For the LOVE of Wallpaper!

Ok, first of all, note that the top picture is BEFORE any work was done in this remarkable home. The owner, at one point, was in LOVE with florals...and, well, Waverly Wallpaper filled that love-need with their vast array of wonderful floral motif selections.

I have to admit, I too, went through a "florally phase" of decor...but never quite this far! AND, I am not proud of all my floral choices that found their way onto EVERYTHING I owned..., BUT it does make me able to "relate" better to my clients. I can sympathize with their need and love for all things floral. I also help them OUT of "floralholic denial" and lead them into more suitable ways of using florals, vines, and small garden animals. In the end, they are "healed" from their overzealous, ill-used and overpowering choices of floral (hopefully, if I have done a good job!).

It is a tragedy that florals have gotten a "bad reputation" in general. We have used them on so many "matching accessories"...window treatments, seat cushions, rugs, towels, lamps, wall art, arrangements, furniture, faux painting, etc...that we just make ourselves and the people that come in our homes SICK of floral!

Good news is here for the homeowners that want to change their ways! You don't have to move just because you hate your floral wallpaper. In the instance of this home featured, the wallpaper was put on SOOOO perfectly, we opted to seal it, texture over it & paint the walls; instead of taking it all down. (Cost and time saver!) I advise you use a professional to evaluate IF you need to take it down or IF you can leave it up and texture over it, etc...

This home was an "Update/Stage" so we didn't add a lot of personal touches to the end results, but we KNEW we had to get rid of the floral wallpaper in order for the home to have the BEST chance of selling. It screamed at every person entering the room- "DATED, LOTS OF POTENTIAL WORK TO TAKE ME DOWN, DON'T BUY ME!" I don't have pictures posted of every room in the house, but I assure you, there was no room left untouched by Waverly! I have links to see more of the "before" picts of this particular house if you want to check them out.

The really bad thing about most "old" wallpapers is that they don't give NEW wallpaper trends a chance! There are MANY amazing choices of wallpaper nowadays! Just looking through a few choices makes me want to wallpaper every room in my own home...but I digress. Wallpaper is still a great solution to problem walls- covering up flaws, adding texture & color. It is also great to use to get that mood or feel you want that you may not be able to reach with a faux or decorative paint treatment. There are literally thousands of choices when it comes to NEW wallpaper. You can even customize it! You can use photos you have taken and make a wall/ceiling mural or a series of murals. You can make custom "wallies" with text & shapes, the possibilities are really endless. They have improved how it's applied & removed.

Check out http://www.swdecorating.com/ to see what Sherwin Williams offers in the way of wallpaper- it's awesome! They are just one company offering a "new" take on an "old" trend.