Welcome to week 3 of the One Room Challenge!
If you missed my previous posts – check them out here: WEEK 1 / WEEK 2 / WEEK 3 (YOU ARE HERE)
Week 3 was a big week over here in the project department!! My office is starting to take shape and I can really see my design visions coming to life! This is a big part due to WALLPAPER! If you guys don’t already know this about me – I am legit OBSESSED with wallpaper!!!!! I can say – from first hand experience – the better quality wallpaper you purchase…the easier your life will be. However, you CAN install – even extremely affordable options – yourself!! Keep reading and I’ll give you some of my tips and tricks that I’ve learned through trial and error and through lots and lots of research. Here is a breakdown of what I have completed so far & what is yet to come!
To Do:
Buy trim and molding – DONE
Get custom color match paint – DONE
Install wainscoting – DONE
Install ceiling crown molding – DONE
Paint crown molding – DONE
Trim windows/crown – DONE (stay tuned for next week!! I will be sharing all about this!!!)
Paint walls – DONE
Apply wallpaper – DONE
Install Chandelier – DONE
Paint baseboards (added this on this week after installing wallpaper)
Order prints and photos for gallery wall
Hang gallery wall
Pleat & hang curtain panels
Style bookshelves
To Source:
Gallery wall frames
Curtain panels with rods
Office chair – DONE
2 accent chairs
Book shelves – DONE
Buffet table – DONE
Desk – DONE
Chandelier – DONE
Lamp – DONE
Mirror – DONE (Will be sharing this beauty week 4. It’s so so good!)
Accessories – Slowly but surely!! COVID – 19 has made this challenging…but I am ALWAYS up for a challenge!
Throw pillows
Not doing too shabby if I say so myself! 🙂
Clearly I am extremely excited about this wallpaper!!
This wallpaper is truly what inspired my entire office design! I was on the hunt for a floral wallpaper that had a primary color of navy blue because I envisioned using a navy blue wainscoting. And man oh man did I find it! Here is the wallpaper that I chose. I love how – if paired with the right elements – can give it a vintage/traditional feel.
This is the moment I KNEW things were going to be so so good!!
Many might look at this wallpaper and initially think – “oh I can’t use that – it is being used in a nursery.” Think again 🙂 With the right design elements – this wallpaper can be used almost anywhere! Or in my case – to turn a non functional dining room into the feminine glam office of my dreams! While I am on the topic of this – I want to remind you all to not be afraid to use design elements you LOVE for areas that they may not be initially intended (or marketed) for. That is what I love about design so much….the sky is the limit!! Do you boo’!
Alright back on topic…
I purchased this wallpaper off the sweetest Etsy shop called Baby Maes. It is a mom and daughter ran shop, so I am of course more than happy to support their business. Plus – their products are amazing. If you are prego or know someone who is expecting- CHECK THEM OUT! Here is a link to their website and here is a link to their Etsy shop.
Not only was this wallpaper amazing quality – the process of ordering it was so so dang easy. One of my least favorite parts of ordering wallpaper is determining how much I will need and how often the pattern repeats, When ordering this wallpaper all of the guess work was taken out. They will help you determine which length to get and even provide you with a print out showing you which panels go where on your wall!
Here are some tips I have learned for installing peel & stick wallpaper. If I can do it – YOU can do it. Trust 🙂
Supplies
Peel and stick wallpaper Tape measure Pencil Level Straight edge Utility Knife Squeegee (or a credit card) LOL Ladder
Prep the Wall(s)
Remove all your electrical outlets and wall fixtures. Patch in any holes. Clean the surface area with a little warm water and a cloth. It is advised to wait at least 4 weeks before wallpapering a freshly painted wall…. so keep this in mind!
Mark your first guide line
This is a key step – and one that we actually forgot to do the first time we applied peel and stick wallpaper. This time we made sure to remember and it made all the difference in the world! To do this you simply measure out the width of your wallpaper panel from the starting point in your wall. For example – the panels we used for my office were 24″ wide. We measured 24″ inches from the left side of the first wall and used a level and a pencil to mark a line as far down on the wall as the wallpaper will be going. The wallpaper panels are dropping 4′ from ceiling for my project.
Install the first strip
Again, it is key to get this first strip straight and then it is (usually) smooth sailing. Start with peeling a few inches down from the top of the wallpaper – exposing the sticky side. For me it was easiest to lay the panel on the floor (design side down) and peel it. I would then give the non sticky side a nice fold so it didn’t get in the way when trying to measure it up nice and flush to the ceiling. When you are lining the wallpaper up to the ceiling and the wall – focus most on getting it straight on the side that you just drew your line. Depending on the wallpaper that you purchase (if it is not custom like the one I used) – you will leave 1-2 inches of wallpaper on the ceiling and trim that later. That just helps ensure you have a nice clean line at the ceiling. Once you get the first few inches nice and level on the ceiling/wall start peeling 5-6 inches off the backing at a time. When smoothing it out start from the center and work your way outwards. I think it is best to use your hands when smoothing and only use the squeegee when you need to get a *small* air bubble out. When you do have a larger air bubble it is best to peel back the wallpaper and get that air bubble out before applying it back to the wall. If not – that air bubble will return…with a vengeance! Plus, if you are too aggressive with the squeegee you risk puncturing a hole in the wallpaper or scratching the beautiful pattern! When you get to the floor – or the top of your molding (like in my case) use your squeeze and your utility knife to trim the excess. Go back through the panel one more time and make sure it is smooth to the wall.
Apply the rest of your panels
Follow the same techniques to apply the remainder of your strips! Going around corners or windows can get tricky. You can either cut your strip to make it the exact width – or I just wrapped it around the corner without cutting it.
Tips/Tricks
* It is ideal to apply your wallpaper FIRST….before paint and before molding. My wallpaper hadn’t arrived when we were ready to start this project so we did molding first and then wallpaper. it ended up working out fine – however, is ideal to just apply your molding right over the bottom of the wallpaper edge so you get a nice crisp line! For example – We applied the crown molding to the ceiling after applying the wallpaper so we didn’t worry too much if the wallpaper didn’t look perfect up along the ceiling, as long as it was nice and straight vertically. *Peel & stick wallpaper is not ideal for textured walls…however, it can be done! *Order extra! There can be variances in the color of your peel and stick wallpaper and the last thing you want is to either run out due to incorrect measurements or an error in applying leaving you with inconsistent wallpaper panels! *When installing a panel that overlaps a window – first measure how far it is from the edge of wallpaper to where the window starts. Mark a line on the wallpaper (giving yourself a few inches extra). Install the wallpaper to the ceiling and above the window and then cut out the area using the line you just drew. You can cut this piece out before putting on the wall – I just found this to work well! *Some wallpapers you will need to overlap some in order to get the pattern to line up exactly. This specific wallpaper had about a 0.5″ overlap. The seams weren’t too visible – but we decided to use a straight edge and utility knife to cut that excess off. So glad we did – because the results were seamless!
BEFORE:
AFTER
I plan to paint the baseboards to match the wainscoting. I wanted to install the wallpaper first to make sure that is what I wanted to do – but after completing install for the wallpaper I immediately knew it needed to be painted. Doing so will elongate the height of the room even more! Don’t be afraid to paint your baseboards friends!
That’s it for week 3!
If you’re on Instagram, follow me @lauramithell.interiordesign to watch my progress in my “ORC – Office” Instagram story highlight! I’ll be sharing a lot more behind the scenes there.
Thank you to Linda from Calling it Home, for organizing the One Room Challenge!
Don’t forget to check out the featured designers and guest designers to support them and see the awesome things they are doing in their rooms too!