphonse Mucha was a European artist known for his elaborate theater and advertising posters in this style. I was lucky enough to have seen a fabulous exhibit at the Taft Museum when I was in Cincinnati for a Wallcovering Installers Association annual convention.
Not all Sherwin-Williams stores have wallpaper books, so call before you head over. Dorota isat the 2525 University store. This store has more wallpaper books than any other in Houston. Her hours vary, and someone may have checked the books out, so call before you head over. (713) 529-6515
Moving from the entry to the adjoining dining room of the historic home in Houston mentioned in my two previous posts. This pattern by William Morris is called “Fruit,” and is true to the period in which the home was built.
I love the way the colors work with the wainscoting and also the picture rail around the top.
This pattern is less repetitive and the color is softer than the option used in the entry (see yesterday’s post), making it an easy-to-live-with choice for this large dining room.
The material is a traditional British pulp which you don’t see much these days, as most European manufacturers have moved to the newer non-woven substrates. I do like the pulps for their matt finish and tight adhesion to the wall. Although, they are brittle and tend to drag and tear when being cut, so they require some special handling.
This one also has a raised ink feature, which adds just a tad of texture. Look closely at the close-up shot.
This was purchased from FinestWallpaper.com, who has a large selection of Morris and also Voysey (another designer from that Arts & Crafts period) patterns. The home is in the Old Sixth Ward neighborhood in central inner-loop Houston.
Charles Voysey was a designer in the 1910’s and 1920’s, working with watercolor in the Arts & Crafts and the Art Nouveau decorative styles. His work is incredible, and I have his “Bat and Poppy” in my own powder room.
Here is his “Fairyland” in a guest bathroom in the Southside Place / West University neighborhood of Houston.
What a change!
I hung the original “chair” pattern four years ago. The thin paper material was stuck good and tight, and my attempts to strip it off were taking excessive time and also causing damage to the underlying surface. So I opted to prep and seal the paper and hang the new pattern on top of it.
The original pattern was fun. But this new choice suits the room much better, and it looks brighter, too. And the colorway works perfectly with the muddy blue cabinetry and mirror.
This is a non-woven material, a little thicker and stiffer than I like, and a tad prone to creasing. But with careful handling, it went up very nicely. I did the paste-the-wall method. The seams were invisible.
My powder room Bat & Poppy is a paper, and was purchased from Trustworth Studios. It had to be hand trimmed, and was on the higher end of the price scale.
Today’s Fairyland pattern is made by Lord & Twig. L & T is recreating the same Voysey designs as Trustworth, but in a more consumer-friendly material and price.
You can buy this through Finest Wallpaper, a newish outfit in Canada that sells a vast array of brands and patterns (in addition to manufacturing it’s own Lord & Twig line). Their prices are good, turn-around is quick, and customer service is exceptional.
I saw this “Bat and Poppy” wallpaper and went positively nuts over it. It is made by Trustworth Studios http://trustworth.com/ and are based on designs by CFA Voysey dating back to the Art Nouveau period (early late 1800’s) and particularly the Arts & Crafts period in England (early 1900’s). (possibly by another designer … see comment way down below)
All the patterns are unique and gorgeous, and the paper is a positive dream to work with – pattern matches nicely, malleable, seams invisible. It’s only sold on-line, and the company is wonderfully customer-friendly. The paper is pricy, but if you love it, you will be satisfied with nothing else.
This is the powder room in my own home. The vanity is an antique music cabinet that I cut a hole in the top and removed some of the shelves inside to accommodate the plumbing. The sink is an old china / porcelain serving bowl that I had a hole drilled in by Schlitzberger Stone, and then paid a plumber positively a ton to get the right fittings to connect it to the drain pipe.
English designer CFA Voysey created wallpaper during the Arts & Crafts period of the 1920’s – 1930’s. Trustworth Studios produces renditions of his patterns that are historicaly accurate, yet suited for the modern American home. This owl-themed pattern is called “Whoot.”
I hung this in a 1930’s bungalow home in a historical district in the Houston neighborhood called the Heights. The homeowner loved it so much, and had such limited space, that she put it in her one unclaimed area – the bedroom hallway. Note the niche for the telephone. Back in those days, homes had ONE telephone (if they were lucky and had the means), and it was in an area accessable to all family members – which meant that there was little privacy while one was talking on the phone.
The paper has to be hand-pasted, and also hand-trimmed to remove the selvedge, which you see happening in the 2nd to last photo.
The ceilings in this room (as well as many / most of the physical elements) were very un-level and un-flat. So I knew I couldn’t plan to have a certain element (like the owl’s head) appear at the ceiling line, because I knew that the changing ceiling line would distort the pattern as it moved horizontally across the room. This also allowed me to plot the baby owls’ settings.
So, instead, I dropped the owls’ heads down to fall below the ceiling line. That way, no owls’ heads get cut off, and, if the ceiling line line moves up and down a little (It DOES!), no one will notice the difference between a half an orange flower at the top of the wall, and a three-quarters of an orange flower in the same. And both the owls and their babies in the nests are perfectly centered, vertically, over the doors.
Too technical?? Here it is, revised.
I also measured and plotted so that the adult owls, and the baby owls in their nests, would be centered vertically in the two short drops above the doors.
This wallpaper is by Trustworth Studios, and is printed to order. It comes with selvedge-edge, which has to be trimmed of by hand (see photo), making sure that the pattern will match one strip to the next.
I love working with Trustworth papers. The product is positively a dream to work with. It trims nicely, seams are invisible, it’s malleable enough to “moosh” it into place when needed, there is no staining, paste residue wipes off, theren’s no abrading or bleeding, although pricy, it’s customer-friendly and easy to purchase (no store or designer needed), and such beautiful patterns!
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