apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I loved the Domino better. But to buy from Breitish or Swedish sources..

LOVE the look and concept of Hybrid. But the "giraffehopper" and "sharktopus" would soooo give me nightmares.

I know someone who bought directly from England's Cole & Sons with no problem whatsoever.

I'm with patrick2 -- some of those Hybrids cause goosebumps.

I'm all for whimsy and originality, but this wallpaper is hideous!

The Australian Government is 'considering' (read 'done deal') to implement nuclear power and reprocessing here because we have lots of uranium. That animal wallpaper is prescient - EXACTLY right for the new Aussie home.

Perhaps the British were inspired by the leaks at Sellafield.

I think we just found the missing "weapons of mass destruction"!

I'm a wallpaper fanatic, and I don't have ONE wall in my apartment WITH wallpaper - sick or what? Well, not really, I would if I could - but you know the drill... I RENT.

Yes, all the good stuff is coming from either Brooklyn or England lately, I've been noticing this trend for the past 6 months at least. It's exciting to see.

It's funny though, wallpaper was once viewed in the same 'nose upward' way as sponge painting, just a few shorts years ago, here in the states. It's ALWAYS been in vogue in the UK. Germany, too. In fact, in Germany, most apartments cannot be painted directly ON the walls, you MUST wallpaper first in order to paint. So this could be the reason it's always remained chic over there - supply and demand.

Holly

Oh and Maxwell, I must say that a rather cheeky wallpaper designer out of Berlin caught my eye recently, P van b. I hope AT readers can take it (he he). I hope to visit his store (and hopefully have a conversation) this September while I'm over there. Here's a blurb I wrote about him in February...

"P van b is an ultra haute, somewhat risque collection of contemporary wallpaper established by Berlin based wallpaper designer Andrea Pößnicker. It's baroque gone wild!

P van b carries lush wallpaper, stationery, home accessories, and an uber hip line of yummy clothing.

Aren't you at least slightly intriqued by wallaper with names like wowhaus neon, rich bit*ch, dutch pomp, lady light and true grace? Some of the wallpaper is slightly erotic, which I'm not daring enough to rock in my own space, but the sophisticated bold takes on traditional baroque prints - right up my alley! I can see this hanging in trendy salons and boutiques here in the states. I'm waiting to see who picks up the line over here, any predictions?"

Here's the website if you're intriqued. Now THIS is fun wallpaper - I'd love to install it on at least one wall in my pad, but I think I'd be a bit shy to post the naughty ones.

http://www.pvanb.com/

Best,
Holly

I want a tattoo of a damask wallpaper design, but it won't happen. I just like to think about what it'd be like to have wall paper on my foot.

I do not understand the love of wallpaper at all. I guess it's a character flaw on my part. I don't get it.

It just seems like such a pain to do, considering you're (more likely than not) going to get sick of in a few years, and then have to deal with taking it down.

Maybe I'm just too lazy for the wallpaper lifestyle!

Those wallpapers are truly hideous!

"Why is all the good stuff coming from England?"

i'm saying nothing... ;)

katie -
I'm ambivalent about tattoos, but speaking of that, wouldn't a wallpaper of tattoo "flash" (as they call the designs) be kind of a gas? They just really couldn't use a flesh color as a background or it would be a lit-tle too creepy.

Yep, the hybrid stuff is seriously creepy. As for why so much good wallpaper comes from England, many of us have dodgy old plaster walls, so wallpaper covers them nicely, not to mention helping to retain heat.

I'm not going to comment on the wallpaper one way or another but I admire that they took two nasty Salvation Army chairs and a rug and called it a vignette. That's moxie!

For me, the task of peeling off old wallpaper in a kitchen was all it took to cure me of it for a lifetime -- regardless of new trends, I'll never go there!

I would find it quite hard to live with the hybrid wallpaper I think, none the less I think you are right and great things are coming out of the UK at the moment in terms of pattern. Nice are a really good example of companies in the UK like ourselves who blur the boundaries of design and don't get pigeon holed, which allows you more creative freedom.
Keith at absolute zero degrees

@ holly:p van b is a woman, her (small) store is round the corner from me, love her stuff :-)

I think this wallpaper would be great in a bedroom of some really smart kid that likes bugs and stuff, and has cool parents and a good eye.

Some of your comments have really made my day. I'm really glad to see people going nuts for paper. I have been a paperhanger for years and in my heart it never went out of style. If any of you want to take the plunge and DIY it make sure to visit my website and get some techie info like "Why Prime the Wall?"

jim

can anyone recommend a wallpaper to go with the Marimekko "Kaiku" shower curtain (for a 15 year old girls's bathroom)?

I used Campbell's Customized Wallpaper for my daughter's room - she loves it and so do her friends, suddenly making me very "poplar" with them. I found the scoop at http://www.blinkdecor.com/decoratorsdish/?p=48
I have been following them for a while and their recommendations seem to work!