In late 19th century England, William Morris championed a handmade, artisanal approach to wallpaper production rejecting much of the industrial era. More than a century later his philosophy resonates with today’s home owners. This past March I had the opportunity to install these lovely Morris papers in a modern Victorian home in Herndon, VA. The use of the Bradbury frieze is genuinely transformative in the kitchen and entryway.
A winter well-spent in the halls of history. From the DAR Museum in DC to the Carlyle and Lee-Fendell Houses in Alexandria, it’s been a privilege to install these stunning Adelphi Paper Hangings collections. Working with wallpapers with such historical accuracy makes these installations feel less like a job and more like preserving a piece of the past.
This week was Powder Room week in DC and we are seeing patterns, patterns and more patterns in these small spaces. You may hear people refer to the half-bath with the old-fashioned term, the powder room. My dad, Patrick Shields, only referred to half-baths as powder rooms. (Side-note – he also referred to every refrigerator as an “ice box.”)
Back in the good old days, when fashionable people wore powdered wigs, rooms were made available solely for the maintenance of the coif. This was the genesis of calling the ladies restroom the powder room. Hence, the euphemism, “Powder My Nose.”
Fancy wallpaper and the powder rooms go hand and hand. Make your powder room the pièce de résistance in your home.
