A client of mine and her neighbor asked me to take on the redecoration of their shared hallway in an apartment building in New York City. While this may seem like a small task, I’m absolutely loving this project. There’s not a lot of room for great furniture pieces or new lighting in this long hallway, but what this space is screaming for is a wallpaper update. Below, a view of an elegant dining room transformed by designer Stephen Shubel using Pierre Frey’s Sintra in Tournesol wall covering as seen in House Beautiful magazine.
There have never been more stylish choices of wall coverings in the market, and they range in price anywhere from $25 to $300 per roll. Also available today are “green” wallpapers for healthy environments. Many of the larger manufacturers now have websites where you can look at the collections and price lists online. Check out fschumacher.com and osborneandlittle.com to see what we mean. You don’t have to go your local Design and Decorating building or your town’s paint store to bring home wallpaper books anymore. Hooray! Wallpaper can be the predominant feature in a room if you want it to be. Many, but not all wall coverings are washable, but like paint, they will get scuffed-up and even sometimes fade, depending upon the light. If you make sure to prepare your walls well for wallpaper, you can change the wallpaper out if you chose to over time. It can be expensive, but, so can a good paint job, and if the walls are really in horrific condition, sometimes wallpaper can be a smart choice over paint. Below, look through the glass paneled doors to see the original hand painted wallpaper in the foyer of my client’s apartment–I’lldefinately be taking its boldness into consideration when making a selection for the outside hallway.I think I’m just a sucker for painted wallpaper. It’s like putting art all over the walls. I wish more homes would still use papers like this one. The brown background juxtapositioned with the floor pattern is super chic. This photo also came from a House Beautiful issue (July 2009) showing off this exquisite Miles Redd designed entryway.
I’ll keep you in the loop as we make our recommendations for the hallway next week. It’ll be fun to hang up a few samples on the wall and see what feels right. – S & L