Fabric as Wallpaper (in the Kitchen)

My dear friend and former college roommate, Emily, and her family recently moved to a new home in a new city. It has been so fun working with her a little (online) on her house projects and seeing the transformation of her beautiful home.

I'm sure there will be more pictures of Emily's home in future posts, but here are some photos of her kitchen.

Emily uses her blue milk glass collection to store all those little things that seem to pile up at the kitchen sink. Oddly, our sinks attract the exact same items: kids medicine syringes, water color brushes and jewelry.

Using magnetic containers from Bed, Bath and Beyond, Emily stores her herbs and spices on the side of her fridge. She likes that they are mostly hidden and off the counters, but still very accessible.

Adorable DIY message board...

Are you jealous, like I am, of Emily's coat hooks and bench? She made the coat rack with an old piece of black walnut and hooks from Anthropolgie.

When Emily and her husband, Todd, purchased the house, the kitchen was pretty boring and outdated:

Here's the 'after' shot. They have plans to put in french doors (not pictured) and to add hardwood to match the rest of the floors in the house. But it looks great now doesn't it?

I think it's cool that Emily has a computer on her counter. She wrote out all her recipes and has them stored here (the tower is hidden behind the moulding on top of the cabinets).

NOW! For the project that inspired the post title. Emily wanted a little punch of color and pattern in the sea of her newly painted white cabinets. Since wallpaper can be so expensive, and since Emily has the same fabric-collecting disease that I have, we decided to put some of her pretty fabric to good use in the kitchen.

One of my favorite things about using fabric as wallpaper is that it's completely removable and does not damage your walls. Even the fabric comes out unscathed! It just needs a good washing to get all the starch out.

There are lots of tutorials online for how to hang fabric like wallpaper. Emily kindly wrote out her step-by-step here:

Materials:

- Liquid starch (we were able to find some at Walmart)

- Fabric (While lightweight fabrics are traditionally recommended, we used a home decor weight material and just used more starch. It worked great.)

- Clean sponge

- Large pan (cookie sheet works perfectly)

- Push pins

Process:

1. Prime the backs of the cabinets with Zinsser water-based primer.

2. Cut your fabric to fit, with a few inches of allowance on all sides.

3. Pour the liquid starch into a clean pan. Using a clean sponge, apply starch to the top half of the cabinet wall and work your way down.

4. Again, starting at the top and working down, smooth the fabric into place on top of the starched wall. Apply starch with the sponge on top of the placed fabric. The goal is for the fabric to be pretty well soaked in starch.

5. Use a few push pins to hold the fabric in place as you smooth. Keep sponging and smoothing. A credit card works great for the sides and corners where you want everything to be tight and secure.

6. Let the starched fabric dry completely (overnight is usually long enough). The fabric will shrink as it dries, so be sure not to cut it when it's still wet. We recommend using a sewing rotary or a sharp razor/X-acto knife to cut the dried fabric, but be careful not to press too hard and score the cabinets!

Great job, Todd and Emily! I love what a little color and pattern can do to any space!

Have a fun project that you'd like to share with LGN readers? Send your photos and submission to pearlstreetinteriors@gmail.com.

Contact Paper "Wallpaper"

Another temporary wallpaper material? Contact paper!

I loved this project featured on Design*Sponge, and had planned on posting about it. And then Stephanie emailed me about my happy tape wall. She is so nice and has a lovely blog.

Check out her chevron wall tutorial here.

{Please note that Stephanie suggests using/removing the contact paper with a lot of caution on drywall. She says it works like a dream on plaster walls though. Good to know!}

Does anyone else have any experience with using contact paper as wallpaper? What are your tips?

Just to see what it would look like, I cut some strips of white contact paper for the backs of my bookshelves before they were relegated to the basement. Sort of fun, I think. And such an easy project because of the cutting guidelines on the paper backing.

Temporary Wallpaper Alternative

Love the look of wallpaper but can't take the plunge because you live in fear of your landlord dropping by?

Renters unite!!

In December, Amy posted this image from Southern Living. I fell in love with the large scale harlequin patterned wallpaper. The wheels started to turn and I began formulating a plan for "wallpapering" my entry.


Then Caitlin posted this picture of her home. She used floral tape and a little dab o' glue to "wallpaper" her entry and it encouraged me to get my rear into gear!


I placed a $20 order for four rolls of 1/2" aqua Japanese masking tape from happytape (use the code "odds10" for 10% off).


