The Wallpaper...

...A novice guide to wallpapering.



If you have been following along my social media or here at Nostalgiecat recently, you will know all about my excitement about my most recent collaboration with Wallpapered.
I have been doing up my spare bedroom, and wanted to create a truly personal statement wall in there.
My very talented friend , Kristine Scott, a jewelry maker and photographer from Norway, kindly let me use one of her amazing photographs of waves crashing in on the shores on the West coast of Norway, taken at Golta, near to where I am from...
(You can see more of Kristine's photography on her Flickr page, and you can find her beautiful nature inspired jewelry in her webshop.)

I then, working with the very helpful design team at Wallpapered, redesigned the image slightly, by pixilating it for a more painterly look!
You can read all about this process here and you can see the design concept I created for my spare bedroom makeover, along with some before images of the space here.

Well....it is up!!
*Throwing some celebratory dance moves!!*

And in today's post I am not only reviewing my custom made wallpaper, but also giving you a novice guide to wallpapering.

That's right: I'd never done wallpapering before....and I was a bit nervous about it!
I mean, having gone to the trouble of creating my very own wallpaper, only to mess it up when hanging it, would be less than ideal.

But, turns out: I needn't have worried!
And if I , a total newbie wall-paperer, found this easy, then YOU can do it too!

So here's what happened, and how I did it:

When my custom made wallpaper from Wallpapered turned up, I was simply overjoyed with the design...
...it was exactly how I had envisioned it and you could instantly tell that it was printed on very good quality paper.

All of wallpapered's paper s printed on 100% natural (cellulose) non-woven paper , which promises to be  much more hard wearing than traditional wallpaper, as well as making it very easy to hang and more durable, with a 20 year light-fast guarantee.

This instantly reassured me, and the roll came with clear instructions of what you'll need and how to hang your wall paper, attached to the beginning of the wallpaper roll.

There is also an helpful guide to wallpapering on the Wallpapered website.

Very useful for a wallpapering newbie, like me....

Being a very practical and hands on person, I treated this as I do any other project I undertake....with considered preparation: 

I carefully read through the instructions, taking notes and trying to preempt any possible problems that could occur, drawing up my plan of action.
Then I set about requiring the things I needed for the Job:

A plumb line or a spirit level for checking that your wallpaper is hanging straight.

(If you have neither of these, a pair of scissors hanging from a string will work just fine)

A pencil

A paint roller

A brush (for where the roller can't reach)

A tray

Paste to wall adhesive. I used this one.

A scraper/steel ruler

A bowl/bucket to mix the wallpaper paste in.

A stick (or similar) to mix with.

A bowl of clean water

An old tea towel (for wiping clean your hands and tools as you go)

A damp sponge

Papering tool

Stanley knife with spare blades

Fine sandpaper

Scissors

1/ PREPARATIONS

As always, whenever I tackle a DIY job, I pay extra attention to the preparation before starting the job. That means having all the tools I am going to need to hand, clean and ready to use. 

Preparing the work area and making sure I have easy access to everything I need. 

NEVER take any shortcuts when preparing to do some DIY in your home, there is a reason why the instructions are as they are:

So, first, according to instructions, I rolled out my wallpaper, and cut where indicated to separate the rolls. Then I laid the(in my case )5 different sections out flat, so that they would uncurl before hanging.

 Each section of wallpaper was numbered, making it very easy to line them up in the right order ready to use.

Next up was Prepping the wall:

My wall was newly painted, so you might think that I needn't have bothered with this step, but I meticulously went over the entire wall, and sanded down any little bumps, left by the paint roller with some fine sandpaper. 

Having a smooth surface made wallpapering so much easier later, eliminating the risk of airbubbles...

I wiped away any dust with a damp rag.

2 / PLANNING 

What I did next is not in the instructions on the wallpaper roll from Wallpapered:

I knew I wanted to start wallpapering in the corner, so that I would be working from left to right, following the order of the wallpaper panels. 

But I remember someone once telling me:

NEVER ASSUME THAT YOUR WALLS ARE STRAIGHT!

So I thought I'd check to see if the walls were straight/square in the corner using my plumb line...

....which they were not!

When hanging wallpaper it is essential that each panel is hanging straight. If the first panel is out of line, the finished result will look crooked and less than great...

