Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Inspired....

































Did you notice a theme in these pictures? Yup, wallpaper. I have a weakness for it, always have.


When we bought out first house and everyone else thought wallpaper was evil, we were putting up rolls of it in our foyer and stairway. It was a country pattern that I would now hate but I loved the look. Can you see it in the background? It was a floral top and gingham bottom with a border the middle. It's atrocious, I realize, but I loved it a long time ago.


(Oh and sorry about the screaming baby, that's all she did for her first year of life so we had no choice but to snap pictures anyway. Love that kid.)




In our second home, we did wallpaper again. This time it was a pinkish-red toile on our family room ceiling. The inspiration came from this kitchen which I believe was in Country Living magazine. I wish I had a better picture but after googling for an hour, this was all I came up with. How adorable is this?







This is the room we did using the toile. The "Before" pic of this room was scary, dark wood paneling, ugly floor tiles and a drop ceiling. My poor hubby spent a lot of time putting drywall up on the ceiling just for me to want to cover it with wallpaper. Oops.




The room during our remodel.....




This was the finished room, you walked in from the living room through an adorable french door, down a couple steps....








It served as a playroom/TV room for our girls. I had picked out cottage looking fabrics for the wicker and really tried to make it feel like a cottage porch. I'm mad at myself for not taking more photos. Hubby and I spent days with our arms above our heads hanging that wallpaper, days recovering and resting our sore arms and this is all I have to show for it.




You can see the rest of this house by clicking HERE .



I'm sure that room doesn't have that sweet wallpaper anymore as a single guy bought the home and immediately began trashing it. Five years later and I still tear up over that so moving on....








Where was I? Oh yeah, the point of this post. It has a point, I promise. Last night we were in Lowes and I started looking through this beautiful book while waiting on my hubby (he was looking at boring stuff).




Book can be found here: Amazon



I didn't buy it but I might go back for it. There was a picture of a white kitchen with the sweetest toile wallpaper you ever did see. It looked to be on the lavender side but it looked adorable in the room.


I showed it to hubby and said, "Isn't this cute?"


And he said, "Yeah, actually, it really is nice."


Don't tell him I told you that, I'm sure he would deny it but yes, he does sometimes appreciate a nice toile. I love my white kitchen but I've been doing some tweaking lately and adding color. I wondered if I should wallpaper it with a toile too? While he looked at more boring stuff, I took off to the wallpaper books. I love the smell of them. If someone handed me a coffee, I could have looked through those books all night. I found a few nice patterns but nothing in the color I would want. Still thinking on it but who knows, I might surprise you one day with a wallpapered kitchen.


We'll see.....




So what are your thoughts on wallpaper? I know we all have taken down some horrible stuff and it's a lot of work but I would never shy away from it. The time it takes to remove it is worth the joy I get from having it up for a time. Completely, undeniably worth it.

35 comments:

Melissa Miller said...

All toile is so pretty Michelle! I'm trying to picture in a kitchen hanging as wallpaper though. Hmmmm...

Love all of your pretty inspiratiion pics! :)

luciwallis said...

I love the toile with the blue detail added in.Our house is very old and it dd not want to attack the plaster walls yet. The previous owner wallpapered everywhere. So we had no choice to strip and put more up since the walls were so damaged. I do have to say I really do like it~
Bristol

Deb said...

I love toile too and I've kept that red kitchen photo for years because I love it so much. Also I got the book that you feature for Christmas. I love it!

Darlene said...

All of the pictures look so pretty, but I have to say I don't want wallpaper ever again in my home. I always seem to like it for a short while then I want it gone. I LOVE it in other people's homes, just not mine. Matter of fact we need to get it all out of our spare bathroom.....just haven't wanted to get started on that project yet.

Helen said...

