Off the Wall

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OFF THE WALL Make a statement by adding bold and beautiful wallpaper

BY SARA SCHWARTZ

Various wallpaper prints from HYGGE & WEST

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ILLUSTRATION: BY MIRANDA PELLICANO; PHOTOS BY HYGGE & WEST

Hire a pro to install your wallpaper.

Try the American Society of Interior Designers (asid.org)

ince humans began taking shelter, they’ve been upgrading their surroundings with art. Prehistoric cave drawings, meet your descendant — jaw-dropping wallpaper.

“The trend is becoming increasingly popular now,” says Keisha Gilchrist, proprietor and principal designer of SDV Decor (sdvdecor.com), an interior design firm based in Hyattsville, Md. “For years, people tended to shy away from what they thought was a more ‘permanent’ application. Now, it is hard to resist! The textures, the metallic colorways and the bold patterns are the rave.”

Whether playful and patterned or serious and sophisticated, there’s a wallpaper to suit any personality.

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Flavor Paper (flavorpaper.com) creates customizable hand-screened and digitally printed wallpaper, including an Andy Warhol x Flavor Paper collaboration. The company’s 150-plus designs (including scratch-and-sniff wallpaper with scented images of cherries or bananas), will please any inner wild child.

If you prefer something calmer with an Instagram background vibe, check out Hygge & West (hyggeandwest.com). Created by Aimee Lagos and Christiana Coop, the online company launched in 2008 with the Daydream wallpaper

by Julia Rothman, which continues to be a big seller. “It just seems to really resonate with people, both for adult spaces and for children’s spaces,” says Coop. “It’s just a very happy pattern we consider our classic now.”

Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga; it’s Danish for “cozy”) & West works with

WA L L S | U P F R O N T

MURALS YOUR WAY

TRY THIS:

Scratch- andsniff banana print wallpaper, FLAVOR PAPER

PROVIDED BY THE COMPANIES

Beaded, textured wallpaper, MAYA ROMANOFF

Julia Rothman’s popular Daydream wallpaper, HYGGE & WEST

MAYA ROMANOFF

multiple artists to collaborate on lines, offering a wide range of fun looks. Love dogs? Rothman’s Dog Park paper might perk up you and your pup. Pineapple lovers should check out Rifle Paper Co.’s sweet line of pineapple patterns. “(Adding wallpaper — KEISHA GILCHRIST, is) actually one of proprietor, principal designer the easiest, quickest of SDV Decor ways to change up a room and really add personality to a space,” Coop says. “It can add so much visual interest.”

For sophisticated texture and depth, look into Skokie, Ill.-based Maya Romanoff (mayaromanoff.com), one of the largest manufacturers of handcrafted wallcoverings in the U.S. The company produces stunning wallpaper using mother of pearl, glass beads, gold leaf, seashells and even wood textures. Phillip Jeffries (phillipjeffries. com), with showrooms across the country, offers grasscloth, paper weave and raffia lines for a unique, tactile natural look.

If you want something a bit more personal, Murals Your Way (muralsyourway.com) allows you to upload

For years, people tended to shy away from what they thought was a more ‘permanent’ application. Now, it is hard to resist!”

FFLAVOR PAPER

any photo to create a wall-sized memento of that dream vacation to Spain.

Homeowners can install wallpaper themselves, but Vincent LaRusso, president of the Wallcovering Installers Association, strongly recommends hiring a professional by asking interior designers in the American Society of Interior Designers (asid.org) for recommendations.

“Wallcoverings today are better quality and you need a professional,” he says. “Not just anybody can hang wallcovering.”

A professional will help ensure a level installation, prevent air bubbles and — best of all — guarantee proper installation to ensure easier removal, he says. “(Wallpaper) brings life to the room, as opposed to paint,” adds LaRusso. “I don’t want to insult paint — paint is wonderful.

But wallcoverings give it a different look, a whole different dimension.”

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HERE ARE EIGHT MORE CREATIVE WAYS TO USE WALLPAPER:

If the thought of wallpapering a room or even an accent wall has you breaking out in a cold sweat, start Blogger small.

Elyse Major There are many other ways to incorporate wallpaper into your home. Elyse Major, a Rhode Islandbased blogger (tinkeredtreasures. com) wanted a no-sew pattern for her Roman blinds but wasn’t able to find instructions online or in any books, so she developed her own do-it-yourself wallpaper project instead.

Major says she kept the project easy by cutting three strips of paper for each slat, working around the cord, and using a glue stick as adhesive instead of taking the blinds completely apart. (See how at tinkeredtreasures.com; search for “wallpapered blinds.”) On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the most difficult, she gives it a three.

“I avoid complicated projects and aim for simplicity,” she adds.

“I don’t worry about perfection.”

Keisha Gilchrist, principal designer at Hyattsville, Md.-based SDV Decor, used wallpaper as a background in her family photos by covering the mat with wallpaper.

Her original idea was to use scrapbooking paper, but the patterns she found just didn’t appeal to her, she says. “So I went to my (stash of) samples that vendors send to me and decided to play around with some of the options. It turned out beautifully and was very easy to affix.”

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through the task at hand,” Gilchrist says.

LIVEN UP YOUR LAMPSHADE. “If you have a boring lampshade that needs a level of ‘pop,’ wallpaper is a quick and easy fix. Simply measure and adhere the wallpaper to your existing shade and you have an instant, patterned look,” says interior designer Keisha Gilchrist.

FORFEIT YOUR BACKSPLASH. Skip the tiling and use a tough, cleanable vinyl instead.

DECORATE YOUR KITCHEN DRAWERS. “Most of us don’t enjoy household chores, but opening your kitchen drawers and finding a burst of color may help you weed

CREATE A FAUX HEADBOARD. Can’t commit to a bedroom furniture set or style?

Wallpaper your headboard for a quick and temporary (or not!) fix.

MAKE YOUR STAIRS A CONVERSATION PIECE. Line the risers of your stairs with a bold wallpaper pattern and have a topic to discuss with your guests all night.

GIVE YOUR GLASS TABLE A BOOST. Before you replace your glass table with

an entirely new piece of furniture, Gilchrist suggests another option. “Try adding wallpaper under the glass top.”

JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. Want to display books? Cover them with wallpaper to match the décor in your room.

ADD INSTANT ART. If your space calls for artwork that is bigger than what you can find, create your own with wallpaper. The sky will be the limit for your size requirements, and simple trim can provide a more finished look to your project.

— Sara Schwartz

ELYSE MAJOR; ILLUSTRATIONS: BY MIRANDA PELLICANO; PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

SMALL PROJECT IDEAS FOR THE WALLPAPER-WARY