....so starting off with a crooked section of wallpaper was NOT an option!

Her's how I fixed it:

Using a spirit level and pencil, I marked off on the wall where the correct plumb line should go in the corner...In my case, it tapered out from the top of the wall by approximately 1 cm towards the bottom.

Then I measured the width of the wallpaper rolls, and marked off the width on the wall from the corner by where  the tapering of the wall was at its widest .
Then using my plumb line I marked off a straight line down the wall towards that point.
 This will be the line which the first roll of wallpaper needs to follow in order to hang straight, and any excess wallpaper towards the corner where the walls meet, will need to be trimmed...I will show you how in a minute...

I then continued to mark straight vertical lines at intervals of the width of the wallpaper roll all along the wall. 
This will give me a guideline for where each wallpaper panel will go, and work as an indicator when applying the wallpaper paste later.

3 / THE WALLPAPER PASTE

Wallpapered's premium quality  wallpaper requires paste to wall adhesive, as opposed to paste to paper.
 To me that was great news, as I felt more confident applying the paste to the wall: And yes, I can tell you now: It was actually really easy!
Being a novice wall-paperer I found it Easy to use and not at all messy.
I chose to use Solvite paste to wall paste, and I was very happy with my choice. It came with easy instructions and mixed in less than 2 minutes, was ready to use straight away, and kept well throughout the process.

4 / MORE PREPPING

I think the key to making wallpapering a successful and , dare I say it, enjoyable experience is all in the preparation you put in, and working neatly.....Oh and stick some funky music on ....loud!!! (Sod the neighbors;))

Have everything you need handy: Put an old towel on the floor and lay out your tools. Mix up a batch of wallpapering paste according to the instructions on the pack , outside if you can, but if not: carefully on the covered floor. 

Make sure you have a bowl of clean water for cleaning your tools and hands regularly throughout the job. The last thing you want is sticky dirty hands all over your funky new wallpaper.

 

Also make sure you have a sharp wallpapering knife, with spare, sharp blades at the ready, along with a scraper or a metal ruler to help you fold the wallpaper in place, ie into corners, as I will show you below, for trimming off any excess.

5 / APPLYING THE PASTE

I applied the wallpaper paste with a paint roller, just as I would with paint, only ,of course, much thicker and stickier ;)

I made sure I covered the area where I , as explained earlier, had indicated where the first wallpaper panel should go, following that first vertical line I drew at the width of the wallpaper roll.

Only apply paste to the area of one wallpaper section at the time. this will make for a less sticky experience...

Along the ceiling line, in the corner and down by the skirting I used a brush to apply the paste, so as to keep the working area as clean and tidy as possible...

6 / HANGING THE PAPER

To make the wallpaper rolls easier to carry to the wall, fold each section together in the middle with the pattern on the inside. This will helped keep the front design of the wallpaper clean from adhesive.

I lined up the first wallpaper section with my earlier guideline, before letting go of the folded roll.

If you make a mistake, don't worry: Simply remove the full length from the wall and start again.
DO NOT try to re-position the wallpaper when it is already hung on the wall, as you might rip it. Instead reapply some more adhesive if necessary and start again.

Using the papering tool (seen in my back pocket in the image above, I gently smoothed the wallpaper onto the wall:
Starting at the ceiling and working my way down the wall from the middle out towards the edges.
This helped remove any excess wallpaper adhesive and air bubbles from underneath the wallpaper panel.

Try to keep the papering tool and your hands clean at all times, wiping away any adhesive or ink residue regularly.

Then, using a damp sponge to smooth over the wallpaper surface, wiping away any excess adhesive on and around the wallpaper section, I ensured all the edges of the wallpaper were flat to the wall.

7 / TRIMMING THE EDGES

Using the wallpapering tool , I ensured that the wallpaper was pushed tightly into the edges of the wall towards the skirting and ceiling, but also towards the corner where the two walls met, where I pushed the excess wallpaper (left over after making the first panel hang plumb.) into a fold.

Then using the scraper tool as a cutting guide, I simply trimmed away the excess with my Stanley knife. This helped create a neat, straight edge.

Use this same technique to trim the wallpaper along the ceiling and skirting, as well as around any light switches or similar.

Make sure you change your knife blade often, as a dull blade can easily tear the wallpaper.

