For the love of Wallpaper

It seems as if I find myself vacillating between the memories of the old house and the future visions of the farmhouse.

Yesterday's post about the nook reflected my need to revisit what I had already created.  I needed to go back and review the details.

The farmhouse house is so very different.  I feel like I want to wallpaper everything!

The ceilings are taller, the walls longer and the overall size is begging for a little intimacy.  Each room would love some individuality.

I'll just ask, why such adversity to such a great design medium?  At the mere mention of the word "wallpaper" people begin to wrinkle their nose, create lines in their forehead and of course the old stories of "when I had to remove the wallpaper from my house..." begin.

I've been there.  The little blue house was a fan of wallpaper when I first moved in.  I, however, was not a fan at the time.  I spent hours peeling, scraping, lifting and moistening layer upon layer of wallpaper in that house.  Removing the paper off of plaster walls no less.  I get the wallpaper condendrum, the love/hate relationship.

Here's the thing, though.  Paint is easy.  A well decorated home can't always be easy.  Don't get me wrong, I love paint too.  It will one day get it's glory and individual blog post.  To be fair wallpaper needed to get some recognition.

Wallpaper is a bit more complex than its paint accomplice.  There are patterns to match (or not) and colors to coordinate.  Inevitably there's the "who is going to put this stuff up?" question after you've already purchased the rolls from a company in the Netherlands and paid a hefty shipping cost.

That would be me.  I searched high and low and found the wallpaper I was looking for.  In the Netherlands.  Fortunately they ship to the states and when I received my package I was giddy with excitement.

The company is called Room Seven.

Room Seven focuses predominantly on children's bedding, clothing and accessories.  They partnered with  Coordonne in order to create wonderful wallpaper.  They have the most delightful and exquisite combinations of prints and colors.  While they are intended for children, I believe their wallpaper to be perfect for any space.

I don't intend on covering every inch of every wall but I am beginning to select a few areas in the farmhouse that have peaked my interest.  I am sticking with the Room Seven patterns throughout because I believe they are diverse enough to add interest, yet they create a flow from top to bottom.

 

I have a thing for this yellow.  I love the golden tone.  It's bright, but not too bright and presents a stellar backdrop for virtually everything.  

I immediately fell in love with this pattern.  It appears to me to have a playful sophistication that can be dressed up or dressed down.  The current plan is to hang this in the dining room.

Moving on I found a floral pattern to add to the foyer.  I can't express to you how much I love floral patterns on paper or fabric.  I've tried to look for patterns with simpler lines, geometric flow but the floral patterns get me every time.  I'm particularly drawn to the smaller floral designs, however, this pattern struck me.  The colors are vibrant, yet against the antiqued white background they become elegant blossoms.

The bright floral landscape is perfect for the foyer.   It's warm and inviting and I believe it will be a wonderful place to begin the story of our home as you walk through the front door.

I had originally decided to only wallpaper the upstairs.  The dining room and foyer were just add-on. 

I love my french provencial dressers in my bedroom.  They were my parents and not long after being passed along to me I painted them.  My mum was hesitant to pass them along at first because she loves natural wood.  I love paint.  She knew the outcome and held out as long as she could.

I believe the outcome was worth it.

Due to my affinity for the dressers, I really wanted to try to stay with my previous color scheme.  I cam across this pattern.

 

Out of all the wallpaper I've selected this is my boldest choice.  The majority of the colors, accessories and furniture in the bedroom are soft.  Based on the overall softness of the room, I believe this pattern can be pulled off.  In the evening, when the lights are illuminated it looks a bit breathtaking.  That's when I knew it would work in the bedroom.

For the spare bedroom I decided to be a bit repetitive.  

 

I couldn't help myself! I love this pattern and while I love the yellow, the blue is dreamy.  Perfect for a spare bedroom.  I'm sure there is some kind of rule to not papering the same pattern in a different room, even if it's a different color.  I don't care, I've never followed the rules.

The last pattern I selected was for Ava's room.  Ava is 11 and cares very much about what her space feels and looks like.  There are days when I highly desire a daughter who says "I don't really care about what it looks like. Pick out whatever you want."  I have to quickly remind myself that I have nurtured Ava's love for design and overall passion for art.  I have to allow her to have her own artistic identity.  

