Sunday, July 12, 2020

Wallpaper Surprises

Osborne & Little Coronata Star

Yesterday I found my stash of wallpaper - it includes vintage, discontinued, and very high end papers.  The catch? It is 2 rolls  of this, 4 rolls of that. Not enough to do rooms. So I am going to get creative and think of unexpected spots for some of this beautiful wallpaper in my new home.

I have in my arsenal 4 rolls of Osborne & Little Coronata Star wallpaper that I picked up for $20 at a favorite thrift store in Alexandria. (Look Again at 900 King Street). If any of you are in the NOVA area, it is in Old Town and benefits The Society for the Prevention of Blindness. (Secret - interior designers in Alexandria often donate there).

I am thinking of using it in the the vestibule on the ceiling. Why not?

And I have a gorgeous double roll of very vintage Louis W. Bowen Chinese Lattice (now manufactured by Quadrille/China Seas under the name Trellis Background and by Bob Collins & Sons as Chinese Lattice. It might end up in the pantry.

Louis W. Bowen Chinese Lattice

My wallpaper hanger is coming over on Wednesday morning for estimates on the guest bath and laundry room projects.

Have you used wallpaper in any unexpected places?

A closet?

A ceiling?

A pantry?

An armoire?

A bar?

Closet doors?

The backs of shelves?

I also have a stunning pair of Paul Montgomery Chinoiserie panels I have never used. And I have perfect spot for them.

Paul Montgomery Silver Leaf Panels

I would love to hear about your wallpaper projects (not on walls) for inspiration.

34 comments:

  1. The Paul Montgomery panels are gorgeous beyond words. I love your idea of using the Coronata star wallpaper on the vestibule ceiling! I once did a bedroom for a client who wanted a striped paper on the walls. The problem was the room had cove ceilings and the stripes looked really weird where they met in the cove corners. i wound up fussy cutting floral, bird, and leaf motifs from a couple of different wallpapers and "appliqueing" them in the cove corners to cover up where the stripes met. It was great if I do say so myself and the client loved it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds beautiful. I love striped papers, especially stries. That was a lot of work though - I use to decoupage and the cutting took lots of time.

      Delete
  2. I once hung a Brunschwig & Fils wallpaper on the ceiling of
    my tiny bathroom in my house in the Fan in Richmond. I love
    Paul Montgomery wallpaper, they are located here in Staunton, Va
    were I live, the owner is deliteful. FYI, Kravet has an outlet on
    their website were they sell beautiful wallpaper for almost nothing.
    Look forward to seeing how you decorate your new home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Paul is a lovely man. Thanks for the info on Kravet, that's a great tip.

      Delete
  3. This will be fun! Years (like 30 or so), ago I made a 4-panel screen with three different wallpapers. It was in shades of pink and black to help tie in my MIL's chairs we had inherited. Somewhere down the line, I wanted it to be more red than pink, so I glazed it with dark red glaze and varnished it was black-tinted varnish. Everyone thought it was an antique. A few years ago I sold it—at quite a profit!! I am using Miles Redd's mylar (silver) with stars on the ceiling of my hall and living room. I'm waiting until the virus is under more control before I am letting workers back in my house!

    Another thing that's waiting is my interior doors. When we first moved in I carefully painted with BM satin impervo white paint. When I knew I was going in different direction both in color and now with Advance, I didn't want to deal with oil paint on the raised panels. I sanded down the outside edges to accept Advance and had my handyman fit masonite over the panels and add a nice simple trim to cover the edges of door/masonite. The interior of the doors will receive Thibaut's black alligator!!!

    Years ago, I used a cranberry strie in the inside of the bookcases in my dining room which I used as a backdrop for blue and white plates. I've already mentioned that I think you could do something fabulous with the South Carolina tree of life wallpaper—framed panels? Or you could create art blocks with different flora/fauna of the paper and hanging together for a reconstructed panel! You could always use some as drawer liners in your dressing room perhaps? Have fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are always doing interesting projects, aren't you? You are very creative.