8 / COVERING THE WALL

Here's a little stop-motion video I've made up of the process of hanging the wallpaper.
(Excuse the bushy hair and the occasional knicker flashing ;))

Repeating steps 5 and 6 I continued to hang the wallpaper panels all along the wall, trimming along the ceiling and skirting (and around the light switches etc.) as I went....

Using the edge of the first panel as a guide, by butting the next section of wallpaper tightly up against the previous... (After this job, it's time for a manicure, don't you think??)

...until I reached the end of the wall (In my case the wallpaper ended by the door frame).

After using my wallpapering tool to ensure the wallpaper was pushed tightly into the corner....

I used the the same technique, as described above in step 7, to trim the last panel of wallpaper along the frame of the door. Then I simply used a metal ruler as a guide to make a straight cut where the wallpaper ended before that little wall area above the door...

And that's it...done!

I was surprised at how easy I found it to do.....as well as how quickly I did it!

I started the prep at 9 in the morning, and was finished at 1 o'clock!

I loooooove my new wallpaper!!

It's difficult to capture it properly in the photo's, but I love the way is changes: Up close it looks painterly and intriguing, with all those pixiliated squares in various shades of greens and grey's ....but step back a bit, or squint, and that amazing photograph, taken by my friend Kristine, of the waves crashing in on the shore of the west coast of Norway, reveals itself!

I am really so pleased with how it's turned out!

The design team at wallpapered has done an amazing job in realizing my vision of this wall paper...

...and I also have to say that the entire process, from design to finished article has been very enjoyable. Not to not mention how easy I found the actual installation of the paper itself.

If you fancy making a statement in your home, by creating your own, personal and unique wallpaper from a photograph, I would highly recommend that you use Wallpapered's create your own wallpaper feature, to upload your own image and have it custom printed to your exact wall size.

Imagine the possibilities!

That lovely holiday snap, or that perfect Kodak moment shot of your child....covering an entire wall.

Talk about personalizing your interiors....or making a statement!

You can create your own wallpaper here!

So what do you think of my design?

I will reveal the new look spare room, in it's entirety, in my next post, so be sure to pop back later this week to see how this wallpaper works in my room design!

Please vote for me for best DIY blog

DIY rag lampshade

My goodness!

It feels like it's been ages since I did a DIY post!

I've had loads of little and large projects on the go recently, but somehow they've yet to manifest in a blogpost. I was planning on keeping this one under wraps until I was ready to reveal my Spare room makeover, but I felt so bad that I hadn't given you guys a creative post for a while....so here it is!

I was after a new lightshade for my new look spare room, and I wanted something light and airy to go with my decorating concept....after a long search online, only to find that the one I liked the look of (The Z1 pendant was way out of my budget) I came up with this solution.

And I love it!

This is a really easy DIY: All I used was a cheap sheet and some lampshade rings from an old shade.

So all in all this ended up costing me just £3 to make!

Not bad hey?

I think it looks great in the New look spare room (which is almost done....just wait and see)

I can't help it, I am so excited to show you all how it's turning out, so here's a little sneak peek of the DIY lightshade in it's new surroundings:

I was considering doing some kind of dip-dye effect on the ends of it, but I actually love how light and airy it looks in plain white.

Of course, if you fancy making one, you could choose to do this (See my Dip dye curtain tutorial here to find out how) or you could choose to use a colored, or even printed fabric to suit your tastes and decor.

Anyway, today I will show you how I made mine:

What you'll need:

*Lampshade carriers: I used the rings of an old lampshade, but you can buy the parts online.

*You'll need a utility ring for the top, and a slightly smaller lampshade ring for the bottom.

*An old or cheap flat white sheet

*Some scissors

SAFETY FIRST!

The first thing you'll need to do is fireproof the material.

NOTE: Fabric can never be fully fire-proof, but this will make the fabric fire-resistant (meaning it won't burn without contact with a flame or ignition source)

You can do this by soaking the fabric in a fireproofing solution , like Firecheck, or you can make your own using Borax powder dissolved in boiling water.

For this you'll need:

*Borax powder and

*A cup and a spoon

Here's how:

Boil up 6-8 cups of water in an old saucepan, and add 2,5 tablespoons of borax per cup of water.

