Well I fell off the grid this week...and where did I fall might you ask? Into wallpaper world!! I took a break from my socials and just immersed myself in my "perfectionist" ways.
*By perfectionist I need to clarify that I am by no means a perfectionist...I am more of a jury rigger to make things look great. Sort of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie style...If you give Ginny a wonky wall with a big bulge well Ginny will have to come up with an awesome way to make the wallpaper fit. Once the wallpaper is on, Ginny will find a way to make art out of all the scraps (more on that later).
I live in a barn from the 1800's and so the walls are rarely square and often angled...and that's just the way I like it by the way. The history and character are so full here, it makes me so happy. So when it came time to wallpaper I wanted to make sure I was extra prepared. I did a lot of research and bought all my tools and on Monday I started priming my walls.
Some walls wouldn't need a primer but mine definitely did...they had only been painted twice in their life so they were really porous and would have absorbed a lot of the adhesive without.
Pictured is the exterior of my house covered in fluffy beautiful snow...it is 90º here today and I am melting, longing for winter days.
The wallpaper primer I bought was tinted white and my wallpaper is rich red, green and gold. Luckily I had some leftover dark green cabinet paint, a tiny bit of burgundy and like ten drops of dark wall primer. So I mixed it all up like a sorcerer's potion and it turned into this gorgeous deep aubergine and I almost left the walls like that...JUST KIDDING I couldn't wait to get the wallpaper up. Like, it was painful waiting for the paint to dry.
Tinting the primer to get it dark and moody.
Sorry about my toes hello.
While it was drying I had to decide on where to put the first piece of paper. It was definitely going to be on the headboard wall but I had two options:
Four full pieces OR the first piece centered on the wall with two pieces flanking it. I ended up going with the latter because taking the corner was going to be a lot easier with more inches to play with.
I measured 800 times because I really wanted to make sure the piece was centered and that more importantly it was plumb. You really need to make sure the first piece is completely straight because it controls the whole outcome of the room.
I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the Milton and King wallpaper was a breeze to install. I am so thrilled to be partnering with them on my kids room revamp. What sets their paper apart for me (besides their vast selection of completely fabulous designs) is the quality, not once did a piece threaten to rip or crinkle. It was such a delight to work with! Also, please just take a second and appreciate how special this Pineapple Harvest design is. I am so so in love with the glamorous whimsy it brings to the room.
Milton and King paper is paste to wall which makes installation so easy. I just rolled the glue right in the wall and placed my pre cut paper over top ( I usually cut three pieces at a time to make sure the pattern lined up properly). I worked in strips, one at a time so the paste didn't have time to dry.
After the first few pieces were up it was time to tackle the corner. I had watched many instructional videos on how to approach it and was almost set on the traditional method of trimming the paper 1/8" after the corner and then trying to pattern match it BUT two seconds before I was about to, I decided to try taking the corner with my paper.
I really didn't want the pattern to be off in such a high sight section of the room and I had seen a video where paste to wall paper was OKAY to take the corner because it doesn't expand the same way as paper you wet. The challenge however was that the wall on the other side of the corner had a sizable bow in it...I am talking about 1 1/2" difference from the center to the edges.
If I had done nothing and just let the paper be, there would have been a large air pocket in the corner from the middle of the wall to the floor. So I had to do wallpaper surgery and make an incision to free the tension. With scraps I then matched the pattern and glued the pieces to the wall.
Reminder if you do this triple check that the wallpaper line is plumb before you move on to the next piece. If you take the corner with your paper your new edge might be wonky and need adjusting.
With that done the rest of the room was a breeze! I managed to watch Mystic Pizza, Harry Potter and Wine Country during this install and it actually felt like a vacation. I never watch tv during the day so I had a lot of fun "being bad". BTW I love TV and always had it on in the background pre kids but if I watch it- they watch it so I have to set a good example and watch way less than my TV loving heart allows.
So there you have it- ceiling has been painted, wallpaper is up, trim is painted...big strokes this week! Now on to my favorite part- creating the magic! I have lots of little moments planned and I have a few weeks to make them happen! This room is seriously going to be so special. My husband and I have been hanging out there every evening because the kids are sleeping in the living area and let me tell you, it's going to be hard to give this space back to them- we love it!
Now head over to the One Room Challenge page to see what the other participants are up to! A huge thank you to the hosts Better Homes and Gardens and the One Room Challenge team.