REMODEL - Paper Rolls and Paste: Marshmellows & Accent Walls?
Initially, our plan was just to do accent walls in a lot of of the rooms in the house. And I was only going to wallpaper the master bedroom, sitting room, & the kids play closet. As the project progressed and I began weeding through more and more wallpapers. I found myself moving away from my typical accent wall, to embracing the idea of covering an entire room with wallpaper. Recently, I was sitting with a friend in the finished sitting room discussing the choice between doing an accent wall versus the whole room. Bottom line, it’s truly a decision that you can make, and not your designer or someone working at a wallpaper store.
You can ask a designer or you can ask your friends, but in the end, what you really need to do is just ask yourself. Am I going to want to a room that is light and airy or a room that creates a setting. Yes, wallpapering an entire room is a lot take in. Doing the wrole room is going to make it very heavy or intense, but it also creates an atmosphere. For example, in our sitting room, I wanted to choose a wallpaper that would emphasize the deep red tones of the woodwork of the bookcases. Now, full disclosure, there are three different stains in that room, but all of this was intentional. Initially, we wanted walnut floors in the house, and we found ourselves feeling weighted down by the richness and darkness of the floors, which is one thing Clem didn’t want in the house. The solution was to move from walnut floors throughout the house to White Oak, which was already being used in a lot of the moldings and doors in the house.
Now this doesn’t mean that I’m totally against accent walls. My feeling is if you’ve never had wallpaper in your house before. Accent walls are the best gateway into adding wallpaper to your home. Previously HK5corner 1.0 was filled with accent walls. The master bedroom was the only room in the house that was actually painted one whole color. We’ve had ever color it feels like on the walls. Even Paley’s green wall with cow hide dots. Paley’s bedroom was the first room that my wallpaper installer did for us, back in 2012 and I fell in love with it from day one. I even still have the wallpaper that we used. Unfortunately, I never got around to returning the wallpaper. An accent wall gives you just a taste of life with wallpaper, but allows you to maintain the light and neutral Side of painted wall.
The next wallpaper project I wanted to touch base about for wallpaper was the kids playroom closet. Shortly before we moved into the house. The kids jointly named the room the marshmallow hangout. It’s their little getaway after school and on weekends and even for sleepovers. In the early planning stages of the room, we were going with a Harry Potter theme with Harry Potter themed wallpaper. After pulling all the options found online the kids decided jointly to move away from Harry Potter. I think current political culture of J. K. Rowling also had something to do with that. The kids were going with very bright colors, florals. As we weeded through different kinds of wallpaper samples, the kids started responding to more calming wallpapers. These styles included clouds, skyscapes, even celestial settings. I was able to find one wallpaper that jumped out of me on one vendor site. I’m a avid fan of Farrow & Ball, and it was already looking at one of their wallpapers for the front sitting room.
When I showed the kids, Faron & Ball’s, Yukutori wallpaper. They immediately connected to it. They like the idea of all the little birds or seagull wings in flight through the sky. The wings are finished in brass gold ink and the background is a beautiful, dark, teal green, a color you would see in a marine setting. Originally, I was planning on wallpapering the room from ceiling to walls, but just like the sitting room I made a change at the last minute. After seeing the sitting room finished and how the dark wallpaper does weight the room down I realize having a white ceiling was the better option. The wallpaper went in pretty smoothly over two days. Although I’m sure my installers knees were screaming and yelling at me after she finished the room. She was truly amazing to crawl in there and master that room quickly.
Farrow & Ball Yukutori Wallpaper
The room was a huge hit in the end. Just the right amount of color and character for the kids to enjoy. The room has already hit double digit sleepovers, even the teenager has partaken in the weekend night ritual. I am excited to see this room transform over time. One the key features is the room’s little bookcase idea which our contractor suggested when we discussed on site at the start of construction. Right now we have repurposed camping mats and old cushions that we never used. Also being used is the sleeping mat my father brought back from one of his tours in Asia during the Vietnam War. It still has the ink stain I made in the late 70’s when I feel asleep while working on homework on night. I have fond memories of this mat, and my story quilt. Many seasons spent sleeping on the floor, even with my sister on this very mat.
The kids love this room. Seeing our 16 year old even enjoying the room, gives me hope it won’t go forgotten. Or turn into the dogs bedroom.