Hand-Painted Wallpaper Brings High-End Artistry to Rooms
Exquisite papers painted in glorious detail turn blank walls into expressive canvases conjuring luxury
Charmean Neithart
January 14, 2013
I remember the first time I saw hand-painted wallpaper in a house. I was so taken by the pattern and watery color that I didn't even realize it was paper. The room looked like one gigantic piece of art. Since that day I've become a huge fan of this elegant, layered look for walls and suggest it whenever architecture and budget permit.
There are a few companies that specialize in this product: Gracie Studio, de Gournay, and Griffin & Wong, to name a few. Patterns are typically botanical in nature, with vines, birds and flowers all painted with masterfully mixed colors.
The process starts with room measurements, whether you are looking to wallpaper an entire room or an area within a room. Once the area to be covered has been determined, samples of color and renderings of proposed layout of pattern are produced. Fabrication of the panels begins upon approval of renderings and color. This is truly a custom process, and the results are stunning.
There are a few companies that specialize in this product: Gracie Studio, de Gournay, and Griffin & Wong, to name a few. Patterns are typically botanical in nature, with vines, birds and flowers all painted with masterfully mixed colors.
The process starts with room measurements, whether you are looking to wallpaper an entire room or an area within a room. Once the area to be covered has been determined, samples of color and renderings of proposed layout of pattern are produced. Fabrication of the panels begins upon approval of renderings and color. This is truly a custom process, and the results are stunning.
This hand-painted chinoiserie-pattern paper by Gracie Studio is installed just inside the molding. It's a perfect backdrop for this feminine workspace within a living room.
Make a bold statement in the entry. Often the entry of a home has great sunlight. This is a great place for a wall or two of this paper, so the detail of each stroke can be fully appreciated.
Go bold with color in the background. Hand-painted wallpaper is a great palette starter. Start with a bold color, such as the vibrant green on this wallpaper from Griffin & Wong, then build your room around it. Don't be afraid to place small accessories in front of the finished wallpaper; they add to the layered look.
I personally prefer muted upholstery patterns in a room with bold hand-painted wallpaper. The wallpaper is the star, so there's no need to combine busy patterns that just compete with one another. A beautiful Chinese scene from Gracie Studio commands center stage in this formal dining room.
If you do not have a privacy issue, consider bare windows. This patterned de Gournay wallpaper looks lovely paired with just the decorative molding around the doors and windows, sans curtains or shades.
To save on material and installation costs, consider a smaller area of installation, like an accent wall. The impact is the same — a little goes a long way. Bold color and pattern from Griffin & Wong create a beautiful accent wall in this loft space.
The finished look is typically traditional, but it can work against bold geometrics such as this black and white entry. Tip: Black and green always look great together.
Some of the patterns are available on metallic backgrounds. The silver background of this Gracie Studio pattern creates a shimmery glow in a room that is unmistakably formal and memorable.
Yes, it's pretty enough to frame. This designer cleverly framed Gracie Studio panels of paper as art and built the room around their bold and beautiful coral color. Notice the different styles of chairs at the table.
Consider a seating area where the detail of the patterns can be appreciated up close. This beautiful chaise's muted, soft pattern perfectly complements the wallpaper.
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Scott Davidson founded Davidson Builders in 1998. Scott graduated from Michigan State with a BS in Construction... Read More
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I would actually like to see the WHOLE WALL on these examples, not just a piece that makes it (the paper) look so good- just one of the "pattern', not the repeating part of it. Sometimes the pattern just repeats over and over, same old thing with the birds on branches etc. so not so pretty when you see more than what they show here in photographs.
Don't get me wrong- all the " looks" are extremely pretty in these photos but in truth, the reality is different when you see the whole thing "en-mass" sometimes. Tastes are subjective for each if us and if rows and rows of the same tree with the same birds facing the same direction is OK with you then go for it.
I learned the hard and very expensive way for me rows of the same thing even if not immediately right next to each other was not my thing- it was pretty when framed out as a picture- but not on an entire wall- very in the end I changed it out to something more random and my brain relaxed into it when viewed in its entirety.
So many designers will photograph their work as just a little snippet and things look so darn pretty but in reality when viewed from a realistic point (seeing more as you would if you lived in the space plus other rooms interaction with the space) it will change the look entirely- in some good ways, in others not so good.
Taste is subjective to each person...and while I applaud a lot of the choices shown in Houzz photos of certain design projects ,an "en-mass" photo might produce a different reaction entirely for each of us.