AT Europe: Paris Close-Up - Stapled Fabric Makes Easy Wallpaper

Wallpaper can be fun, but it can also be a pain to put up and take down once we're tired of looking at it. Géraldine decided to cut corners and simply staple some inexpensive IKEA fabric remnants to a section of her black-and-white bedroom wall instead.

Géraldine says not to look too closely lest you see the rough edges. But no matter -- it has the effect of wallpaper at a fraction of the cost or trouble and is a great time-saving solution if you're just looking to liven up a small patch of wall. For the full tour of Géraldine's attic apartment, go here.

- Kristin Hohenadel blogging from rue Vieille du Temple, Paris, France. She can be reached at kristinh @ apartmenttherapy . com

Comments (12)

Ah!! I am so happy to see this on here... I just stapled wallpaper to one wall of my tiny rented apartment. It doesn't look perfect, but it is a huge improvement from the bare walls that have taken a beating from all the coeds that have lived there before me.

i noticed this in the photo and thought it was hilarious. hard to find fabric in that kind of size unless it's sheets though...

I've found that if you staple the fabric to the back of a piece of quarter round, and then nail the quarter round to the wall, it looks a little more finished. :-D

I'm not loving the bunching and mis-matched pattern. I can only imagine how much the fabric will sag after a while (from one who had "tapestries" on her ceiling in college).

Hate to be a bummer, but -- isn't this a potential fire hazard???

Fabric stapled to a wall: That's called an "Upholstered Wall", and it's been done for centuries...

"isn't this a potential fire hazard???"

Yes - it sure is.
Now run home and throw out all your draperies, wooden furniture, upholstered sofas and carpets because they're fire hazards too...
...a concrete box with cinderblock & steel furniture should be safe.

bepsf -- a bit harsh. Furniture upholstery -- like children's clothing -- must meet certain minimum flame-retardant standards. Wallpaper is slow to catch fire because it adhere's directly to plaster or sheetrock. But random fabric tacked to a wall can catch fire -- the air space between it and the wall can help accelerate the flames.

My fireman uncle and cousins would go ballistic over this! There are not guarantees vis-a-vis fires, but many guidelines to minimize danger.

My first post was an attempt to draw attention to the downside of this treatment in a subtle fashion. Clearly sublty is not your fashion.

Thanks, Mid-C Frank. Always good to be reminded of possible safety issues.