Why Wallpaper?
Topics and Collections
How it Started
My first full-time design job was in wallpaper in 2005. Fast forward to 2015, when I started my design business, wallpaper felt like it was cycling back into style. At that point, I could fully see through ideas to reimagine papered walls.
DIY Peel and Stick
Peel and Stick is good for dry spaces, with smooth walls, a bedroom, powder room, foyer, accent wall, bookshelf/china cabinet, cupboard, or closets. The leftover smaller pieces are fun to use to recover a notebook or binder since the peel-and-stick is basically a big sticker!
Save the full bathroom or other moisture-heavy space, like a kitchen, for a professional installer to use traditional paper with paste, which is the type of paper you want in those types of spaces.
Reasons to Wallpaper
Creates an airy, welcoming feel in otherwise confined spaces
Quickly achieves a dark, moody theme without layers of paint
Reinvents and adds character to both residential AND commercial spaces
Great in small areas with an opportunity to make a statement
Repositionable, removable, and renter-friendly for peel and stick
Fun and modern but also nostalgic
New ways to use wallpaper, such as on ceilings and “picture frame panels”
Wallpaper 101, Basic Steps
Measure all the walls/space to be papered and order a swatch.
Order rolls that are closest to the height of the wall space. If your walls are 8’ tall, then order the 2’x9’ rolls. If you are doing a chair rail, order the 2’x3’ rolls.
DON’T WALLPAPER TEXTURED WALLS or humid spaces with peel-and-stick. Consult an installer on textured walls; pasted papers might be okay.
Clean, dry, and repair surface defects.
Remove and set aside outlet plates, and if you want, remove the trim work also.
Follow adhesive instructions for the paper, noting if paste or water is required, if applicable.
Line up your wallpaper panels side by side on clean floor space to match up the design before hanging. If it’s a half drop, drop every other panel.
Sometimes masking tape can be helpful to add markers for where the panels will align, especially if the trimwork or the wall edge is not perfectly straight.
Install the first panel, start at the top, and smooth each panel from the center out, while making sure the panel is straight.
Repeat with additional panels, and trim excess paper at the bottom of each panel with a utility or exacto knife.
Wallpaper roll dimensions
2ft. wide with varying lengths from 3-27ft.
3, 6, 9, or 12 ft rolls are available in Peel + Stick, Non-pasted traditional Pebble, Pre-pasted Removable
27 ft rolls are available in Grass cloth, Non-woven metallic bases
Wallpaper Types
Peel + Stick for DIY projects on smooth walls, No TEXTURED walls, even slightly.
Non-pasted traditional Pebble for baths, kitchens, commercial spaces, and any space with humidity. (paste needed)
Grass cloth, Non woven metallic bases for bedroom, bar, parlor, foyer, ceiling, and framed panels (paste needed)
Pre-pasted Removable for mudrooms, foyers, high traffic areas (water-activated)
What is a half-drop?
How do you install it?
Every other panel drops—slightly on alternating panels. Instead of a grid, the layout is offset in a honeycomb effect.
Visually match and lay out the panels on a clean floor, and match up the panels before hanging them, with dropping alternate panels.
TIP find the vertical repeat size. Half drop is half of the vertical repeat size.
Stockists
Peel + Stick in: 3, 6, 9, 12 ft roll lengths
Non-pasted Traditional, Grasslcloth, and Non-Woven in 27 ft roll length
Pre-pasted water activated in: 3, 6, 9, 12 ft roll lengths
Fabric Peel + Stick / Fabric Paste Required in: 6, 12 ft roll lengths
Peel and Stick in: 3, 6, 9, 12 ft roll lengths