Wall paper isn’t just a floral explosion in your grandma’s guest room any more. It has been making a comeback with bold, graphic patterns and lush textures. The wall paper we have been putting into Hawthorn homes makes you want to reach out and touch the walls. The patterns are tasteful but daring at the same time. It’s like putting the beautiful bold graphics from the best web design and fashion into your home.
Our guys on site have started to think I’m a little crazy because I’ve been photographing the papered walls from every wild angle I can find to reveal its texture or capture its pattern. One of our electricians, passing me while I was exclaiming about the awesome wall paper, commented simply: “you sure are easily impressed.” That got me thinking: is wall paper an easy way to impress in a home? The whole process seems like the total opposite of easy. It’s hard to manufacture a wall paper with such intricate designs and varied textures. It’s even harder to pick the exact right paper to compliment the home’s design scheme and family’s style that won’t become passé or boring over the years. Hardest of all is the installation; everything exactly straight, aligned, with not a wrinkle or bubble in sight. Perfection with no room for error. Wallpaper is a difficult material and a big commitment; that is what impresses me about the paper in Hawthorn homes.
Usually I get to the homes after the installation and marvel at how beautiful the walls have become in such a short time. But this time, I calendar-stalked our excellent wall paper installer, Melanie of Melanie Harvey Interiors, and showed up right as she was getting down to business. I snapped a few photos of the master in action.
The tools of the trade are relatively simple, and Melanie carries them in a tote as fashionably patterned as the wall paper. The difficulty lies in the execution, but Melanie has it down pat. She pointed out that the alignment of the paper’s pattern is important in a powder room’s small space with multiple fixtures. Melanie plans her install so that the paper’s pattern is symmetrical relative to the sink and toilet placement. This has a calming effect on the eye, making it easier to process the bold patterns that could otherwise feel busy and disorienting.
Melanie makes a difficult process look easy. Maybe I am easily impressed, but who wouldn’t be with this result!
To see more pictures of wall paper in Hawthorn homes, check out our Houzz:
