Wallpaper: Why It’s Hot Again and How to Hang It

No longer a bad word, wallpaper is cool again. But, this is not the drab wallpaper of 1970. Thanks to popular interior design TV shows and design-inspired communities like Etsy, wallpaper has been resuscitated and transformed. 

With its new, design-friendly reputation, today’s wallpaper breathes fresh personality into rooms with natural themes, bold graphics, and unique patterns. Most importantly, it’s being used in new ways - and it’s being applied sparingly. 

Today, wallpaper is hung to create accent walls, dramatic borders, or unique backsplashes. And you’ll find it in unpredictable places, lining the inside of closets or bookcases. 

Here’s how to hang wallpaper if you’re in a DIY state of mind:

1) Pick a single wall and an easy-to-apply wallpaper.

For first-timers, turn a single wall into an accent wall. If it’s a patterned wallpaper, pick a pattern that’s easy to match up. To make the project even easier, pick heavier papers, which are easier to handle.

2) Clean wall and apply primer.

Wipe down the wall with a rag and warm water. When dry, apply a coat of wallpaper primer to the wall to ensure the paper adheres well. Allow the primer to dry.

3) Measure wall and draw a centered plumb line.

Measure the wall’s height and width, and then mark the wall’s center. Use a level to draw a plumb, vertical line through the center mark for plumb wallpaper panels.

4) Align your pattern and trim bottoms.

Side-by-side, unroll two rolls and align patterns. Mark the bottom, adding a 4-inch margin, where you’d like it to end. Use a straight edge to trim all bottoms. 

5) Measure, mark and trim tops.

Measure wall height and use straight edge to mark and trim the top. On the back of the roll, write a “T” to indicate the top. 

6) Prep the paper.

Lay a roll face down. If pre-pasted, moisten back of roll with a damp sponge. If not pre-pasted, apply paste evenly to the back of the roll. 

7) Book the wallpaper. 

Without creasing, gently fold both ends of the roll to meet in the middle – paste side in. This is known as “booking.” Let the strip of paper rest for the amount of time recommended in the manufacturer’s instructions (usually about 10 minutes).

8) Hang wallpaper ceiling to floor. 

Unfold the top half of a “book” and align a side to the plumb line. Gently apply to the wall, top to bottom, with a smoothing tool. Unfold the bottom half and smooth against the wall. 

9) Trim bottom. 

Hold a straight edge against the bottom of the wall or baseboard. Use the straight edge as a guide while you carefully trim the excess paper with a utility knife.

10) Wipe with a damp sponge. 

Smooth from top to bottom, and from the center outward, with a slightly damp sponge. This will smooth out any air bubbles and wipe away excess adhesive.

11) Hang another piece of wallpaper. 

Unfold the top half and align the side to the paper on the wall. Edges should touch, but not overlap. Be sure the patterns align as desired. Apply to the wall and repeat until done.

You can have a stunning, wallpapered accent wall easily. But, take your time and don’t rush!

by Anjie Cho

6 ways to get cool with color, without painting

Almost like clockwork at the start of each year, top paint manufacturers debut their new color schemes and trot out their "it" colors. Coral Reef, Springtime Dew, Guildford Green, Pink Ground; so tempting — and sure to perk up a home, especially in the winter doldrums.

Conventional wisdom says paint is the easiest, least expensive quick-change artist in a homeowner's tool box. Problem is, as with much conventional wisdom, it's not quite so simple. "It's a big commitment to paint walls," says New York City architect Anjie Cho. Choosing a color after painting swatches or taping paint chips to a wall, checking them out during day and at night, buying brushes, rollers, drop cloth, primer, sand paper, tape, and finally applying one or two coats of the winning shade obviously takes time.

And then — the color may look different once it covers an entire wall or room because lighting and furnishings affect results. "I often see what I call 'a paint chip gone wrong,'" says San Francisco designer Claudia Juestel, adding, "As a general rule, when applied to four walls, a light color looks lighter and a bright color appears brighter than the small paint chip or swatch."

Of course, you can hire a professional painter or color expert who understands the nuances, but they can be expensive. The new wisdom about paint, in a world where the hot hues you spot on Pinterest one day can leave you with painter's remorse the next: Tread carefully when it comes to trends. "Their appeal may be fleeting," says Juestel. She advises picking a palette — walls and furnishings — that works with your home, amount of light, and personality. "There's no color that's bad or dated, but a combination of colors can appear so. Mauve or blue-gray by themselves are fine, but if you put them together they can scream '80s."

The other new wisdom? If a dose of trend is what you need to make your place feel updated, adding color is still a solid place to start, even if you stick to a low-commitment approach. Here are alternatives to inject 2015 colors without painting, then repainting when new palettes debut:

1. Think artwork. Art is among many design professionals' favorite sources of color. If your budget is tight, Cho suggests making your own masterpiece atop canvas — a solid or abstract, as one client did. Or go online and have a favorite photo printed in a large scale atop canvas. Los Angeles designer Mae Brunken likes to frame wallpaper, usually from Flavor Paper, in a large white museum-style frame in her office, and changes it out regularly. Los Angeles designer Erica Islas used similar white frames to showcase colorful children's artworks on off-white painted walls in clients' living room. She introduced more color with guitars on an opposite wall, sea foam rug underfoot, and blue and green pillows atop a blue sectional.

