The Wallpaper House
The Hot Tub House
When we were moving to Maryland, we looked at about a million houses. We kept coming back to a brick house in a neighborhood that I really liked, but I was a little embarrassed to tell people about it because it was known as “The Hot Tub House.” The current owners really loved to hot tub, apparently, and they had a hot tub that was sunken in to the floor of the sunroom, which was right off the main living area. The house was in a great location but it had Been sitting on the market that spring, I suspect partially because it needed updating but mostly because there was a hot tub sunken into the floor inside the main living area of the house! We ended up buying the house and having the hot tub ripped out and rebuilding the floor and it was all very fixable, but I still laugh about how our house was known at the hot tub house and still is by some of our older neighbors.
The Wallpaper House
The other day, I was thinking about our next house project and how I wanted to put wallpaper in the guest bathroom, and I had the realization that if we put our house on the market now, it would probably be known at “The Wallpaper House” because I have a serious addiction to wallpaper! It started in our front hallway, when I was trying to add some light and charm to a boring space, and I had the walls done in a blue Thibault paper. Then, when we were remodeling our kitchen and I wanted something to add some personality to all of the white we had picked out, we ended up picking a very bold Meg Braff pattern. Next, we put grasscloth in our sunroom when I wanted to add some interest to the room and camouflage the awkward ceiling angles, which was something I had wanted to try for years.
The Entryway
Our first foray into wallpaper was in our front hallway, which was dark and boring. The blue Thibault paper lightened it up and added some excitement to an otherwise plain space.
The Kitchen
Next, we added this very bold Meg Braff wallpaper to our open kitchen/family room. It’s a big statement and I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but we love the way it adds some energy to the otherwise white room .
The Sunroom
Finally, when we redid our sunroom with the help of the amazing Gillian DuVall, we picked a neutral grasscloth to add depth and texture to the room and camouflage some of the awkward ceiling angles.
It’s official-we’re now The Wallpaper House, but I can’t apologize for my obsession! It adds some much texture and depth to our home. Our house was built in the 80’s and lacks the character of the older homes that I grew up, and I’ve found that wallpaper is a great way to inject personality and interest to the space while keeping everything else fairly simple. Wallpaper is definitely experiencing a comeback with the grandmillenial trend, and there are so many companies out there that are making fun designs, removable options, and putting all kinds of twists on it. I’m drawn to wallpaper that feels fresh and light but also like something that my grandmother would have had in her house, so I’ve rounded up a few of the wallpaper classics that I go back to again and again. These have been around for years and have stood the test of time, which I like because I want to know that I’m not going to be sick of something after looking at it every day for a year!
Traditional Favorites:
The Vase pattern by Clarence House is one of my all time favorite patterns for fabric or wallpaper. Our grandparents had this material in blue on pillows in their sunroom when I was growing up and I still love it. It’s bold and timeless.
The Quadrille Lyford Trellis is a classic print that’s been around forever but is definitely having a moment right now. It comes in a million different colors and could be used in a variety of different rooms.
Two more classic favorites that I can’t resist-the Brunschwig & Fils Les Touches in blue and the Scalamandre Zebras in denim.
Now, I’m off to look at wallpaper options for the guest bathroom. Seriously considering this one from Schumacher….