Installed this English wildlife wallpaper in a small powder room this week in an older Washington, DC home. You get the best of both worlds – the bold statement of a dark colored paper with vivid bright figures in the foreground. Works great in a small space.
If you are considering a dark background paper, I say go for it — but be sure to read my blog post on Dark Background Wallpaper.
Last week I installed a lovely Watercolor Roses Peel and Stick wallpaper on a bedroom accent wall. The paper is from York Wallcovering.
At least half of the peel-and-stick installs we do are DIY rescue. Peel-and-stick wallpaper is being promoted and sold as the best option for renters and those who want to move with their wallpaper. However, for all the upsides, there are downsides. For the committed DIYer, peel-and-stick may be a fun weekend project. But for many, it can become a nightmare.
First, let’s look at some basic wallpaper facts:
Peel-and-stick is marketed to be easy and DIY. For many this is not true. Oftentimes there are more headaches associated with it. An example I see frequently is ripping paint off the wall while trying to adjust a panel (which then shows through the paper).
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself needing the help of a professional paperhanger. There’s no shame in the wallpaper game.
In the pictures below, can you see what is being hidden in plain sight?
The first is a damask paper on the walls in a dining room in an older home in Washington, DC I recently completed. This dining room had several pantries for dishes, crystal, etc. Covering the doors of the pantries creates the illusion of uninterrupted wall space.
The second and third pictures hide light switches. The second photo is in a bedroom and the third is in a butler’s pantry. Remember wallpaper can offer clever solutions to awkward fixtures and room insets.
