I ♥ Wallpaper
I love pattern. If you see me wearing non-printed, solid clothes I am clearly having an off day. My closet is 90% patterned, so naturally I wanted to include my love for patterns and prints in my home to reflect my personality. I always knew that I wanted to incorporate wallpaper in my house in some way, but I made sure that I did my research before I took the leap. Patterns can be tricky or too trendy, and wallpaper can be expensive and seemingly permanent. However, now that I am on my second home wallpapering venture, I have a lot more confidence about the installation and lasting power of it.
The Liberty of London Wallpaper in our powder room is so feminine and cheerful - it makes me think of Summer all year round.
I always knew that I wanted wallpaper in my downstairs powder room - how fun to walk into a patterned room off of a simple white hallway? I love all the "wows" I get when guests walk into that room for the first time - the wallpaper is unexpected, happy, and bold. The pattern draws from the nature-based, vintage botanical feel I have in the nearby dining room, but because the room is isolated it's okay that it is a little loud and more feminine than the rest of the house. Also, because I only wallpapered the top third of the walls and installed board and batten on the rest it's not overwhelming.
I am currently installing the Eijffinger Geonature wallpaper from Steve's Blinds and Wallpaper in my upstairs hallway, and I love it because the pattern is so intricate and subtle. From a distance it looks almost like a textured gray finish and then up close you can see the intricate line drawings of birds and clouds. It adds character and personality to my upstairs hallway without being loud.
The Eijffinger wallpaper that I ordered from Steve's Blinds and Wallpaper
Considering adding wallpaper to your home? Here are my considerations and tips...
Things to consider when choosing a wallpaper pattern (some of these questions actually came from my readers!):
- How much of the space should be covered by wallpaper?
- Some prints can be overwhelming if the whole space is covered. Maybe it's just on one accent wall in the space or a portion of the wall with wainscoting or board and batten covering the rest.
- Wallpaper is not as tolerant to grimy little fingerprints as paint is, so in my home I am not putting wallpaper anywhere that my little ones can touch it. Can you imagine trying to scrub tomato sauce off of a porous paper surface? No thank you!
- Wallpaper can be expensive, you may want to really think about reserving for some of the smaller rooms in your house rather than the large ones.
- How do you choose a pattern that will last the test of time?
- That's a tough question, but when I choose anything for my home I ask myself "would this have been in style ten years ago? 20 years ago?" If the answer is yes, then there is a good chance it will be in style for another 10 years to come.
- The two wallpaper patterns I have chosen so far feel timeless to me. The vintage inspired Liberty floral in the powder room looks like a collage of vintage botanical drawings, but it also feels kind of modern at the same time. The upstairs hallway wallpaper reminds me of old scrimshaw, and the subtlety of the pattern makes it almost look like a gray painted wall until you are closer to it. I can picture both of these prints in cool older homes.
- The bottom line is, very few patterns are totally timeless and wallpaper is not permanent. Choose a pattern that you love and that fits with the overall feel of your house, but know that it's totally possible to remove it when you're over it.
Steve's Blinds & Wallpaper has and incredible selection of wallpaper - I was so impressed with the variety when I found their website! There is something for everyone on their site! They also have a wide variety of price-points for any budget. Here are some of my favorite wallpaper patterns from Steve's Blinds & Wallpaper... you can also find more of my favorites from them on my Pinterest page.
The hallway in progress...can't wait to finish adding trim and art!
My Wallpapering Tips:
- When it comes to wallpaper, you get what you pay for. The cheaper it is, the poorer the quality is in my experience.
- I prefer un-pasted wallpaper opposed to pre-pasted. I like how you can add as much paste as you need to un-pasted wallpaper. I always feel like pre-pasted wallpaper is harder to adhere.
- Measure twice, order once: it's important that all of the wallpaper you are using in one space is from the same lot or batch. When you order from an online source they almost always guarantee that if you order all the wallpaper you need in one order it will all come from the same lot/batch and it will all be identical. If it's not from the same lot/batch there is a chance that the different rolls will not match (exact color, width, etc.). So, be sure to measure correctly and overestimate how much you will need. It's always best to have extra - believe me. Disclaimer: I made the mistake of underestimating how much I needed for the hallway, and ran out before I finished the project. The additional roll I ordered from Steve's Blinds and Wallpaper was a totally different lot/batch number, but it worked out because the wallpaper is black and white. [thank goodness!!]
- Order a bunch of samples before settling. Most online stores offer free or low cost samples. From the sample you can see if the colors and pattern work in your home, and you can get a feel for the thickness of the paper.
- If you are going to install the wallpaper yourself like I did and you are a first-timer, go for a thick paper. The thicker paper is key - I've used thin wallpaper for jobs outside my home and they flop over on themselves and tear easily during install. In my experience, the more expensive the paper, the thicker it is.
- Make sure your wall are clean before adding wallpaper! They need to be totally free of residue and dust prior to applying wallpaper. I like to wipe them clean with a mixture of white vinegar and water prior to installing. Also, if your walls are already a color, there is a chance the color will show through the paper. Prime or paint the walls in flat white beforehand b to avoid this.
- Heat and humidity can affect the adhesion of the wallpaper - install on a day with low-humidity and seriously consider installing wallpaper in a steamy bathroom. It's not always the best idea in my opinion because it tends to peel more.
Are you going to go for it? Already tried? I'd love to see - tag me in a picture of your wallpapered space on Instagram @adoredhouse !
Thanks for reading!
Dana