The Mrs. on H Street: Wallpaper 101

Wallpaper can be like investing in art depending on the quality and placement of the paper. I love how this medium can transform a space, add dimension and texture. It can also portray a mood, add whimsy and just make you smile.

My first foray with wallpaper was with our half bath on Capitol Hill. Powder rooms are the perfect place to experiment and make a big impact without the worries of a shower, a bath or the steam damaging your selected wallpaper.

After ordering various samples, I taped the samples up on the walls in the space and mulled over each selection. This process can take time but is entirely necessary. Sometimes it can take months to find the right paper for your space. Because - don't forget - unless you're using a temporary sticker type of paper, wallpaper can last a lifetime so you need to love it.

For our powder room on Capitol Hill, I eventually settled on a classic paper: Cole & Son's Palm Jungle. I fell in love with this particular paper because it complimented our classic 1900s row house with plantation shutters and reminded us of our annual vacation spot, Palm Springs. But because both the Hubs and I favor a more modern aesthetic, we chose an unexpected colorway for the palm print, blue and white. Switching up the color immediately punched up and altered the space while still honoring the more traditional style of our home and place.

The next paper I fell hard for was Hygee & West's Daydream. Before our lives turned upside down with a baby, a new job, moving and building a house - I'd planned to use this paper on the ceiling of our nursery. I bought several rolls during Hygge & West's annual sale but then we were moving. So I used this paper floor to ceiling on our new powder room in our modern home we built in Montana. This time making selections on hardware, penny tile and a sink to directly compliment the wrap of orange birds and clouds. Although our powder room is small, it dependably creates joy and is a conversation starter with every guest.

We inserted the extra Palm Jungle paper that I saved from DC on the back of our built-in bar in our dining room. It's a show stopper and ultimately adds dimension and interest to an otherwise white space. It also jives with our modern furniture and fixtures while also reminding of us of our first home as a family. We also snuck some extra Palm Jungle in the coffee nook in our kitchen hidden behind floor to ceiling high gloss cabinets.

When we built our house, we planned a large master bath with a standalone tub, double sinks and a separate water closet - a total luxury after sharing a pedestal sink in a tiny bathroom for six years. The water closet is far enough from all the water elements that I knew it needed paper so after a long search I found Juju Handprinted Papers, I fell hard for their Maxi Gold on Charcoal and again covered the space from floor to ceiling for a bold statement in our otherwise very white bathroom.

So what's next? After we cover Henry's ceiling in Schumacher's Deconstructed Stripe, I'll be hitting pause. But likely not for long as I'm committed to finding the right paper for our guest suite/the Hub's office.

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FAVORITE PAPER QUICK HITS

+ TRADITIONAL: Cole & Son's Palm Jungle // House of Hackney's Zeus Tobacco // Lake August's Matilja in Midnight // Rabarber Charcoal Floral Wallpaper

+ MODERN: Hygee & West's Daydream // Bien Fait's Animals // Juju's Maxi Gold on Charcoal

FAVORITE WALLPAPER COMPANIES