whimsical wallcovering

 

{image :: soy este}

Button Candy wallpaper!? Makes me think of Willy Wonka… I wonder if you can lick it?

Did you eat button candy as a kid? It was one of my favorites, except for when you got a little paper mixed in with the candy button…. 

You can order the wall paper from Soy Este — they produce extraordinary wallpapers based on every day objects.  All papers are made to order.

Bespoke Wallpaper from Elli Popp

While in Paris for Maison et Objet this January I had the pleasure of meeting Katja Behre, the woman behind Elli Popp.  Her booth was part of an exhibit of emerging designers, many of which were English, so not only was I excited about Ms. Behre’s beautiful designs, I was able to converse in my native tongue.  Don’t get me wrong, I eagerly practiced my French with the vendors in other halls, but let’s put it this way --  my French design vocabulary still needs a little help.

Elli Popp's Booth at Maison et Objet, January 2009

Back to Elli Popp -- Elli Popp was founded in 2007 and features wallpapers with neo-romantic designs that use traditional, and some not-so-traditional color combinations.  One of Elli Popp’s goals is to create products and designs that meet their specific client’s needs -- this bespoke philosophy allows Behre to explore changing themes, sizes, colors and repeats.

In addition to wallpaper, Elli Popp also offers fabric, wall stickers, cushions, ceramics, tiles and rugs.

Elli Popp has been featured in Elle Decoration Germany (March 2009), Ariadne at Home - Holland (April 2009), idFX (September 2008) and Elle Decor Italia (October 2007) among others.

Here are some of my favorite papers pictured on Elli Popp's website, but I highly recommend you check the site out for yourself!:

Foxy Flowers

I think the Foxy Flowers pattern would look divine near a woman's vanity or in a powder bath -- just a sprinkle of sass, not a huge dose!

Crazy Ostrich

Crazy Ostrich is rather clever in that, from far away, it looks like an abstract repeating pattern, but close up it becomes, well, a crazy ostrich!

Haiku

Haiku in the Berries colorway is hands down my current favorite.  Could it be because the colors are the same as Design Babylon's?  You be the judge. {*wink*}

Spring Flowers

Spring Flowers is magical -- I would love to see it in a dining room or a long hallway.

If you like what you see, be sure to contact Katja Behre  at info@ellipopp.com or +44(0)7957135041 !

I am so infatuated with all wallpaper that I am sure this will not be the last swoon-worthy wallpaper vendor that I will profile, so stay tuned!!!

Affordable Art: Wall Decals Part Deux

A few weeks ago I wrote a post on how to use removable wall decals as affordable art.  Today I came across an amazing source for wall decals and had to share.  Acte Deco is a French company (bien sûr) and they have an amazing selection and color palette to choose from, I’ve featured some of my favorites below:

Acte Deco - Chevets Doubles

I love the cheekiness of these decals -- they would be great if you have not purchased nightstands for your room, or if your bedroom is too small to accommodate any more furniture than your bed!

Acte Deco - La Femme Papillon

The 70s vibe of this decal is so fantastic -- it kind of reminds me of the artwork for Air's "Virgin Suicides" soundtrack.  Couldn't you just see it in hot pink or orange or some other psychedelic color?  It would be fun to put it on a wall in a smaller, unexpected space like a powder room, a reading nook, or near a vanity.

Acte Deco - La Grande Savane

I was recently talking to a friend of mine who is expecting her first child and the topic was how to decorate a nursery.  Her main concern (and I totally agree) is that the child would quickly outgrow any "cutesy" nursery décor and she was not really feeling pink, blue, or yellow with cutesy ducks, sheep, etc,  An African Savannah mural would look great in a child's room; not only would it not look too "babyish" but as the child gets older the mural would serve as a great source of inspiration and creativity!  This look does not need to be reserved for childrens' rooms -- it would be a fun addition to any wall in your house.

Acte Deco - Fil Graphik 2

If you love the idea of wallpaper but are a bit of a commitment-phobe, this design is perfect for you!   This design gives the look of wallpaper with zero commitment.  You can customize the look by ordering several different colored decals too!

Acte Deco - Vitre Bambou

Acte Deco also offers glass decals that mimic the look of frosted glass.These are great options if you want some privacy but don't like the look of window treatments in that particular window.  I live in a Mid-Century ranch home and window treatments like curtains are not traditionally used in this style of architecture.  There are several windows on the street-side of my house where these will definitely come in handy!

Acte Deco - Vitre Fil Graphik 2

The frosted-glass decals above mimic the wall decal design above -- it kind of has a groovy 70s beaded-curtain feel to it, don't you think? (So Greg Brady's bedroom in the attic!)

 

Acte Deco - Vague Effet Miroir

Acte Deco also has a line of "Mirrored" decals -- this one would dress up a blah bathroom tout de suite! Place decals like this one over a counter top, chair rail, picture ledge, or large piece of furniture to ground the image.

Acte Deco - Dame Nature

Baroque motifs soften otherwise hard or severe modern designs and look great over beds, especially if you do not have a headboard.

Definitely check out the Acte Deco web-site at http://www.acte-deco.fr and let your imagination run wild!

Affordable “Art”: Removable Wall Decals

Daum, a maker of gorgeous pâte de cristal pieces has a tagline that reads: “Art is the ultimate luxury.” Like many of you, true one-of-a-kind art is a little bit out of my reach right now but I do not want my walls to be bare!

Patricia and Gerrit Lansing’s Maine summer home was profiled in the July 2007 issue of House & Garden (RIP).  The home was a gorgeous and perfectly casual beach house, but the image that stuck in my mind was of the staircase that read: “And the Mountains Go Down to the Sea.”  The addition of the lettering to the risers creates a powerful focal point, yet remains simple and easily achieved on your own.

Photo: Eric Cahan

When designing my own home or those of my friends, I am constantly
coming up with less-expensive, creative ways to make rooms look
polished without breaking the proverbial bank, and I am very excited to share some of these ideas with you through a regular series of posts called "Affordable Art."  The first in the series on Affordable Art is about removable vinyl wall decals.

Vinyl wall decals offer a quick, inexpensive and impermanent way to decorate your walls.  If you are a commitment-phobe and the mere idea of living with a wallpaper design sends you into a panic, these easy to remove stickers are just what you need.  I particularly like the decals at The Surface Store.

As you can see, this post is still fairly Paris-influenced.  I'm still in The City of Lights but must return to my "real" life on Thursday.  It is likely that I will be suffering withdrawal from all things French so I am sure there will be plenty French-flavored posts to come!

À bientôt!