When I originally came up with the design for the children's bathroom, I always envisioned wallpaper. But because I couldn’t make a decision and we ran out of money for the “extras” during our build process. I put the wallpaper on hold. During the build, my best friend & I painted the walls Drop Cloth from Farrow & Ball leftover paint from the downstairs bath and left it for a year.

I think no one else noticed this element of the design was “missing” but I did. A nagging feeling the space was incomplete. Honestly, I feel that in a few spaces around our home. Our home is beautiful , it’s well built, no complaints, but an element of us, our personality, our story is missing, and I’m okay with waiting for the collected nature to flood in. Waiting for the right piece, the right color, the story to fill our walls. In an age of “insta” we believe it all is done at once, but true design takes time.

GOOD DESIGN TAKES TIME

Centuries even, I’m reminded of my time last year in Venice with my friend Whitney. Different levels of a home were built during different time periods, the tell tale sign being the shape of the window. Maybe they were begun in the Gothic period and finished in the Classic period, nearly 300 years apart.

So taking one year to decide upon a wallpaper is a penny in the well. There were elements of our build I wish I had more time to make a decision or think through but had to as soon as possible.

Magnolia and Griffin’s bathroom is a small and well ventilated space with a large window and overhead fan, so I felt comfortable with the decision to use wallpaper in this space. Often wallpaper is relegated to powder rooms and rooms with little moisture.

This space was one where I also took an opportunity to get more adventurous and mix metals with brass for the faucet fixtures and polished nickel for the shower, the compliment each other so nicely. Although, their faucet was one of the items we purchased to save money (from Kingston Brass) and while it functions, we have found it already falling apart, maybe needing to be replaced in the next year or so. After building a whole home, I truly believe investing in quality on the front end pays off over time when that item holds steady to wear and use.

TILED INSPIRATION

For the tile layout I was inspired by the bath in Mary Poppins Returns. We went for a matte square 4x4 tile from Fireclay Tile, as opposed to the shiny tile in the movie, but I dreamt of a classic, yet modern space with whimsy and elements that spoke to the outdoors on the other side of the window.

DO IT YOURSELF

I’ve taken on a lot of do it yourself projects over the course of my life. From painting and repainting aparment walls growing up, to painting the kitchen cabinets in our first home at 8 months pregnant, tiling our backsplash and more. I love bringing my creative visions to life with my hands and I’m not afraid to jump into something new. But with wallpaper, these rolls sat in our basement for a good 6 months before I summoned the courage to try it out. Wallpaper is an investment and I didn’t want to ruin it, but we didn't have the resources to invest in outside help, so I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

I was really nervous to wallpaper, I had never done it before, but was encouraged when I learned my mother & grandmother had gone on a do it yourself wallpaper kick in the 70s. My momma, said, it’s a small space, you’ve got this. It truly took me less than an afternoon to finish this space. I purchased the wallpapering kit from Sandberg, I watched their simple, yet handy tutorial and the only thing was I wish I had a few extra, sharp razorblades on hand for cutting off the excess. I was even efficient enough in my cuts that there was an extra roll to use in another space, I will share soon!

The wallpaper truly pulled the space together and gave the room the depth and texture I was hoping. Have you ever wallpapered a space? Curious to hear your questions, apprehensions or comments.