Wallpaper Wednesday goes Toile

I started this post yesterday- so I am going to go ahead and call it "Wallpaper Wednesday." I love to tell you about the trends- and let you know what is the "up and coming" look in interior design. One of those trends right now- is a re-visit of French styling. A good example of the French furniture influence is found in this post.

In fabrics and wallcoverings- nothing is more French than the classic toile. I thought I'd show you a few examples. My favorite is the room below. I love the black and white. I love that it is not paired with a toile fabric. I love the large windows and limited wall space- with the use of a busy pattern.

The fact that most people are too timid to add such pattern to their walls- makes me like it all the better. What do you think? Any toile fans out there? For a beautiful neutral toile- check out this post.

Photos from Traditional Home.

Wallpaper Wednesday- Jill's Kitchen Part I

Hi Christine,

I just found your blogsight last night and am so impressed with your suggestions to others so I'm asking (begging) that you please help me as well. I am open to any & all suggestions. Need a fresh eye.

Could you please take a look and give me suggestions on how to improve the kitchen/dining room so it looks cohesive & beautiful? I suppose my style leans towards traditional, clean cottage. I'll let u be the judge as I have a tendency to mix & then it begins to overwhelm me. I like my dining chairs. Would like to work with existing pieces-not totally opposed to painting them again (dining room area).The wall color is the 2nd color since we added part of kitchen on in 08. Although it seems to ground the cabinets, it tends to feel dark at times. You are so good with color-looking forward to suggestions to pull it all together. I recently purchased SS appliances (fake SS for fridge) so if you can imagine that rather than the white. Please email me with any questions and I so look forward to hearing from you!

Thank you.

Jill

Dear Jill,

Let me start by saying that you have a lot going on that is great. First of all- let me compliment you on your decorating of the hutch in the second picture. Very well done. You have a good eye for scale and are a terrific "overlapper." :) You have done a good job adding greenery.

You are also right that the area lacks a cohesive "finished" feel. It is in your walls. You have a traditional home, and yet you have very little pattern, and not a lot of texture. You are perhaps "playing it safe." Your wall color is nice- although perhaps a little dark, but I do not see it duplicated anywhere. There is no repetition. I would wallpaper the walls. This will make all the difference. There are a number of different ways you can go with this. Check out the paper at the top of the post. These come in a million different color ways- find a color that goes well with your rug.

Even a very simple wallpaper- like the one above- is a great way to "marry" the white and beige in your room, as well as adding pattern and interest.

This paper would require a different rug- but I thought it was a beautiful paper- and felt like the style was consistent with your furnishings.

I love a classic toile. The paper in the background above would go right into your place perfectly.

Which direction should Jill go?

1. grasscloth
2. simple floral
3. blissful blue
4. traditional toile

The grasscloth is from grasscloth.com; the rest of today's papers are from York.

Your Color Therapist...

Dear Christine,
I want to add more color to my master bedroom. It has only two colors and I find that it is boring and formulaic. How do I go about adding more color?
-Michal

Dear Michal,
Let's get to the root of the problem. First of all- there is nothing inherently wrong with a two- color pallet. Do you really want more color, or do you simply want a more beautiful, interesting room? I find that what is more commonly the issue is a lack of pattern and textural variety.

Start by taking a look at your room from a perspective of pattern. How many different patterns do you have? Are they varying sizes? In a typical bedroom, I would suggest you have at least three different scales of pattern. For example- you can have a medium size pattern on your bedding, a larger, bolder pattern on your rug or wallpaper, and a small pattern on your window treatments. These patterns do not have to have a lot of color in them- they could all be shades of the same color and still look great.

Next look at your room in terms of texture. What different varieties of texture are there? Do you have any rougher textures like a rattan or jute? Increase your textural variety with different fabrics- accent pillows are an easy way to do this. They can be covered in anything from patent leather to fur. Take a look at your walls and ceiling- are they all drywall? Consider wood paneling, textured wallpaper, or a beamed ceiling. Replace your window treatments with a combination of woven Roman shades and silk panels. Add plants. Greenery- whether faux or real- is a perfect way to add textural variety to a room. Something rough, something nubby, something smooth- textural variety will add interest and beauty to your room like nothing else.

When you finish this exercise, do you find that you still need more color? If so- write me back :)
Good luck,
Christine

Thanks to Coastal Living November 2007 for the photo!