Within means.  Therefore Ava and I compromised on a more modern pattern for her room.  She is very interested in clean lines and structure, the opposite of her mum.  She loved the polka dot pattern.  We're a polka dot loving family.  While this paper takes on a different look I believe it will play well with the others.

The only area I have formally hung is the foyer.  I was confident with my selection for that area and when it was completed I loved it even more.

I hung the foyer over the girls spring break from school and we had a brief stay in Wisconsin.  I haven't been back to the house since.

I'm glad to have had the chance to recoup because here are the things I'm certain of when it comes to wallpaper.

1. Have your checkbook ready 
2. Have plenty of time available 
3. Have a replenished liquor cabinet

Regardless of what kind of wallpaper you are doing you are going to end up investing some money.  It just isn't cheap.  Nor should it be.  It's truly as if you are hanging a work of art so you need to be confident about what you are putting up.  You need to know you're going to love it tomorrow as much as you would today.  I can never do things the simple way.  I'm always looking for that unique, one of a kind.  Room Seven would be quite affordable for me if I lived, lets say, in the Netherlands.  But, alas, I do not.  Therefore, for the love of the paper, I will continue to save and buy each room as I can.  That's commitment.

Hanging wallpaper is a time consuming and detail oriented task.  Do not take shortcuts.  I highly considered hiring out due to the cost of the paper.  I didn't want to screw it up!  What I found was that if I took my time I was able to hang the paper quite well and most importantly to my liking.  I'm a type A.  I may have found a new career.

Give wallpaper a chance.  You might just like it. 

The temporary Art Studio

Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs a place to art.

 After moving from the little blue house, watching the movers pack up my studio I literally thought at one point I would stop breathing.  Dramatic, yes, I know.  That's exactly what it felt like.

I have spent countless hours in the studio after bad days and good days.  Laughing, crying singing.  The outcome was always the same.  I felt more alive, confident and at peace after I spent time in the studio.  

It was no surprise that the studio was where I would choose to "begin" in the new farmhouse.  

I have read countless design books and magazines.  I pinterest, etsy and twitter.  I'm a seeker of ideas and information like the many others.  After moving to this farmhouse the seeking stopped.  I no longer wanted to find the answers.  I wanted to create them.  I wanted them to be my own.

I shared in an earlier post that one of the main reasons I loved this old farmhouse was the third floor, unfinished space.  Most people buy homes for the kitchen, the bathrooms.  Boring.  I saw this unfinished space and I saw the potential.  I saw what it could become.   I could see the natural light, the structural changes and lots and lots of color.

Why buy a new home when you can have this!

While we figure out what the heck we're going to do with this space, I needed an interim art area. 

The room off the dining room filled the temporary need. 

I went to my organization, go-to person, Cate, and we started unpacking the studio boxes.  Box after box.  

 

Before I knew it, familiar and treasured trinkets were being made visible and I could feel the creative juices flowing.  I could breathe again.

 

Once the boxes were carefully unpacked the elements started to come together and a studio was born.  Even if it is for a short while.

 

At the end of the day we ended up with this. Still a bit cluttered and messy for my liking, but nonetheless a place to create effortlessly!

The next morning I awoke to laughter in the studio.  Music to my ears.  Ava and Cate were already making themselves a spot in what was considered my sanctuary.  I was fine with the scenario as each one is a constant muse. 

Where do you begin when you move into a new home?  How do you choose where to make your imprint first so that the rest of the home just flows. 

Here's the answer: go with your gut.  Find the spot that is going to inspire you.  Look at the the colors that motivated you before.  Chances are, if you loved those colors before, you're going to love them again.  Perhaps in a new way.  

Use pinterest, etsy and all the design magazines you want.  I love them all!  At the same time, remember that you know what you like and your instincts are probably right 99% of the time. Whatever you do find your soul and pour it into your home.

When I stepped foot in the studio I knew I was finally home.

Please leave your boots at the front door: Getting started after the big move

People continuously ask me "how do you move with all that stuff?" Where does one begin?

