Up Against the Wall!

When I was growing up, my mom had a penchant for wallpaper. I grew up in a 1950's multi-level suburban house in Garden City, Long Island. My parents bought the house new in 1956 when my sister was five years old and I had not yet entered the scene. Mom decorated, putting wallpaper in all the bathrooms, the kitchen and the two-story foyer. Back then, foils and flocked wallpaper were all the rage. (Who knew they would come back?) Being the youngest, I got my sister's hand-me-down furniture. But when I became a teenager, I asked my mom to re-do my bedroom for my birthday. It being the '70s, she papered two walls of my bedroom with a big pattern of glossy yellow, orange, white and--yes, 1970's avocado--floral wallpaper. My mother loved it. I kinda liked it, but was upset with the beige carpeting that she had cut and re-purposed from the living room (who knew my mom would be a pioneer of the re-use and re-purpose movement?). It just wasn't the shag carpeting I coveted.

Wallpaper lost a bit of its luster when faux paint finishes became popular. But I've always been a fan. Maybe it's genetic. Certain rooms scream for wallpaper. The powder room, for one. It's a room that guests always see. I like to go bold and dramatic in the powder room. Also in the dining room: I love a classic pattern above the wainscot. One of my current projects is a restaurant in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts that will feature Mexican Oaxacan cuisine. It's called The Painted Burro. When I first saw the space, I instantly thought it needed a wallpapered accent wall. Most of the finishes in the restaurant are natural: wood, stone, and metals. I strongly felt we had to add some contrast with a burst of color and pattern. This led me on a quest to find just the right wallpaper--edgy but ethnic. In my search, I discovered a bonanza of boutique wallcovering studios that print papers that are not only edgy; they are outrageous! There are so many, I'll have to do many posts to cover them all. Guess which wallcovering here will grace The Painted Burro?

                  

 Grow House Grow Cattle Kate                   Ferm Living Fashion Wallpaper

            

          Jill Malek Maidenhair                        Elitis Cuirs Leathers Seville

           

Flat Vernacular Toile de Derby                      Paper Mills Little Havana

Comments

[Karen Sale]

Love that Toile de Derby!