apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Why not hang a nice large sample of cloth? Could rapidly be as expensive as the wallpaper however.

I'd do anything but the Taittinger or Chat... just have seen these images so much, in the windows of so many framing shops, that they look trite to me. : ( Which is sad, because they're both great images.

Here are a couple of thoughts. You can get the bamboo look with art:
http://www.inhabitliving.com/detail.aspx?ID=1090

Or with tiles that you can put up temporarily and paint if you like. This is my pick!
http://www.inhabitliving.com/detail.aspx?ID=851

~Lorrie @ mydesignsecrets.com.

I LOVE your console. Where did you get it?

i agree; love the console but a fresher image:

http://www.polishposter.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=3713

http://www.polishposter.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=PBA

page after page of images...

anything but the chat noir poster. unless you want the "yes it's a dorm room/college apartment, but it's a CLASSY dorm/apt! no, really, look at my vintage posters!" look. it's cliche.

I noticed that it's next to the bike rack. I'm wondering if the tattingner wouldn't work as well with that, though it fits with the console quite well. Perhaps a vintage bike print would tie the two together. Here's a few cute ones:

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Velodrome-du-Mont-Posters_i381813_.htm

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Velodromo-Comunale-Vigorelli-1935-Posters_i414288_.htm

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/1943-Vuelta-Ciclista-a-Cataluna-Posters_i1891025_.htm

Order a sample of the wallpaper you love, and frame that! Leave the trite posters to someone else.

If you prefer the Chat Noir print, use it. I have one in my bedroom because I love it. The poster is "trite" and "cliche" because it is so popular because it's a good print. Just because everyone likes(liked) it, means it's no longer attractive? What about "Keep Calm and Carry On"? That one isn't even that interesting to look at. Not choosing a poster because someone deemed it uncool drops us down to junior high school, way past college dorms.

if you really want to use the wallpaper... i would get a carpenter to create a several thin plank of wood boards that add up the same size of the wall you want it on, then paste the wallpaper over that.. find some way to cleverly fix the wooden board to the wall that wouldn't leave too much damage when you remove it. of course this is costly, and a rather big commitment - so only if you plan to stay their long term.

or you can purposely create several separate "screens" of the wallpaper using the same idea. like windows showing the wallpaper... i think its better than framing it, cause this way, you still get the "feel" of the wallpaper. (OR... you paste the wallpaper over a huge canvas that fills up 70% of the wall - so you still get the feel and its a much easier option)

(sorry about the bad spelling/grammar...! i am only halfway through my morning coffee...)

You could add a decorative focal point with upholstered panels in a fabulous fabric to complement your decor.
I would use four in a grouping with 20" square panels spaced 2" apart. You also can add button tufting for an accent.
You can check out www.upholsteredwallhuggers.com to view their panels for reference.
Good luck with it I am sure you will come up with something fabulous!

Along the lines of what little chimp suggests, check out my design:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29827359@N02/2980503217/

I'm supposing that the "wallpaper" is printed out on a wide format digital printer, then mounted onto panels of Gatorboard or whatever, framed, then mounted on the wall.

Your sideboard suggests a formal look for the wallpaper design.

I'm caught between LBJmonkeys 'those posters are overused' and KelleyR's 'if it makes you happy use it'. The wallpaper is certainly more distinctive and unusual (outside of people who read AT all day long). Following up on little chimps idea, Get the largest frame you can find (if your on a budget, thrift store, flea market) and frame the wallpaper you love (could also cover a large canvas from the art store and stand it atop the console). If your not on a budget frame it in a massive oversized frame and lean it against the wall, (like a leaning mirror) this way you can take it with you Maybe you can ikeahack some cheapish standing mirror and cover the mirror part with the wallpaper?

You could get some of the wallpaper and frame it. Or if you're feeling frisky you could get a large corkboard and cover it with fabric and use it for notes, keys, small shelves, etc.

i think the suggestion of a vintage (if you want to stay with vintage) bike print is an amazing idea. I like the last one of the suggestions above.

Or just some type of art with a bike i think would work really good. Since bikes are usually an unsightly part of decorating (unless you have a really nice rack and a fancy vintage bike) this would be a great way to kind of "theme" the wall a bit and pull your bike rack into part of your decoration instead of just a place to put the bike.

Since the console is likely to become your "landing strip" consider hanging a large, beveled ornate framed mirror over it. Hanging a large rectangular mirror vertically will add height to the space, hanging it horizontally will add size. A mirror will also reflect available light back into the surrounding space. A wide framed, gilded mirror helps add some sparkle to the space. Lamps placed on or adjacent to your console will help add additional light which will be reflected into your space.

If the console is underneath or adjacent to the underside of your stairs as implied by your floorplan, consider a large round mirror rather than a rectangular one.

Both prints you've chosen are so overused that they've become cliche - I wouldn't choose them unless you want your home to look like the lobby of an Embassy Suites.

I'd get a nice large vintage mirror with a silvered faux bamboo frame, and a tall vintage lamp for your console, and place a pair of big porcelain Foo Dogs in the center.