Tell me you didn’t snicker at that title? Made me laugh out loud.
Painting a porch ceiling is a teeny, tiny little baby step. Painting your door is a much bolder baby step. But, we are still talking preschool here, folks. These are like the least committed choices you could ever make in your life. A little paint can be changed in a matter of hours and one quart of primer.
Let’s talk wallpaper. Now, that’s where we really start living life boldly. Today, I am going to take you from preschool to kindergarten. Come on, sisters. It’s a wild ride to the dark side and it so fun. You'll probably want to pour some rose´.
First, let's cover some wallpaper basics.
Wallpaper is like the Taylor Swift of home decor. Big reputation. It’s so edgy. Also, very dramatic. You don’t want to like it. You really, secretly love it. You don’t want to admit it. You certainly aren’t buying the extended album at Target, but probably the iTunes download. Many people are very unsure of wallpaper. It gets a bad rap, and rightly so. These people probably had to take down wallpaper in the late 80s and early 90s. If you are one of these people, I can totally understand why you never want to see the stuff again. Yikes. What a freaking disaster that was.
There are also the preconceived notions of York floral prints, your Grandma’s 1970’s kitchen, an old trailer from movie on Netflix. All of this wallpaper is bad. I’m going to go out a limb and say wallpaper is the jam. All the fancy brands have even changed the name to "wallcoverings." They are doing a hard rebrand. It is a commitment. You can’t just change your mind and paint over it one day.
How to plan your wallpaper in 4 easy steps.
STEP 1: PRIME your walls.
Wallpaper is also much easier to install and take down these days. You just have to prime your walls with an oil-based primer. Kilz Original. I do this myself. No need in paying someone to do a half-assed paint job. If you don’t prime the wall, then you will absolutely strip the sheetrock off. Please do not skip this step. If you do prime, it still isn’t as easy as repainting, but your walls are protected in the event that you want to take it off.
Wallpaper is also much easier to install and take down these days. You just have to prime your walls with an oil-based primer. Kilz Original. I do this myself. No need in paying someone to do a half-assed paint job. If you don’t prime the wall, then you will absolutely strip the sheetrock off. Please do not skip this step. If you do prime, it still isn’t as easy as repainting, but your walls are protected in the event that you want to take it off.
STEP 2: Spend the $$$.
Wallpaper is expensive. Listen to me closely, MORE closely, ok. It is expensive for a reason. Do not go to the off-brand, outlet, clearance sites. You need to pay full price or don’t do it at all. Now, everyone knows I love a good bargain. But, I’m not an idiot. Things to spend full price on: milk & wallpaper. No exceptions.
Wallpaper is expensive. Listen to me closely, MORE closely, ok. It is expensive for a reason. Do not go to the off-brand, outlet, clearance sites. You need to pay full price or don’t do it at all. Now, everyone knows I love a good bargain. But, I’m not an idiot. Things to spend full price on: milk & wallpaper. No exceptions.
STEP 3: Choose a SMALL space.
Start with a low commitment space such as a half bath, a mudroom, or entryway. These rooms can take a shockingly large amount of paper to be so small, BUT they are low commitment. You don't have to see it all the time.
Start with a low commitment space such as a half bath, a mudroom, or entryway. These rooms can take a shockingly large amount of paper to be so small, BUT they are low commitment. You don't have to see it all the time.
STEP 4: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever under any circumstances try to hang wallpaper yourself.
I don’t care how flat the wall is. I don’t care how easy the repeat seems. ALWAYS pay someone to do your wallpaper.
I don’t care how flat the wall is. I don’t care how easy the repeat seems. ALWAYS pay someone to do your wallpaper.
Now that you understand some basic wallpapering tips, we can proceed onto my bold, crazy design choices. I’ve never had a mudroom before. I’ve always wanted one because it seems super fancy. Our mudroom is broken into 2 conjoining rooms- the back door entry & the laundry room. This is a PERFECT space to wallpaper. Here's why: If you read my last blog, then you have painted your door some fantastic color & found YOUR perfect shade of haint blue for the ceiling. You have successfully convinced people that you are a fun, whimsical, joyful person. So, why not keep the good times rolling?
My situation is actually pretty sweet because the entry and the laundry are connected. Let's take a peek at the entry way today, and we'll talk laundry next week. They are so adorable, they deserve their own blog.
BEFORE
AFTER
Details on this particular wallcovering:
Brand: Thibaut (my personal favorite)
Collection: Resort
Style: Bungalow (several other color choices)
Price: Ridiculously cheap: $48 single. Took 4 single rolls to do this room.
You can check it out for yourself here:
Let's talk ceiling:
Y'all, I done up and painted another ceiling all by myself. I'm like super proud. This color is called Luau Green. It's Sherwin Williams. I am a HUGE fan of Sherwin Williams paint. Once I love a brand, I'm pretty loyal.
That light though.
Brand: Stray Dog Designs
Light: Lula Flush Mount
Price: $450
Comes in lots and lots of colors.
You can check it out here:
If you're ever interested in wallpaper or lighting. Let me know. I can hook you up with my girl, Dixie. She can get better pricing than ordering through the website. And she has great ideas if you need some inspiration.
Stay tuned! Next week, we are talking laundry rooms, Roman Shades, custom pillows & how to get the perfect bench seat.
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