2. Add greenery and flowers. Greenery and flowers — even a single orchid plant — can inject color.

3. Play up accents. A colorful throw, Sari, pillows, lamps, vases, headboard, towels can all add color, and sometimes texture, says Brunken. Even many kitchen appliance companies now offer their products in a rainbow of hues. Keurig's 2.0 brewer (and a multitude of other products for the kitchen) comes in Pantone's 2015 color of the year, Marsala.

4. Showcase one colorful chair, chaise, or ottoman. It doesn't have to be an expensive sofa or all your seating, but one new upholstered or slipcovered piece can make a difference. Florida designer Holly McCall enlivened her neutral-colored office simply by painting her IKEA chairs with Annie Sloan's Antibes green chalk paint.

5. Judge a book by its jacket. They don't all have to be serious and leather bound, or wrapped in original, maybe, dusty jackets. Brunken likes the idea of covering your books in vivid tones or sophisticated white for a wow background effect. The idea takes time if you do it yourself, but there are companies that do the work for you; one color wrapping them by the foot.

6. Focus on the 5th wall. Chicago designers David Kaufman and Tom Segal begin a blank room's color scheme with the rug choice. "It's the grounding for the design, figuratively and literally," Segal says. "It sets the tone, palette, and from there you can select interesting fabrics." Certain rugs also add a handcrafted, knotted touch, says Christopher Frederick, president of Organic Looms, whose rugs are made in Nepal. For a sleek, hip, almost boutique hotel-style black and white bedroom, Chicago designer Aimee Wertepny went with a rug that's a "neon-electric-teal-vintage-electro-mod pop of color for the otherwise monochromatic palette," she says.

 

Still want to paint?

Here's how to get color with a longer shelf life, from Jackie Jordan of Sherwin-Williams:

• A color of the year is often trendy. You don't have to use it for an entire room, consider it in small doses.

• Pick a color after placing a swatch or panel of it behind a sofa or by the room's trim or floor so you see how it really will look. Go a bit darker rather than lighter. Pick the color one chip down from what you initially thought.

• Also consider neutrals, for a more subtle change. Kilim Beige has been the company's No. 1 color choice for several years; Accessible Beige is a popular newcomer, and Light French Gray is expected to become another classic.

• Easier to go white? Not so fast, since there are so many variations — warm to cool, with pink to blue undertones.

• Don't forget the right finish. Flat for walls and ceilings conceals imperfections, is durable and washable. Trim represents more of a personal choice, but best in satin, semi-gloss or high-gloss, depending on how bold you want to get.

...read full article

by Anjie Cho

An Invitation to Rituals: Lunar New Year

This post is part of the #MYRITUAL2015 event!

My good friend Amy Won of TreeSpace Studio has invited me to participate in her “Rituals” event. I love rituals, particularly traditional rituals that have depth, meaning and story to them. For Amy’s exploration into ritual, I have decided to share two of the most currently relevant. Watch out for the second one coming out a in a few weeks.

As some of you may know, Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year (also known as Spring Festival) falls on Thursday, February 18th this year. To celebrate the Lunar New Year, my BTB feng shui teachers have transmitted to me several meaningful rituals. I’m so pleased to share a simple, yet powerful new year ritual called “Changing the Qi of the Home.”

When:

This ritual is best performed ON Chinese New Year's day, but may also be performed within 9 days. The best time to perform this ritual is between the hours of 11am and 1pm, which are considered the most “yang” hours of the day. Yang energy is super bright, full of life, and powerful like the sun at high noon.

What you need:

9 fresh oranges – Oranges and orange peels produce a happy bright citrus scent that is very “yang” and has the power to clear out any negativity and transform it into brilliant and life-affirming energy.

Steps:

  • Open all of the windows and doors that open to the outside for a minimum of 15 minutes. Allow fresh air to move throughout the entire home.
  • While the windows are open, wash each orange. Carefully cut 9 round pieces of orange peel from each orange. You should have 81 pieces total. The orange peel pieces can be roughly the size of a quarter. Place these in a beautiful clean bowl that you love.
  • Close the windows and doors.
  • With your bowl of orange peels, walk to your front door.
  • As you move around the perimeter of each room in your home in a clockwise fashion, carefully and thoughtful squeeze a piece or orange peel. Smell the scent and then drop the peel. The clockwise circumambulation creates a tightening of the energy in the space and makes it sacred.
  • When you end up back at the front door, set your intention that you are filling your home with bright white light and contentment for the new year ahead of you.
  • This is a wonderful and strong ritual that I suggest all of you do! It can be done throughout the year, but it is especially powerful at the Lunar New Year. 

Gong Hey Fatt Choy!

by Anjie Cho


Chinese astrology always recommends carrying a three-dimensional horse charm during the year of the sheep, no matter what your animal. You can get yours at the Holistic Spaces store as a keychain or bracelet!

For more information on feng shui and Chinese New Year, visit www.holisticspaces.com.

About Anjie Cho:

Best selling author of "108 Ways to Create Holistic Spaces: Feng Shui and Green Design for Healing and Organic Homes" and Architect for clients such as Satya Jewelry, Anjie Cho is a sought-after expert in the fields of feng shui and green living. Anjie Cho is a registered architect and certified feng shui consultant. A graduate in Architecture from the College of Environmental Design at the University of California at Berkeley, she has been creating beautiful and nourishing environments since 1999.

Visit her blog at www.holisticspaces.com

Follower her on Instagram @anjiecho | Twitter @HolisticSpaces