Stir until the borax has completely dissolved to make a saturated solution.

Place your sheet into the solution, and leave to soak for 15-20 minutes.

Don't rinse.

Hang your sheet to dry.

Now, let's get started with making the lampshade:

Cut the sheet into 1" strips.

I just made a little cut into the end of the sheet, then ripped the strips...

...this creates a natural , curled edge to your strips of fabric.

Trim off any loose threads created by the ripping.

Attach the Utility lampshade ring to your light fitting.

(make sure the light is switched off first)...

Fold each strip in half, then tie them onto the top ring, as shown in the pictures above.

The knot wants to resemble a tie knot.

Keep going around until you've filled the ring.

You'll end up with something jelly-fish like....like in the picture above.

Next up you'll need to decide where you want the smaller ring.

If you have a very high ceiling, you may want to make the lampshade longer, but I chose to place it about halfway down the fabric strips.

Using the same "knot" as before, wind the fabric strips around the lampshade ring.

Just start somewhere, and keep going until the ring is covered with the strips.

Because the lower ring is slightly smaller than the top, it may get a bit tight knotting all the fabric strips on..

When you have tied all the fabric strips around the smaller lampshade ring, you can manipulate the knots so that it's all level....

...or, like I did, leave it a bit wonky for a more casual look.

To finish it off, I cut the ends of the fabric strips into points.

You can of course get creative and cut the bottom of your shade into a diagonal shape or similar...

....just make sure it is short enough to walk under (Getting a fabric jellyfish wig every time you walk under it , may seem funny at first....but the novelty will wear off!)

And that's it!

I think it looks like some kind of textural sculpture....

....and it gives a lovely warm glow when lit!

NOTE! Use a low wattage or energy light bulb to further minimize any risk of fire!

What do you think of my rag/jellyfish light shade, then?

Is it worth the £3 sheet it's made out of?

And what do you think of my New look spare room so far?

I am hoping to get the wallpaper up this week, so if everything goes to plan, the room reveal should be up on the blog by the end of next week!

Fingers crossed!

Please vote for me for best DIY blog

My Copenhagen Design hunters guide, Part 2

The history and legacy of Danish Design

It feels like light-years ago now, as I am back to normality and knee-deep in projects again, but a couple of weekends ago I treated myself to a research trip to the design capitol of the world, Copenhagen.

I wanted to find out why the Danish are so into interiors and design.

I had the BEST time, and have come home with my notebook full of inspiration and new found knowledge of design...for me ,anyway.

Not to mention some seriously design focused, credible must-visit shop-addresses.....and today I am sharing part 2 of My guide to shopping for design in Copenhagen.

In part one I shared my experience from visiting perhaps, the biggest and most known Modern Design and interior shops in Central Copenhagen...today I am delving a bit deeper into the history of Danish design and sharing pictures from 4 shops I visited that is continuing the Ethos and craftsmanship that was the driving force behind the Danish Modern golden era of design.

KLASSIK

Klassik Moderne Møbelkunst is Denmark’s leading specialty shop for used Danish furniture classics.

 They stock an impressive array of exclusive cabinetmaker furniture and high-quality mass-produced furniture, and  have a wide selection of furniture by the best Danish designers, such as  Poul Kjærholm, Arne Jacobsen, Hans J. Wegner  and Finn Juhl .

Situated at Bredgade 3, in central Copenhagen, the first thing that strikes you as you enter the shop is the vast array of classic Danish design lamps and lighting....

Here hangs original lamps by Serge Mouille and Louis Poulsen next to each other over vintage furniture with a price-tag to match the makers design pedigree...

Modern Danish design is perhaps best known for quality furniture craftsmanship coupled with careful research into materials, proportions and the functional requirements of the human body and daily life. The result being that Danish furniture stands the test of time, and the designs are equally applicable now as when they were first made, making the iconic pieces that inspires and influences current designers and makers to this day. The Klassik showroom is like a celebration of beautiful vintage furniture icons from the biggest names of the Modern Danish golden era of design.

 Their carefully selected and meticulously restored  classic Danish furniture shows respect for their history and craftsmanship, and is mirrored in the architecture of the showroom- building.

Alongside iconic furniture from the who's who of the height of the Danish Modern era, sits pieces from other world known mid century modern designers, such as Eames.

