Wallpaper seems to be making a design comeback. It used to be that wallpaper was the kiss of death in a well-designed house and that paint did all of the colour work. But the renaissance of wallpapers, you can find myriad patterns both hand printed and digitally designed.
At Housewerks this weekend, I found some patterns that would as fresh today as they did when they were printed 50+ years ago. The one I fell totally head-over-heels in love with is a striped pattern. The background is a pale dove grey, with stripes in greys and blues and even a pale rose. But what makes this pattern so special is two silver stripes down the sides of the other stripes. The silver is a metallic silver, clear and bright, that just pops with light. The paper is so fragile that I am not going to be able to paste it up anywhere. I am trying (unsuccessfully, thus far) to use it as borders on some wide picture frames. But trying to mitre it is so hard, probably because the paper is hand-printed and not entirely square.
At Housewerks this weekend, I found some patterns that would as fresh today as they did when they were printed 50+ years ago. The one I fell totally head-over-heels in love with is a striped pattern. The background is a pale dove grey, with stripes in greys and blues and even a pale rose. But what makes this pattern so special is two silver stripes down the sides of the other stripes. The silver is a metallic silver, clear and bright, that just pops with light. The paper is so fragile that I am not going to be able to paste it up anywhere. I am trying (unsuccessfully, thus far) to use it as borders on some wide picture frames. But trying to mitre it is so hard, probably because the paper is hand-printed and not entirely square.
The second pattern looks like an architectural detail that might be used around a ceiling. But it comes in lenghwise stripes, so I am not sure how it would look on an entire wall. This has a little texture in it, too, so it may not be as old as the blue. It also may be easier to use for the picture frame.
What are your thoughts on using wallpapers?
I'm torn on wallpaper use, (no pun intended) because i know how hard it is to tear down and cover up. i just love some of the prints and patterns on the market these days, but knowing the horrors of wallpaper removal, tend to shy away from it.
ReplyDeleteI adore both of those prints Fairfax, esp. the one with the stripes (and with silver stripes to boot!). I love wallpaper; I think it adds so much zing to a room. You can also use it on non-wall surfaces, like small square tables.
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