ORC Week 4: Wallpaper, Wallpaper, Wallpaper

This is week four of the One Room Challenge Link-Up and the hardest because it's where I have to come to terms with the reality of what I can do (and NOT do). I am transforming the little room off the kitchen that I call the Keep: short for Keeping Room.

Reality, for me, is all about the wallpaper. 

Albert Hadley via ec dicken

I desperately want this one called Bamboo & Birds by Bob Collins and Sons. 


It is the desktop image on my computer monitor and there is a tiny print-out of it in the room I am re-making. I have scoured Etsy and eBay for just a little bit of it. I begged here and there, and Andrea suggested I try to find samples to purchase. Brilliant! I went directly to the source -- the Bob Collins and Sons website -- where I saw some perfect-sized samples! They are in the right corner of the photo below, nearly hidden by the sofa. See all the different colorways? I think I could do my whole house in their patterns!!

So, I sent a request through the online contact form and got an email back from Layla Collins(!), Bob's widow who now runs the company from West Palm Beach. She was extremely gracious and professional, however, I think that supplying a relatively unknown blogger with samples is not what a company that attracts BIG design names like Albert Hadley, Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler, and Meg Braff specializes in... I could be wrong, though!

Meg Braff via The Glam Pad

Then, I found another company online. Eades Discount Designer Wallpapers and Fabrics in New York City didn't have the gigantic samples but they did give me a great quote (less than $300 for a double-roll shipped!!). But that is still significantly higher than what I can afford and a double-roll is just way more than I need.

via

I started mulling over alternatives. Designer Wallcoverings and Fabrics has this tropical Hawaiian print that resembles Bamboo and Birds in color (peachy-orange bamboo leaves and blue accents, no birds). But, you have to buy it as a triple-roll, which means it is almost as expensive as my first choice with a ton of extra. :(

Since my goal is to give the space a Palm Beach vibe I thought about some other tropical patterns. In fact, One Kings Lane has great prices right now on these two Thibaut prints, in a smaller quantity, perfect for what I am trying to do. 

OKL

A bamboo pattern in a nice blue.
 

OKL

A fun tropical-leaf pattern.

Extremely poor mockup of the wall behind the sofa with Bamboo & Birds

Of course, these require professional installation. Another issue for sure. I have removed wallpaper but never, ever hung it. Do I want to spend $300 on my dream paper and then not hang it properly? Nope! Check out how I wrecked it with PhotoShop above (the scale is wayyyy off; the repeat would be about a third of what I've represented). 

Additional options rolling around in my brain include a patterned wrapping paper that can be used like wallpaper with this tutorial from Jones Design Company here. Or, painting on a pattern like this or stenciling something like this.

I haven't given up all hope yet. But I'm close. 

Here's to more progress in week four! Now please go check out the rest of the linking participants here and the 20 Design Pros here.