I played with the tape on the wall until I found the right proportion for the diamond and then I measured. {My diamonds are 9" wide and 16" long}


Then I made some tiny registration marks with a pencil and a ruled level.



After I put up all the tape lines, I used an Xact-o knife to clean up the edges and I was done!


I finished my entry and long hallway in less than two hours. And I think it is pretty cute.

I like how the aqua lines add some subtle color and pattern. And the great part about the Japanese masking tape is that it looks more like vellum than masking tape. It's almost transparent and creates a more understated look.

Stencilling is Hip

Does anyone else have fond memories of watching Debbie Travis' The Painted House? That was back in the day, when overalls were cool. Well, overalls are not cool again (yet!), but stenciling is making a comeback.

Decorative painter, Deirdre Newman, emailed me recently with pictures from her portfolio. She does beautiful work in the NYC metropolitan area. She designs most of her stencils and has them custom made using a company online. Here are some of my favorites from her portfolio:



If you live in the NYC area and have the funds, you should definitely consider hiring Deirdre. If you're a little more adventurous, consider trying a little stenciling yourself. It's a great way to get the look of wallpaper without breaking the bank and without making a semi-permanent change to your walls.

Did you see Lauren's AMAZING living room? Yup - a stencil.


Whitewall & Co. is a great resource for easy to use stencils.

images via Southern Living

I won a giveaway from Whitewall on the Haven and Home blog, and I can't wait to use my stencil in a future project.

image via Tracery Interiors

Stencil Library is another amazing vendor that I've mentioned before. If you have some serious artistic ability, you might want to try their chinoiserie stencil line.


Have you used stencils in the past couple years? Tips for fellow readers?

Jimmie Martin Ltd- Wall art

I am not a huge fan of wallpaper.. I admit it! But this is different. First of all the flat is amazing. Second how cool are the pieces that you can put in your own place. Check them out on their site here and check out the article about them here.

images via Canadian house & home and Jimmie Martin Ltd.

Do You Bouf?

This summer, while reading English House & Garden, I came across a webwatch link called Bouf.

Bouf is a new online marketplace selling housewares and accessories from around the world. The products offered are from independent designers and are all available to you.

Created by Alex Griffin two years ago in England, Bouf was created to offer original artwork and design pieces to the market at prices that aren’t affected by the middle-man.

Bouf's products stand out from the crowd and cannot easily be found elsewhere. They offer limited edition items, design innovations, luxury goods, debut (new-to-market) items, iconic items, custom-made or bespoke items, rare goods, exclusive lines, collaborations and one-offs. Their goal is not to create a large flea market (like eBay), but a specialist selection of the world's most distinctive design, including house wares, art and gifts.

I am quite impressed with the selection of designer furniture, textiles, accessories and more. Take a look at some of the offerings.

Maia Lasercut Lampshade with Cascading Glass Crystals. Very elegant and has the look of constant movement.

Bespoke Handpainted Vintage Cabinet. I think this cabinet is lovely. It can be used in a myriad of places, including a teenagers room or an fun, young entryway.

Sponge Light Fixture. These remind me of jellyfish, but with a bit more sparkle!

Stucco Leather Wallpanel. I think this is just gorgeous. Available in custom sizes and colors, I think I want one for my dining room and a few for my living room!

Oak Radiator Bench. What a really unique way to hide a radiator! We don’t have a radiator in our house, but if I did, I would definitely think about covering it with something like this dual purpose piece.

Walldots Wallpaper. The graphic design of this wallpaper is both relaxing and striking at the same time. i.want.it….

Allium Table Lamp. I’ve seen paper lamps similar to this before, but none with this dandelion motif that makes me want to blow on it and make a wish!

Merino Wool Black Bird Pillow. This pillow looks so soft and cozy that I was immediately attracted to it, but add that black bird sitting in the corner and I was smitten.

Table OM. I love, love, love the fretwork cutouts of this table that looks like they extend into the ground. Cut out of plywood, I think one could easily paint this any color to suit any decor.

New Objectivity Stool in Hair on Hide. This stool is fantastic! The cutwork in the base is beautiful and that combined with the hide on top give this piece a richness.

White Sunburst Mirror. We’ve all seen the sunburst mirror, but I haven’t seen it in white! I love it! It’s very refreshing and crisp.

A shipping cost caveat: Since Bouf is located in England, but the designers are from all over the world, if the Seller of the item is located in a country outside of your own, you may be subject to import duties and taxes which are levied once the package reaches your country. A small price to pay for such spectacular designs, don’t you think?

I now Bouf. How ‘bout you?