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Unique Ways to Take Decorating Personally
Decorating With Wallpaper By Jaima Brown
(ARA) - Since each of us is as unique as a thumbprint, there's no reason anyone
should settle for copycat interiors, no matter how beautiful they are and no
matter how faithfully they replicate a room shown in a book. Wallpaper is more
than a decorative element. It is a tool for creating entirely custom spaces.
The innovative use of combinations of patterns from a single collection --
Bordeaux Valley, from the L.V. Emmert Studios division of S.A. Maxwell Co. --
suggests ways you can literally think outside the box and turn an ordinary room
into an extraordinary decorating statement that is yours alone.
Consider showing your stripes. We added alternating parallel, vertical strips of
a coordinating stripe pattern against an overall leopard print to create a focal
point on the wall behind a leather sofa in this den. It not only adds interest
to the expanse of wall, but also makes the ceiling seem higher and gives added
emphasis to wall art by further framing the diminutive pen-and-ink drawings of
animals.
The same effect can be created by turning a border on end and running it
vertically up the wall against a coordinating background pattern. A large-print
floral border, for example, adds pizzazz to an overall mini-print. Conversely, a
simple scroll border can frame or highlight segments of a bolder print
background. In each case, the border adds a distinctive stripe.
In another form of "framing," we mated two strips of a simple lattice pattern at
the corners of this dining room. At the centre of each wall, we filled the wall
from floor to ceiling with an exuberant large-scale floral bouquet pattern. This
technique also makes ceilings seem higher while accentuating the elegance of the
bouquets.
Using a simpler pattern at the corners also eases installation by not requiring
intricate pattern-matching in hard-to-reach places.
Easiest of all is the use of the elaborately adorned trompe l'oeil antique
secretary, complete with lamp, quill pen, books and letters, presented in
Bordeaux Valley as a precut, ready-to-install mural. This turns an unused wall,
at the top of a staircase or between bedroom doors, for example, into a
customized showcase of your own creativity.
When your own eyes and personal point of view browse a wallpaper collection like
Bordeaux Valley, where patterns are arranged according to coordinating colours
and styles, there is no end to the custom possibilities you will begin to see.
For example, line the walls of a bookcase with a quiet print that matches the
room's wallpaper in colour and style, yet also adds contrast. Decoupage a door
to visibly connect a theme from one room to another.
Borders are the most versatile tool for giving rooms a unique finishing touch.
They can be run above the baseboard, at chair-rail height, along the top of the
wall, around a door, and even along the edges of a ceiling.
Never forget the ceiling. Decorators call it "the fifth wall," and, when it
connects all the walls, either through a contrast of pattern or a continuing
match, it demonstrates to everyone that you carry your own decorating flair to
every inch of your home.
To find the nearest retailer carrying Bordeaux Valley from the L. V. Emmert
Studios division of S.A. Maxwell Co., call (847) 932-3700 or visit
www.samaxwell.com.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Jaima Brown is director of design for S.A. Maxwell Co., a leading
producer of wallpaper, borders and coordinating fabric.
Courtesy of ARA Content |