Dear Michelle,
I never expected to be so inspired by a post this morning ..... BUT I am shopping later today for a wallpaper to hang on the wall (no windows) behind my bed. The paint color in that room is a dreamy blue and I will look for a pattern to work well with it. SO, a huge thank you for this post !!!!!

trish said...

Those images are beautiful. Especially with the white flowy curtains!
I have never hung wall paper, but I have stripped enough in my day to know it is a commitment once it is hung. :o)
I would LOVE to have wall paper like in the pictures you have posted. It reminds me a lot of fabric. Which I love. :o)
Bead board is also something that I do not have, but would adore in my laundry room and kitchen. :o)

Tracy ~Seeking Refinement~ said...

loooooove wallpaper!! especially all the patterns now that are after vintage ones...there are SO many options - and not all of them hideous! ;)

I'm thinking of lining the back of our bookshelf with some wallpaper, just to add a little something, and to get my feet wet in the wallpaper-world.

so fun!

Theresa said...

I have some wallpaper. The only problem I have with it is that it is so hard to change:) I do love toile any where:) Enjoy your day and go get that book!

tara said...

I personally love wallpaper when it is done right and the photos you have used for ispiration are just darling! I say for it and love every minute!

ROSE VINE COTTAGE said...

I love wallpaper, but I'm scared to do it, I change my mind so often, I did see a couple of houses that had toile paper, one had it in her kitchen and the other in her bathroom, both at seperate times and both different but they were both toile and I have searched and searched and can't find either one of the papers, I got frustrated and quit looking, but I love them still!
Hugs~Kelly

Kathysue said...

I am with you , I love wall paper when it is used in the right application. I know toile was huge about 10yrs ago, but I for one liked it before it was big and I like it now when it is out of vogue. Goes to show if you truly love something it is always in for you. If you look at my post today you can see the black and white toile in my bathroom, still love it!!

::cottage instincts:: said...

I have pictures of old houses with wallpaper jobs I was sooo proud of, but now am embarrased by. :)

I've always loved a good wallpaper, and so did my mom. She had excellent taste, and her homes always had at least one room papered.

I love that cottage style book. I found it at Half Price Books. Great place to find decor books!

I'm considering some wallpaper for either over the chair rail or under in my dining room. Shhhh....don't tell!

::cottage instincts:: said...

Me again....went to look at your old house pictures and Wow! You has such a great eye. Loved those kitchen cabs painted green *swoon*. Classic styling.

Can I have just a fingertip of your decorating genius? :)

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

GO FOR THE GUSTO MICHELLE! I love wallpaper too, and I will never listen to them if they say it goes out of style again. Our taste changes but then we just pick something different! Cindy

Anonymous said...

I think it's great that we all like different things. Wallpaper in Florida? Not so great with our high humidity. But in an older Country Living I saw a bedroom that had Lillie Of The Valley wallpaper and it was extremely calming and so feminine!
I have that book, it is a good one!
I usually go to our public Library in our town and look at the books on decorating and they had this book. I did go out and buy it,I had to have it.
I like the wallpaper in your Everything room.
Thanks, JolieAnne

Decor To Adore said...

I adore wallpaper. The turquoise photo is just whispering so sweetly to me.

It was indeed Country Living that had the red toile paper on the ceiling. I had to check my inspiration binder and the torn magazine pages were still there. :)

Miss Mustard Seed said...

Those are some beautiful inspiration pictures and I love the idea of a bold wallpaper on the ceiling. I've always been wallpaper-phobic. I have done textured paintable borders in leiu of trim, but never full out paper. All I see is the day I'm sick of it and have to take it all down! I need to open my mind to it.

Anonymous said...

Michelle,

I have spent many steamy nights (removing wallpaper) and am not ready to make that commitment again. I think I grow too soon tired of patterns. That being said, because I own an 1880s home and there are wallpapered rooms. My dining room is toile and I have no plans of changing it. It is classic, timeless. So, if it tickles your heart, go for it! Question: How on earth did you wallpaper a ceiling?

