apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm impressed that a piano can fit into a foyer!

Am I seeing this right? Did you xerox copy the ubiquitous Orla Kiely print? Although I am so sick of this print I could scream, it's just not right to steal copyrighted stuff.

I've used double-sided tape on paper projects because it is incredibly strong. How does one remove tape without destroying the finish of the walls?

Debtex: by saying "xerox" instead of "photocopy" you are contributing to weakening Xerox's trademark. Just something to keep in mind if you really re concerned about intellectual property rights.

But it's in their own home, it's not like they are selling it for profit.

I think it looks wonderful! Simple is what it is, and what it needs. Great job!

I think Orla Kiely will survive this most grievous breach of copyright protocol.

Looks terrific!

seriously debtex? It's her house, she's not selling it? Where is the copyright violation?

Looks cute!

Very Creative work!

nicely done, sophiapt!

it looks so good!
and debtex is an idiot.

errrr...change of subject.
lantern is from where?

1. Doesn't Orla do wallpaper?

2. I don't think it's "weakening Xerox's trademark" at all. Like Band-aid. Wouldn't that be like the ultimate goal of any company...to make your brand name synonymous with the type of product you sell?

3. It is a bit messed up to steal the print. I'd probably think nothing of it if it wasn't used in the bookcase too. This looks like a showroom.

4. This is what scares me about Orla Kiely. I have her multi-color stem bag and small wheelie suitcase and I love them dearly. But I'm on the brink of total Orla-overload with her new home furnishing line (stem sheets!). This is what my home would look like if I didn't have the little voice in my head saying, "be your own creative force."

Hi all!
Thanks to everyone for the feedback, both positive and negative. I completely understand some of your qualms with the issue of copyright infringement and we figured that someone would have something to say about it. In our defense...

Yes Orla Keily does wallpaper, but the basis for this project was to find an inexpensive ALTERNATIVE to wallpaper (Not an alternative to paying for copyrighted material). As noted in the post, we are renters so conventional wallpapering was never an option; therefore Orla Kiely has suffered no monetary loss because (although we can afford a roll of wallpaper) purchasing ANY wallpaper was out of the question. We never could have done this project had we not done it this way.

Also, as some have already mentioned, its not like we're profiting from this. We like the print and used "our own creative force" to find a way to make it work for us.

As for the "this looks like a showroom" comment -
If our entry hall looks like an Orla Kiely showroom I think I can live with that, as this is the only place in our home in which the stem print appears...

-Mike

Post Script:

coloraddict - The lantern is a vintage Nelson Bubble Lamp which we got a good deal on at the Chicago Antique Market, but they can be purchased new at DWR or Hivemodern.

I took a copyright class and this very topic about Xerox was mentioned. The Xerox Corporation doesn't want Xerox to become a commonly used verb They could lose their trademark if the courts decide Xerox is a generic word.

I do love this idea.

sorry sorry sorry!

I should have added that I think it was totally brilliant to do the wallpaper at the top like you did. And I really don't think the print and lamp could complement each other more. I just thought the bookcase was a bit much and detracted from how good the top of the room looks.

I'm fascinated by this Xeroxing thing. Do courts regularly overturn trademarks when something is considered everyday usage?

I love this but going through the instructions, I'm not following how the paper is adhering to the top of the wall. Is there trim framing the top and bottom (I can't see trim at the top in the picture), is it taped at the top or simply defying gravity? Thank you - this has inspired me.

Disregard my question. I read again and get the deal with the tape now - duh.

sigh. i was afraid it was a nelson.
anyway, fabulous makeover. how DID you pirate the pattern exactly? i rent and would love to line some of my open kitchen cabinets...
glad to see everyone is feeling a little more relaxed today!
i, for my part, have given ms. kiely all the business i can afford at the moment via target. :)

To "pirate" the pattern, Nicole did a screen grab from the Orla Kiely website and used that as an underlay to recreate the pattern in Adobe Illustrator - we then printed the pattern using a large format Epson printer. No Xeroxing necessary :)

st@cy- thanks, no need to apologize. Part of the reason we did the "bookcase" (IKEA shoe organizer) was that there was some cheap looking exposed hardware on it that we wanted to cover. We also wanted to bring in an accent color, which is also on the inside border of the picture frames...to each his/her own.

-Mike

Mike, do you recall the name of the IKEA organizer? I can't seem to find it on their site. Thank you!

Nice job. I especially like the handmade shelving.

Sweet. Nice tool shot! And very impressive use of them.

IKEA organizer.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50145326

Re the xerox comment, as it sounds like a few people are curious, yes companies do get their copyright overturned where a word becomes a generic or industry term.
This happened for my company, but I would rather not name them.
Cheers