Author: Shields Wallpaper
Published: May 28, 2013
Last week Google released the Hangouts app. I’ve been waiting for it! My sons, the Shields Brothers, have been using Google Hangouts from a desktop for a long time now to host live music shows on YouTube. I saw the value of it then. Now I can use it for my work!
How and why would I want to use Hangouts to hang wallpaper? Well…
Hangouts allows you to do one-to-one or group video conversations. FaceTime is great but not all my clients have an iPhone. So Hangouts is a better solution for me.
Hangouts is a tool I can use to stay in touch with the designer or homeowner. Oftentimes, I need a decision by the designer or homeowner and it saves both of us time and money. Here’s how I use it to make my job interactions better for my client and me:
- When starting the installation, sometimes I have questions about which pattern the client wants near the ceiling or what pattern she wants as the focal point in the room. I make a Hangout call, hit the flip the lens button, and my client can “see” what I’m talking about.
- Most wallpaper manufacturers have a policy that the paper can be returned if three or fewer strips have been used. Sometimes, if there is some question about the wallpaper, I install three (3) strips then confirm with the client via the Hangout that the wallpaper is what they expected.
- Often, you don’t see issues with the wallpaper until it is rolled out. Especially with hand made block printed wallpaper or Chinese murals, there can be shading or coloring inconsistencies. I use the Hangout to show the client what it looks like before proceeding.
- When the client is out of town or is unable to see the finished installation immediately, I will use a Hangout or send photos from my iPhone to get final approval.
If you’d like to start using Hangouts, here’s a good article to get you started.
Author: Shields Wallpaper
Published: May 7, 2013
I am wallpapering more and more room screen dividers. It’s a good option when a designer or homeowner wants a fling not a marriage to wallpaper. I see the rise in popularity of decorative screens as a solution and a decorative indulgence. The options for interesting combinations of styles and use of murals is more affordable, portable and interchangeable.
It can even be like having an affair with two different people … you can paper one side of the screen in Victorian pattern and border, on the other side you can paper with hand painted Chinese mural. It really makes a great design statement and can be a decorating focus point.
Decorative screens are used for …
• dividing the room
• adding privacy to any space
• hiding clutter and increasing storage
• adding color
• redirecting foot traffic
• creating a foyer
• adding a desk front modesty screen
• creating coziness
• adding a decorative background
Screens are used in almost all rooms in the house – offices, bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms. Here are some beautiful screens made with antique wallpaper and murals.
P.S. Think about finishing the edges with tacks, gimp, ribbon, gilded paper machie, etc.
Author: Shields Wallpaper
Published: April 9, 2013
The last week of March I had a GREAT gig… installing navigation charts my client used on their sailing trips from Annapolis to Nova Scotia. Their home is in Maine so I flew up on a Monday, worked with the client to layout the history of their trips from the anchorage in the Chesapeake Bay, where he proposed marriage, to their final destination, their new home in Maine. Then we spent two days organizing and decoupaging the charts and installing on the wall. The charts were actually used on his sailing trips and had his personal markings, folds and water marks. This was a labor of love (literally). Rather than relegate their treasured mementos to storage, my clients decided to showcase them in a place where all could enjoy in their home.
The final detail was a beautiful photo of his sailboat (you can see it in the above photo). I later learned that this sailboat was chartered by John Lennon for his sail to Bermuda when he made his final album, Double Fantasy. Lennon’s sailing trip is documented in the new book, Lennon Bermuda by Scott Neil and Graham Foster.
P.S. I didn’t get to sail on the boat. It was too cold and too snowy and the sailboat was in winter storage. But I had fun reading Lennon’s adventure in the sailboat. So happy that every once in a while I get to meet such interesting people and hear their stories.