Also, I am so sorry to hear about your dog's passing. It truly is losing a family member.

Deborah

Anonymous said...

Pretty pretty! I'm loving the wallpaper but still a bit scared to try it again...;)
xoxox Susie~

beth said...

Lovely photos for a cool, rainy day here in Oregon! You know, I used to be a wallpaper hater, but it is starting to grow on me! :)
Hope you have lovely day!! Beth.

Carol said...

I love wallpaper. I live in a house with no wallpaper, but we are getting ready to sell. But I will definitely use wallpaper in our new house. The photos you posted are lovely and will be a great inspiration.

Maureen Stevens said...

all gorgeous! I especially love that gray damask one where the mantle is against the white wooden floors! your home is getting more & more adorable! sigh! I'll have a cottage like this one day:)

the wild raspberry said...

ah...toile. it doesn't get much prettier than that!

Charity said...

I love wallpaper, it makes me so happy. I hope to talk Sweet Daddy into it in the bedroom, it makes his skin crawl so we will see. You inspire me as usual.

Cha Cha

Folkman's said...

Loving all of those pics! I am thinking of wall paper for my master! I am giving you the "Sunshine Award"! Go to my blog to grab the award and give it to others who inspire you!

Sweet Bee Cottage said...

I love wallpaper too. I have some great cherry vintage looking wallpaper we put up when we first moved to our home - 12 years ago. I'm just now starting the process of changing it. I still love the wallpaper we have in our bathroom - also 12 years ago.

Now about the toile - it's a classic for a reason! Right? Whatever you decide I know it will look simply marvelous!

Heather said...

Stopping in to see how you are. You normally don't take such long breaks. Hoping everythings ok.

M.L. @ The House of Whimsy said...

Hi Michelle,
What a wonderful post to come over here and enjoy!!! I'm with you...there's nothing like wallpaper. It's SO classy! I got a kick out of your comment, "He was looking at the boring stuff." : )
I've purchased the 'Cottage Style' books from BH&G in the past. Now that I know a new one is out, I MUST run out and get one.
Lastly...we experimented and stenciled BIG damask designs on Sara's walls a while back to look like wallpaper and were very happy with the results. It's under my labels as: Sara's Room Makeover.
Good luck with your projects!
Mary Lou

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

I put wallpaper in the kitchen of my first home. It was green and white stripes on the bottom, little herbs on the top and a border in the middle of herbs and flowers. It would be very outdated now, but when I look at pictures of that kitchen, I still love it. It was so pretty and bright and cheery.

shabbyfufu said...

Love the wallpapers....wish I could do some, but hubby just won't allow it~lol! Happy that you visited me and I will be here again....

Rue said...

I love wallpaper, always have, but after removing that horrible stuff from the breakfast room, I'm not sure I want to add it anytime soon.

I swear I had that book, but now I can't find it.. grrr... if I see it I'll look for the picture and send it to you.

xo,
rue

Brooke said...

Oh my gosh I love you! I just looked at all your posts of your homes...and we are kindred spirits. I am the same way, we started out in a small fixer upper stone house (that I will forever love), moved to a bigger, new, fancy home, now in our forever older cozy home. New, big and trendy are not what I want!!! Anyway you have inspired me to start posting about our houses...even though the first house will require some scanning. Dang pre-digital era! All of your houses were/are charming, you have the touch to make them homey. And I agree wallpaper can be so fun...but such a pain in the arse to remove. It is a catch 22.

Mary said...

I hate wallpaper with a fiery, flaming HATE. It is such a pain to take down (I'm in the process as we speak, so the wound is a little fresh).

Although, I do think it is gorgeous when done well. And at times I start to feel the urge to hang some up. But, then I remember all the swearing I did while removing 60's gold foil wallpaper and I promise myself not to go there.

sanjeet said...

.just haven't wanted to get started on that project yet.

Work From Home

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Cheri