Wallpaper – Is it in or Out?

Well as they say with fatty foods…it’s alright in moderation. Used to accent a wall, and if it’s unique, wallpaper can be stunning. Back in the 70’s everyone wallpapered everything. I’ve even seen it on ceilings. Yikes! Then designers were very anti-wallpaper for a while and you rarely saw it used. Now the trend is to use it to add a pop of color and pattern. With some styles of wallpaper, you can use it on more than one wall but it’s rarely good to put it on all the walls in one room. Too much of it may not be esthetically pleasing to everyone and, if you decide to sell your home, you may wind up removing a lot of it because it may not be appealing to the masses.

Borders and Bold Patterns

In our Yorkshire model I used a border in the office in a brownish mauve color with antlers on it that went with the theme of the home. I ran the extra wide border along the top of the wall to create a little contrast above the wainscoting. It turned out to be the focal point of the room and gave it a little pizzaz if you ask me. In the loft of this homes, I created a large accent wall of plaid but rather than make it too bold with color, I chose a blue and grey plaid so and it softened the room while still creating an accent. Both choices were a little different yet still appealed to different tastes. Some buyers liked it and didn’t even know those designs would appeal to them.

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Don’t Forget the Basement

Basements are typically not decorated like the main parts of the house in that they are often left utilitarian and plain. In our Prairie Zen model, which is overall a modern home, I decided to soften the basement by accenting the main focal wall. The brown birch trees in on a cream background in this paper added some dimension to the room and little color without overpowering the modern, simple lines of the bar area and the rest of the space, essentially breaking up the one large open space.

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Boho is Back!

In our Organic Modern model, I used a muted weaved boho pattern wall paper on each side of the fireplace above the built in cabinets. It created a great pop of color without going too terribly bold and the pattern was interesting enough to contrast the rest of those rooms. As you can see, the fireplace has a tile with pattern but it’s mainly two colors, so the wallpaper didn’t conflict with it but rather complimented it and, again, bringing in some color. In the basement I added paper to a small wall with built in shelving to it’s left. It makes the wall look off centered and provides dimension to a space that might otherwise look too cramped.

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Geometric and 3D Effect

Most of what we’ve seen so far has been wallpaper you’re use to seeing used in interesting ways. Geometric shapes are making a come back in furniture and, surprise, surprise, geometric shapes are coming back in wallpaper as well. Here you can see that there’s not only interest created in the shapes on this wallpaper, but it also has a metallic flare to it which gives it even more dimension and pop. Another neat new paper is the 3D effect paper which gives the illusion that you have something 3 dimensional on the wall when it’s really flat surface wallpaper. A less expensive way than using actual 3-dimensional tile for instance on a wall. What will they come up with next?

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Christmas Mantles and More

Tis the season and today I’m going to show you how the merriest people deck the halls. It’s traditional for most folks to put up a Christmas tree but some go the extra mile with mantle decorations and others love to really jazz things up with a Christmas village. There are so many ways to mix it up with mantles and villages…garland, lights, moving parts, tiny people, not to mention colors, glitter, and artificial snow. Creating an indoor winter wonderland is something that some of us take very seriously. Myself included.

Go with What Works

I personally like a more traditional look with a little bit of holiday floral inside to make my mantle décor a real showstopper. I also use it as the center piece of my room, drawing the eye to it as soon as you walk in. Warm burgundies, gold and creams are the theme with just a little bit of greenery. I love the way it’s set with a higher level in the center as the thriller, some medium level items as the filler and still some lower level items to finish it off. It cascades down to the left and right of the thriller and fills up the mantle, but I finished it off with some family heirlooms on each end to help me remember my grandmother who gave them to me. That completes the emotion I wanted for my personal mantle.

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Get Creative. No Offense Rudolf

Everyone loves something a little different. For a more interesting, and rustic, look this designer went with antlers. Yes, antlers! It’s hard to imagine but this design would go really well in a winter cabin up in the mountains someplace. Check out how the designer uses the antlers as the center piece and then throws in a pop of color with a red berry garland swag to contrast the cream-colored mantle. It’s pretty ingenious. The oversized pinecones and the pine boughs tie it all together with a little bit of bling brought in by the gold jingle bells scattered throughout. This one is a real creation that most people would not think to put together.

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Keep It Simply Silly

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For those of you who are city people, there’s a style for you as well. This design took a black fireplace and turned it into a sheik Christmas display. What really accentuates the entire thing is the circular mirror topped off with a hat of greenery which matches the greenery on the mantle itself. Accents of brass candle holders and reindeer really give it a quiet elegance while at the same time giving it a little shine. The gold and cream-colored beaded garland draped down and across soften the entire design and give it some added class. The forest green plaid and fur stockings blend in with the dark paint while still adding color. And finally, white twinkle lights give the entire thing some sparkle. Nicely done!


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Let’s Put a Little Bling in this Thing

You’ve got to check this beautiful spectacle out. As much as I like the ever so popular buffalo plaid, there’s something to be said about an overstuffed mantle with big, bold splashes color. If you’ve been hanging on to those multicolored lights and decorations waiting for them to come back into style, you’ve arrived. This is a multifaceted color and sparkle mix with mesh ribbon to give it a full look and a little greenery thrown in for good measure. I personally love how playful it is. It gives me that feeling of when I was a kid and rainbows were all the rage. Unlike the matched and color coordinated look, with this mantle, you can add almost any color and texture you want to the rest of the room and they will blend nicely. A coordinating Christmas tree would be just darling. Don’t be afraid to go for it when you’re doing up your mantle. Color is your friend.

It’s a Wonderful Life

Anyone who knows the movie will understand it when I say that a friend told me my Christmas village looks like Bedford Falls. And that’s exactly what I was going for. That hometown, I wish I lived there, feeling. Village people, as I call us, are just grown ups longing to play with toys again. Collections are not usually my thing, but someone bought me my first little white church as a gift and from there on in, I was hooked. Since then, I’ve added tiny homes, businesses and people. This year’s addition, compliments of my wonderful mother-in-law, is a skating pond with people that actually skate. Sound silly? Maybe but it has brought me and the folks that follow me on Facebook, loads of joy. Adding fake snow made everything feel more real believe it or not. And it helped me cover up the wires that bring power to the lights inside the buildings. I topped off the entire thing with multicolored twinkle lights just to bring some pop to it all. Hopefully, you love my little town as much as I do.

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