Retro walls

Remember that time when you and your new husband were shopping for a house to buy and you were horrified by the 70s-esque yellow and olive colored flower wallpaper? At the time it seemed that the wallpaper would be the death of you if you bought the house and had to scrap it of the wall. Mama remembers this scene vividly — no-one used wallpaper anymore, right?!


Welcome to 2010, where wallpaper is coming back into homes faster than you can say “Nate Berkus.” There are so many more ways to use wallpaper than to just cover the walls of a room. Be creative and wallpaper one wall in the room as an accent, use the paper to update an old dresser, mod podge a coffee table or line a closet.


Mama’s newest project is to update her “home office” (note: it’s in the middle of the stairwell) with bookshelves, filing systems and wallpaper. You guessed it! Here’s few great wallpaper designs to get you thinking about updating that room in the house.


Playful paper — take a little of this Graham & Brown Frames wallpaper and do one wall or section of wall with it. It’s perfect for a playroom or even your own home office. Mama thinks this is just the thing needed to give our “stairwell” (aka office) a facelift! Available at Mama’s Shop, $40. Did Mama forget to mention that the whole point of the paper is for them to directly paint onto it?! No-more worrying about how to get the crayon, paint or marker off the wall.

Office paper — one thing about design is that it’s all your own. Everyone has different tastes and styles which is one thing Mama loves about fashion. Although, Mama must admit some people did NOT get the fashion gene. Having said that, Mama loves this modern geometric pattern for an office that is not too girly and definitely masculine enough for your shared office space. Eclipse wallpaper is available at echodesign.com, $124.

Cooking paper — if you’re looking for a quick kitchen update, try adding wallpaper as a backsplash or just on one wall behind the dining area. It will wake-up the house decor and is so easy to replace once you decide on another change. Mama loves the Parsnipity wallpaper from Palacepapers, $154. If anything, hopefully it will help your kids eat more carrots!

Nursery paper — having a baby? Instead of painting you may want to think about doing one wall behind the crib in wallpaper. Mama loves the children’s designs featured at Walnut Wallpaper. Mama’s two picks for a fun nursery theme — the ferris wheel and the banners. Contact Walnut Wallpapers via their Web site for pricing and ordering information.

Mama once saw a home makeover show where they attached straw to the bottom of the wall for texture — and the couple had KIDS! Can you think of anything worse? But if you want to add a pop of texture to the room, don’t add straw or grass or anything of the sort — PLEASE! Try Echo Design’s GrassCloth Wallpaper, $214, it’s just the right texture in fantastic colors that make it a blank canvas for art and pictures!


Has Mama convinced you to wallpaper yet? Which is your favorite?