Monday, January 17, 2011

Asian-Inspired Powder Bath "Spruce Up"

One of my latest house projects (I have quite a few going on) was our powder bathroom. Although our house was new when we bought it, there have been small changes that I have wanted to make along the way so that our home truly reflects our style and personality. One of the things on my "Project Home" list has been to wallpaper our half bath. The room was painted a toffee color before, and it looked nice, but I really wanted to lighten the space. Because the room is not extremely large, the toffee paint was making it a little dark, and I knew that wallpaper would really bring some spirit to the room that is located off of our kitchen and keeping room. Plus, I just LOVE wallpaper, and it's really making a come-back in the world! It's such a great way to add a touch of individuality to a space.

When I ran across this Asian-inspired paper, I knew it was the perfect match for our powder bath. Not only is it light and airy, but it has a small-scale pattern with Oriental motifs including pagodas, boats, men and antelope that truly reflect our style. It is traditional with hints of coral and blue yet has a contemporary twist with the light linen background and an Asian theme. It turned out great, and with my husband being a fanatic about Asian food (if you know him, you know where I'm coming from!), he was a big fan too! It's always makes me happy when he loves something I've done!

Below are some photos of the half bath. My photography skills aren't that great, but I tried to get some close-ups of the pattern as well as some overall room shots for your viewing pleasure :) But as always, it looks so much better in person, but these will give you the general idea. Oh, and I've listed some wallpapering tips below the images for you so check them out!






I hope you enjoyed the photos, and below I have listed some tips when thinking about installing wallpaper in your home or in any project you may be working on.

1) Try installing it in a small space such as a bath, foyer/entry, bar or butler's pantry, etc. It can really add a "punch" to your space, especially if you're not sure you are sold on the idea of wallpaper in a large space or are scared to take the risk on making too large of a statement.
2) If you don't have the budget for artwork for the walls, try wallpaper! Pick one with a pattern and you won't have to spend the money on expensive art. It's "built-in" to the paper already!
3) Be aware of the pattern when selecting your paper. Installation prices can be quite a bit higher with an intricate pattern that will need special attention when matching at the seams.
4) Be aware if the color gradiates within the pattern. When installed, one side may seem lighter or darker than the other. Just something to think about!
5) Try wallpaper on your ceiling. If you're willing to take the risk, it can really be something different! (I am dying to do this in one of my rooms!)
6) Always check to see if the paper is pre-pasted or not...this will affect your installation costs.
7) Find a good installer! You want someone reliable who has some experience because lining up the pattern can sometimes be tricky.

Good luck, and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me! And if you have used wallpaper before, I would love to see how you may have incorporated it into your home or projects.

8 comments:

  1. Beautiful, charming wallpaper. Our "powder room" has a shower in it so I was worried about steam and wallpaper. Love that guest towel and the hammered metal sink.
    Mary Ann
    PS Excited to be following YOU!

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  2. what is that paper? I love it. Great look.

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  3. Stehpanie, I love the warm tones of your powder room especially the 'rust' color of your lamp and 'M' monogram on your hand towel! Perfection! Great job!

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  4. Oh that looks great! Your Husband must share your great taste!

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  5. Hello Stephanie,

    I love your paper in the powder room. Chinoiserie is one of my favorite subjects for papers. Wall paper is having a resurgence... it has been out of vogue for so long there are probably very few installers around.

    Thank you for coming by my blog. I am anxious to browse through yours and look forward to future exchanges.

    Terri

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  6. Wow it looks great!! Way to go girl, I love wallpaper too :) I am on the hunt for the perfect pattern!! xo

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  7. It's lovely and of course I like the wallpaper - we call our house "pagoda"! We used wallpaper in our master bedroom but it's all white. It has a texture on it and that's what I was going for.
    The only downside to wallpaper is removing it, ugh. I have that same hand soap!

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  8. That looks gorgeous - I'm impressed, I've never wallpapper'd anything before, I'm not sure I could!

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