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

stapled.jpgWallpaper 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.

 
 

stapled2.jpgGéraldine 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.

stapled3.jpg


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

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Comments (13)

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.

posted by rmw on May 30th 2008 at 4:18am
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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...

posted by Lady J on May 30th 2008 at 4:34am
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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

posted by CaseyBoot on May 30th 2008 at 4:35am
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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).

posted by kdub on May 30th 2008 at 6:49am
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Hate to be a bummer, but -- isn't this a potential fire hazard???

posted by Mid-C Frank on May 30th 2008 at 6:53am
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Fabric stapled to a wall: That's called an "Upholstered Wall", and it's been done for centuries...

posted by bepsf on May 30th 2008 at 7:13am
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"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.

posted by bepsf on May 30th 2008 at 7:17am
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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.

posted by Mid-C Frank on May 30th 2008 at 8:22am
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Thanks, Mid-C Frank. Always good to be reminded of possible safety issues.

posted by anna karina on May 30th 2008 at 12:49pm
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That's genius!

posted by goldfixe on May 30th 2008 at 1:20pm
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I'm kind of going to defend this. One of the reason I don't love even really beautiful wallpaper is because of the tyranny of its perfection and repetition. So I do like something bunched, frayed, imperfect. Something less visually static than just expertly hung patterns is a little more engaging.

posted by luckypeach on May 30th 2008 at 5:52pm
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Mid-C Frank: Thank you!!!

posted by danze on May 31st 2008 at 7:01am
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liquid starch would make it stick to the wall, it's cheap and can easily be removed w/o affected the surface. it would look alot neater too.

posted by little flower on June 1st 2008 at 5:25pm
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