I also have to mention their large collection of paintings, watercolours and lithographic prints by renowned artists from Denmark and abroad from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, such as the Georg Ernst painting, pictured above with the Ray and Charles Eames lounger.

There is no doubt that the Danish designers from this period was influenced by, or influencing, their American counterparts.

Klassik has them all...from the familiar and iconic Arne Jacobsen Egg chair to lesser known designs, like the the Scimitar Chair  by Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm, pictured above in front of that stunning oil on canvas by  William Scharff.

So if you ever find yourself strolling around in Copenhagen, maybe getting caught in the rain, like I did....pop into Klassik for a visual lesson in the premier of Danish Design.

Carl Hansen & Søn

Just a few doors down from Klassik, you can find the Carl Hansen & son flagship store.

Preserving the heritage of Danish craftsmanship , this family run business epitomizes the ethos of Danish design.

Carl Hansen & son is not just a shop, it's one of the most renowned furniture manufacturers in the world .

They produce some of the most iconic furniture designs in the world, signature pieces such as Hans J. Wegner's  shell chair, pictured below, or the CH88, above.

"Craftsmanship can be a lot of things. To us, it is everything and it has been so ever since 1908 when Carl Hansen founded his company in Odense, Denmark."

Wing chair by Hans J. Wegner

Most of the furniture they produce today was designed by leading Danish architects back in the 1930s and up to the 1960s, such as Hans J.Wegner and Kaare Klint, whose iconic lighting you can see pictured below:

In the flagship store the company showcases the Understated beauty and function of its signature pieces of exceptional quality by globally celebrated designers and cabinet makers.

Sustainable, timeless and beautiful carpentry, these masterpieces don't come cheap, but they speak of the heritage of Danish design. And Carl Hansen & son is a big part of preserving the danish passion of Craftsmanship and taking these historic designs into the future.

Stilleben

Stilleben is a small interior shop situated smack , bang in the center of Copenhagen.

Unlike  Klassik and Carl Hansen and son, this shop doesn't sell or make Danish Modern design classics, but is equally instrumental in promoting the quality of Danish design.

Their selective range focuses on smaller unique  productions and young, up-and-coming talents, makers and brands.

They sell design, ceramics, interior decor, jewelry and graphic prints by Danish and international designers, and has been mentioned in international press for being a must-see-destination for modern design and style. 

With such a reputation, they are at the forefront of showcasing future classics, such as the lamp, pictured above ,by

 Linholt studio.

Quality seems to be a key word when describing Danish design, and the owners of Stilleben,  Ditte Reckweg og Jelena Nordentoft, sets the benchmark when it comes to spotting new talent ...or even trends.

 

Danish design is not all chairs and furniture.

there is a rich heritage of Pottery making and ceramics, spearheaded by Royal Copenhagen, Stilleben is supporting the future of these traditional art-forms by stocking young, Danish ceramicists , like Ditte Fischer and Studio Arhoj, whose pretty and quirky sip-cups can be seen , below:

But they also stock international brands, like the french label paris au mois d'aout, whose lamp you can see, pictured below.

...Or these beautiful metallic boxes from japanese label Syuro 

Upstairs at Stilleben, there is an artgallery....

Stuffed full of one-off's, limited edition prints and posters by some of the most current Danish artists and graphic designers today...

In the picture ,above, you can see:
moon print by Anne Nowak ,
"Maze" litography print by  Vibeke Rohland and "Pear" print by Monika Petersen amongst others.The Mobile in the foreground is by Kasper Kjeldgaard.

I would wholeheartedly recommend that you visit Stilleben if you're ever in Copenhagen for a dose of eye-candy and inspiration.

For anyone interested in Interiors and design, both modern or vintage, Copenhagen is certainly one of those destinations that just keeps giving...
And I think one of the reasons why the Danish is so stylish when it comes to interiors and design, must be that it is such a big part of their heritage....
As a people of a nation, put on the world map by internationally acclaimed architects and designers , like Arne Jacobsen, it is, as they say, in their blood!

Next week I will be telling you all about my visit to one of the pillars of the Danish Modern design movement, Finn Juhl's house.
If you love the retro look, you really must not miss it!

I'll be back later this week with an update on my Spare bedroom makeover and a beautiful DIY light shade!