Paper, paper on the wall...

Most of you may not know this, but I have had a love-hate relationship with wall paper for many years. When I was a young child, my maternal grandparents had a really cool, Frank Lloyd Wright-type house that my grandfather designed and built. I loved this house for many reasons...1) it was octagonal (!), 2) the entire back side of the house was glass and looked out over a gorgeous tree-lined bluff and 3) the bathrooms had beautiful foil wallpaper.



(It was something like this, but MUCH more stunning)

I was young and it was the 70's, but I honestly thought it was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen. Unbeknownst to me at the time, my love affair with interior design was beginning.

When I became a teenager and a little boy crazy (ok, a LOT boy crazy), the paper on my walls was made up of the centerfolds from BOP and Tiger Beat magazines. John Taylor of Duran Duran, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe. There may have even been a Ricky Schroder in there somewhere.



But as far as actual wallpaper in our home, it was an unfortunate combination of culinary utensils in the kitchen and frightful floral patterns in the bathrooms. Thus beginning the "hate" portion of our program.

For example:



or...



Soon, it became clear that wallpaper was a dated trend and for all of the homeowners that had super-glued obnoxious patterns to their drywall, it became a serious no-no for the future.

But we are in a new era of wall decor. Wallpaper is back in a big way and I must admit I really like some of it. I am sure there is still a plethora of chicken and grape borders out there, but for the design-minded there are some truly gorgeous options.

For your viewing pleasure:



This wallpaper studio is based out of North Adams, MA and all of their papers are hand painted and absolutely gorgeous. You can buy this paper by the sheet, which is great for framing and also more reasonably priced for the budget conscious.

Nama Rococo

There is a great studio out of New Orleans, that not only creates visually stunning wallpapers, but some of them are even scratch-n-sniff. For real!





The cherry flavor and the tutti-frutti remind me of something you would see in one of Betsey Johnson's boutiques, don't cha think? But as delicious as I'm sure these smell, there are several other options that I find a bit more enticing (in small doses, mind you)...





Check out all of their great options at Flavor Paper

I really need to buy that condo!