I have a love/hate relationship with wallpaper.
I love the way it looks in pattern books and small swatches but
hate the way it looks on a wall.
More than anything I hate taking the stuff off the wall.
Years ago we moved into a 70s nightmare.
There was wallpaper on every wall of the house.
One bedroom had patriotic themed wallpaper, complete with eagles with arrows clutched in it's talons.
The bathroom in that bedroom had striped wallpaper, olive green, red, white and blue. It sort of matched the bedroom walls but not quite.
The shared bath had wallpaper with huge yellow and orange daisy type flowers with twining leaves on an avocado background. This must have been to compliment the bright yellow sink, toilet and tub. And, let's not forget the burnt orange background with yellow flower wall-to-wall carpet. I couldn't go in there. No really! I couldn't go period.
The living room had the least offensive wallpaper. It was a muted gold strip. Liveable.
The kitchen was something else all together. Picture if you will; avocado appliances and sink, lime green counters and back splash, maple country kitchen cabinets with hammered black iron hardware, tan wall-to-wall carpets (indoor/outdoor, mind you) and bright yellow flowered wallpaper (which came down immediately!). Yes, it was a site to behold.
These wallpapers have nothing to do with the ones found in our old house. These are from a German wallpaper pattern book from years gone by. They just sort of reminded me why I have developed this love/hate relationship. Plus, they are funky. And, graphic. And, I like me some funky and graphic. Don't you?
Love,
M
I love funky and graphic, but not on wallpaper, which I have a hate/hate relationship with. I simply don't like it, which made house hunting in Ohio, The Tacky Wallpaper Capital of the World, something akin to torture - literally every house we saw had some sort of busy wall paper, some in every room. Although the kicker was the house that had wallpaper that looked like one of those "magic eye" puzzles that you have to look at slightly out of focus to "see" the picture; the floor had cream colored carpet and cream colored furniture with throw pillows that matched the wallpaper. It was truly a sight to behold.
ReplyDeleteNow, having said that, your description of your 70s decorated home made me glad that our house (which also suffered from being decorated in the same decade) only had one room with wallpaper - a truly hideous design of huge, yellow hibiscus. It was accompanied by a bamboo chandelier, I kid you not. I still shudder thinking about it.
I can appreciate wallpaper that is NOT in my house. Like you, I've spent far too many hours removing it, and it's a nightmare of a job.
ReplyDeleteI once removed 9 layers of wallpaper from a bedroom. Shudder. Our current house suffered from "boarders". Big flowers, eagles with bunting and banners, seashells- every room had boarder paper. Sometimes where the chair rail would go (which actually made life better, as you can take it off while standing on the floor!)
ReplyDeletePersonally I would far prefer to buy a silk Kilim. I know it mightn't go down so well in the Lone Star but I'll bet you there are far more around Tx than almost any other place in the world.
ReplyDeleteI think for w-p you need a huge room otherwise you end up living in a cave. And a well lit room at that.
That should be your next art project...creating and painting and selling designed by your wallpaper.
ReplyDeleteLinda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
I have a love/hate relationship with wallpaper, too. Currently leaning on the side of 'hate' since the upstairs hallway has been giving me a headache for 3 years since I've been nibbling at the craptastic wallpaper that adorns those walls for that long. Of course it doesn't help that I'm short-ish and the walls are an intimidating height of 10-feet... :)
ReplyDeleteLove the pattern book! Is it from the UH Collections? Those wallpaper designs would transfer very nicely to needlepoint canvas. Or you could just go crazy and adapt them to stencil designs.
ReplyDeleteFunky and graphic work for me.
ReplyDeleteI have some type of a Roman hot mess on my master bath walls. It makes me want to weep. Would you like to come for a paper party???
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine moved into a wallpapered house like that - this crazy '70s wallpaper through the living room - lime green and silver. I swear. Horrifing.
ReplyDeleteWallpaper! Ugh. I have the last of it to remove from our house this winter. Dreading it!!
ReplyDeleteI second Linda!
I do like them, but I think I'd like a little piece framed - not a whole wall of that stuff.
ReplyDeleteWallpaper still beats the heck out of wood paneling.
ReplyDeleteI prefer paint personally, but those samples you posted are pretty neat. Don't know if I'd want to cover a whole room in them though.