      Delete
  4. Love all the papers!
    Yes I have used paper on the ceiling in powder rooms, foyers, dining rooms, kitchen, and walk in closet. They don't need to go wall to wall in a large room you can put molding on the ceiling a few inches or more away from crown and paper inside.
    Your Paul Montgomery panels I would mount on a 1/4" Lauan plywood and then mount them to the wall and use a decorative molding around them. That way you can take them with you should you move again. Happy nesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great ideas. Thank you. Pease don't say the words move again. LOL

      Delete
    2. Never say never! We are on our 3rd last house. Pretty sure this is the last. Hope you are having fun while knee deep in moving. Very exciting and exhausting!

      Delete
    3. I agree, but this is my second move in less than a year and it is exhausting.

      Delete
  5. I love that trellised wallpaper... Yes, I have used wallpaper in an unlikely place. I have two coat closets in my foyer and I wallpapered those.. A nice surprise when a guest opens the closet and it makes it all look so neat.
    I also did the master bedroom closet in my other home..Adds a nice touch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love wallpapering closets. Such a nice surprise just as you said.

      Delete
  6. Found some great chinoiserie style wood screens (no inserts) at a yard sale for $10 ea. I am putting some blue and green chinoiserie wallpaper on plywood to hang in the screens and then will hang 3 of the screens on my porch behind sofa.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have used wallpaper on the back of my glass-fronted kitchen cabinets. I wanted to paint yet had a commitment problem. The wallpaper was perfect as it could be easily removed. I also had a four panel Oriental screen that was badly damaged. I found some Chinoiserie wallpaper and covered the screens, matching the pattern. Each screen was then mounted onto my four closet doors along one wall. They were tall screens and a perfect fit. I was very happy with the results in both projects.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I redid my master bath last year with Dana Gibson Canton wallpaper (above the subway tile wainscoting). Than I used it in my closet, behind shelves and in other visible places. Be sure you have enough before your paper hanger starts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds great. I can't get any more of my papers, so he is going to have to make it work.

      Delete
  9. Your posts are inspirational! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lovely wallpapers! It goes to show that when you buy something you love, you will always find a place for it. I’m having so much fun following along!
    Quite the heat wave we are having here in Florida! 😎🌴🌺
    Michelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. This is my first summer in Florida - but DC had hot summers too.

      Delete
  11. Beautiful wallpaper. Aren't you so happy you didn't use it at GG's house?

    Serena and Lilly has a pretty bamboo paper in their sale. It's the Veranda paper and it's $29/ roll

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, thankfully I always had bad vibes and did not use my wallpaper. I will check out the Serena and Lily. Thank you.

      Delete
  12. Been where you are, again and again and again. My [unsolicited] advice is to step back, take a deep breath, and hold off on wallpaper commitments for a spell. Just because paperhanger is coming on a certain day, doesn't mean he/she can't come back later. You have been through SO SO SO MUCH, give yourself a break on making decisions. I know how you feel, and I know the urgency behind your excitement. Just wanting to introduce the idea that you can actually kick back and make NO DECISIONS for the next few days. Signed, a Fan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been planning this in my head for months. I am ready to get it all done.

      Delete
  13. I grew up with wallpaper on the kitchen ceiling. The walls were wormwood paneling and painted as well as a brick fireplace. A "French provincial" floral stripe in green and blue gave the room some charm.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Try using wallpaper to upgrade the inside of your bar, buffet or dresser drawers.Also, if you still have any of your kids old high school or college textbooks lying around, a small format patterned wallpaper makes a great book cover to add interest to open shelving.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Inside an armoire including the inside of the doors which I leave open to display the quilts and rag rugs inside, the panel insets of a folding screen, the back of a curio cabinet, lining the bath vanity drawers & shelves, wrapped the back, sides & ceiling of a lighted butler's pantry closet for china & crystal that had a french door, lined the drawers of my grandaughter's furniture with paper from her other grandmother who passed away when my grangirl was very young and I wrap wedding gifts with wallpaper. Pamela

    ReplyDelete
  16. My wallpaper hanger did the inside of my linen closet with leftover turquoise Thibaut China Seas paper from my dressing room, and they did the inside of my kitchen cupboards with leftover Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon. (I'll put a pic in the link on my name). I still smile whenever I open these cupboards!

    ReplyDelete