Then and now Transforming walls into your own personal canvas
A lemon tree pattern was block-painted onto wall panels for one of my shows in the ’80s.
Today, Graham & Brown's Lucy Teal wallpaper combines fresh designs with harmonizing colors and metallic highlights.
Walls have always been our own personal canvas. The Victorians dressed them with an abundance of patterned, flocked, velvety wall panels and William Morris prints. The Art Deco movement saw mirrored- and glass-blocked walls, followed by the metallic wallpapers of the 1950s. When I was a girl growing up in Britain, many of the row houses had kitchen murals of far-off romantic places such as sun-drenched Caribbean beaches scattered with palm trees … a far cry from the gray skies of the north of England. Then came the ’80s and ’90s, when just about every wall surface was covered in sponged, dragged and ragged patterns with stenciled and stamped floral borders. And now we see patterned wallpaper, florals and glass surfaces in every shelter magazine.
It’s all back in vogue, everything comes around again. The dull muted colors of those Victorian papers are now vibrant florals that we use to highlight a focal wall. The Internet has allowed us easy access to artwork that can be blown up to any size and used in much the same way as those 1960s murals.
What was wonderful about stenciling and stamping was that it allowed us all with little or no artistic talent to create images on our walls. And what fun we had. Panels could be decorated with lemon trees, vines swathed over every door frame, and is there anyone who did not stencil a border around their child’s nursery? I don’t think so.
I am sure that many will blame me for the crazy popularity of all those paint finishes, and many of you are still trying to remove the terra cotta, purple and green sponged walls. It was all about paint. I know, because after filming “The Painted House” for seven years, I painted just about every surface, from walls to toilet seats. Having wallpaper in your home became a definite no-no. I remember pontificating on the wonders of paint, that you could build depth and character with paint finishes that simply was not possible with wallpaper. True then, but no longer. Wallpapers have evolved and returned to our homes in a big, fashion-forward way.
Stencils as large, oversize images are resurfacing again, and I know there are homemakers who adore their decorative stamps. I’m not sure if heavily textured, painted walls will ever come back in vogue, but you never know. What I have always loved about walls is that even if they are a wonderful white, they are the bones of our home and mirror our very own personalities.
Q. My partner and I have very different tastes, and we are struggling to find a fit on the home front. He’s into lion statues, dark wood and white walls. I prefer something warm with ease and flow. Our common ground is minimalism. How can we agree on a common style? – Melissa
A. White, or neutral, walls and dark wood is a safe choice for any minimalistic decorating scheme. It offers a contemporary backdrop that should please both you and your partner. Look for a sofa with clean lines that’s comfy, and add color and texture with a few pillows – your choice. Look for an area rug in a traditional pattern but with edgy colors, there’s a huge selection out there. The lion statues and other classic works of art and small paintings can be housed in a glass-front cabinet or on simple floating shelves. Take it one step at a time, and you will come up with an exciting compromise.
Email your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com.