Design Hints
Secret Weapon: Wallpaper
Karen Skiver patiently peeled off old Victorian wallpaper until she had a blank slate for her more primitive decorating style in the Greenville, Ohio, house she and her husband, Neil, have renovated. Once that hard work was complete, she re-papered walls in prim colors and patterns throughout the house—including her mudroom. “Wallpaper covers a lot,” she says. “It can really dress up your home.” She offers the following key points to consider when deciding between wallpaper and paint:
5/3/2022
- Cover with Care: Pristine walls take paint beautifully, but pigment can highlight the flaws in walls that aren’t perfectly smooth. Like many older homes, Karen and Neil’s house has irregular walls and other imperfections. Wallpaper can help disguise problem areas with patterns that graciously hide shortcomings.
- Fool the Eye: Current wallpaper styles range from artsy to architectural, with many available that mimic other materials. Karen’s wallpaper selections include brick and beadboard divided by a chair rail in the mudroom, punched tin in the dining room and another variation of beadboard in the master bedroom. “You can even find some that looks like old barnwood,” she says. “The selection is just amazing!”
- Handle with Ease: Today’s wallpaper is much thicker than that of past years. This makes it less cumbersome to manipulate and apply.
- Commit for the Short Term: Hesitant about traditional paper-hanging techniques? Consider peel-and-stick options. Search online for products made to be easily removed if you’re not certain of your commitment—or your technique.
Written by Khristi Zimmeth
Photographed by Gridley + Graves
Photographed by Gridley + Graves