Here's my answer: I have no clue.  I've never moved an entire house. The last time I officially moved was my apartment in Bowling Green, Ohio where I completed my undergrad.  I was engaged and Dave's company came to my little apartment, packed me up and transferred all my belongings to Washington, D.C.  Even in college I had begun to collect antiques and keepsakes.  That was 17 years ago.

Fast forward.  It's now 2014.  You've seen the pictures of the beautiful, empty farmhouse that we were preparing to move into.  I absolutely loved the way that house looked empty.  So clean, fresh and full of possibilities.  In the world of design, who doesn't love a blank canvas to make your own?

But before I go any further, let's talk about another important point of moving.  Timing.  Who moves to a cold, frigid state in the middle of winter?  We do.  Sure, why not. We're moving from Ohio, we totally get snow.  We can do this!

Well, the fact is the snow wasn't so much of an issue as the cold. Record low temperatures and we completely froze our asses off.

 

So we hadn't moved for 17 years and now we decided to move in the dead of winter, to Wisconsin during a polar vortex.  The stars were really lining up for us. 

The movers arrived at the house in Wisconsin and I took one last, good look around before the "stuff" began to fill it.  Box, after box, after box.  I really had no clue how much we owned in our lives until those boxes were being carried in.

Totally overwhelmed.  That's what I felt.  I thought to myself "where is the manual for this shit."  Will someone please tell me how to do it and not go completely insane.  I think I felt the same way after Ava Claire was born.  There was no manual for that either. 

The movers continuously asked me where I wanted each box placed in the house.  I couldn't think, let alone tell them where to set a box.  Inevitably 90% of the boxes would end up in the basement or garage.  Retrospectively, I can say this was a really bad plan considering nobody wants to go to the garage in frigid temperatures and haul a box up two flights of stairs.

Moving day was a blur.  A bad dream.  I woke up the day after to a room full of sunlight shining in on half opened boxes and a new beginning.

I woke up to this face, that I love.  In a different state, but the same face. 

I woke up to fresh flowers in a hand crafted, ceramic vase from the previous owners.  How could they have known my affinity for pottery and fresh flowers.  The bad dream was now replaced with new hope.

After a cup of tea, the sunlight, sweet Cate's smile and fresh flowers the new hope seemed a little too much like a fairytale. 

Soon my visual field began to take in the stacks of boxes, scattered furniture and rolled up rugs.  Um, who was going to deal with this.  Oh, that's right...me!

The best part.  I have absolutely no visual proof.  I decided I was going to use my Nikon to take really good pictures of the evidence.  I wanted everyone to see what we had accumulated and purposefully done to ourselves or they would never believe us!  Well, that card with all of those pictures is long gone.  Someday the evidence will reappear.  Maybe during the next move.

Here's what I can tell you about starting over after a move.  It's like everything else in life.  Spontaneous and unplanned.  I would compare it again to the birth of a child.  You have the birthing plan all ready to go and then life decides to give you another plan.  In the end it all works out, it has to.

My keepsakes have started to find new nooks and crannies to reside in.

My favorite aprons are hung in the kitchen with care.

Harper is finding her place.

Games are being played.

 

Smiles have replaced frowns.

Secret escapes are being created.

Treasures are carefully unpacked and displayed.

The sun continues to shine. 

 If you want to survive a move, a big move, here are my top ten tips:

1. Take a look in the mirror.  Do you know what you're getting into? Do you know what you want?  Take a look and decide before you dive in.
   
2. Prepare, but not too much.  Be prepared for the curve balls. They're inevitable!
   
3. Let go.  I'm about as Type A as you can get!  Moving anything, anywhere when I'm not in control just about gives me a hear attack.  Just let go.
   
4. Mark everything for your sanity.
   
5. Purge before, not after (lesson learned).
   
6. Create realistic expectations for today and tomorrow.
   
7. At the same time dream about what could be...you never know.
   
8. Enjoy the moment as difficult as it may be.
   
9. Accept help and guidance (yep, struggled with this one too).
   
10. Laugh.  It's life and it's going to happen whether you're laughing or crying.

Let's add one more...go with the flow.