TGIF, my friends! I am dying to share with you my latest DIY project! Yesterday I finally put feet on my little office project and added a feature wall using Anthropologie Wallpaper! Come check it out!
This little alcove sits in between the great room and our master bedroom.. It is visible from every angle in the house. I only have room for a small desk and chair, but my desk is always piled high with bills, magazines, etc. making it a very uncomfortable place to work or blog. And there is zero storage. So, I want this space to be organized, functional AND pretty. This is where I started. The previous owners had floor to ceiling book shelves in this spot, which looked great, but this is the only place in the house for a work space for me on the main floor.
I decided to do a feature wall in the alcove using wallpaper. I chose this one from Anthropologie. It’s called Distressed Paisley in gold. I measured the wall and figured one roll would suffice. This roll contains 56.4 square feet and was $88 per roll. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. Isn’t it so pretty?
I originally intended to hire someone to install the wallpaper for me, but after using some peel and stick wallpaper in my closet recently, I had the confidence to tackle it myself. I watched a few U-Tube videos on how to hang wallpaper and I read the instructions. First, I determined that the corner was square, so I didn’t need to mark any plumb lines. I measured the height of the wall and added 4 inches to allow for extra at the top and bottom. Following the instructions I cut the first piece and laid it face down on some plastic on the floor. I used a Wallpaper Hand Sprayer to apply water to the back of the wallpaper to activate the adhesive. Then I put up the first strip! I used a smoothing tool to flatten out any bubbles or creases. The wallpaper has a bit of a metallic sheen so I knew any imperfections would be glaringly obvious. I admit it was a little nerve-wracking putting up the first piece, but it was very forgiving so I could pull it back up to smooth out the inevitable wrinkles.
The second piece of wallpaper proved to be more tricky. The pattern has a 20.5″ repeat so I knew there was going to be some waste. Since I was doing this project alone, I put some painters tape along the bottom of the wallpaper and taped it to the baseboard while I held the roll up to the ceiling to figure out where my pattern would match. I marked the top of the wallpaper making sure I had plenty of wiggle room to match the pattern and cut along the mark using a t-square to ensure a straight line. You can see the excess paper at the top and bottom. Wisely I saved all of the extras!
After hanging the third strip of wallpaper, I knew I was in trouble. See the small strip next to the wall? It’s about 5 inches wide, and I didn’t have a full strip of paper left. Uh-oh. Determined to finish the project in one day and NOT buy another roll of paper for this small space, I gathered my scraps and pieced the rest of the wall together, matching the pattern.
Ta-Dah!!! I think I matched the pattern pretty well! Honestly, I don’t think anyone would notice unless I pointed it out.
I moved my little writing desk back into place. Next up is finding a small 2 drawer file cabinet to put beside the desk to hold my files and office supplies. Also, I want to add two shelves over the top to hold books, and chotchkies.
Here’s a close up of the wallpaper. I love how it turned out! And, I’m so glad I only needed one roll of the wallpaper!
This is the view from the sofa, where I parked it last night with a glass of wine after being on my feet all day. I think the shelves will add some depth and interest and give me some much-needed storage space. Of course I will need to keep them nice and neat since they are so visible!
I am so proud of myself for hanging this wallpaper! Of course, Lacey thinks she helped. I had to keep making her move off of my work surface. I think she just likes seeing what I’m up to.
I’m excited to get the shelves installed AND I have my eye on a new desk chair with casters that will make it easy to move around my new office space. It already feels more like me! And now I feel so confident that I want to hang more wallpaper! Feature walls with paint and wallpaper are all the rage these days and I’m LOVING it!
Well, that’s a wrap for today! Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have a lovely weekend! Until next week! xoxo Dell
