T + T on Trends

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been sitting in our studio drinking cocoa spiked with cinnamon and cooking up ideas for our blog. In between installations and design meetings, we decided to do a trend series over the next few months and couldn’t be more excited about it. Although we touched on trends in our International Furniture & Accessories Market recap, this upcoming series will be much more in-depth. In each post, you’ll find tips on how to incorporate these new elements into your home or business, along with plenty of eye candy.

We’ve developed a great line-up with our thoughts on wallpaper, steampunk and pattern to start. That being said, we will take breaks from trends occasionally to talk about other time sensitive, world threatening issues, like master bedrooms for Valentine’s Day or outdoor spaces this spring. Things will get pretty spicy.

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “I don’t want to miss a single installment of this exciting series.”

Well, you don’t have to. Look for new post announcements on our Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin pages, and feel free to drop us a line. We can’t wait to hear your favorite trends and insightful musings.

Cheers!
Jill & Carmen

Wallpaper How-To’s…How To Make It Gorgeous!

While the thought of wallpaper makes some people scream, for you, I hope it will bring squeals of delight!  It is back in full force and with so many gorgeous papers out there to choose from, they are just starting to make just paint look, well, not as exciting.  Why not have the best?

After hearing what my readers think about wallpaper, most of us hear “wallpaper” and our minds automatically go back to some very dated looks.  Think TV.  You all mentioned All In The Family, Dallas, Everybody Loves Raymond, Eight is Enough, Family Ties and Growing Pains?  Sooooo yesterday with those set looks, right?!  Today papers are showing up in grand spaces on shows of all kinds.  They are now in young hip shows.  The Apprentice and America’s Next Top Model.  Ant those are just a few.  Of course, paper never left some of the grandest homes I have had the pleasure of seeing in person.  Papers make spaces so amazing.

Another fear I am finding from my readers is not putting the paper up, but taking it down.  To remove it right, the walls must be sized first.  Sizing is similar to applying paint.  It rolls on.  It holds the paper tight to the walls, yet releases it the day you want to change the wall’s surface again.

As far as resale for a home, telling the buyer the walls were properly sized before the paper was hung could make them happy.  Keep in mind though that a fashionable and up-to-date home will attract buyers sometimes more than the “neutral” and/or “safe” home’s design.  When they think back to a home, they will remember the home that was the most beautiful…not the most neutral.

See the paper I added to this little babe's room...it is white with little glass beads for a sheer, gorgeous and light sparkly look.

For thoughts on how to hang wallpaper, check out this link for Seabrook Wallpaper’s directions.  I think they are good instructions and cover most everything.  How To Hang Wallpaper

As far as choosing paper, be aware of the scale of the print.  Smaller rooms should usually have smaller prints, larger prints for larger rooms.  Unless you want a more fun and funky look….like we wanted in the hip bath we redesigned above.  Watch for flocked papers and foils in bathrooms or areas with moisture.  While a lot of papers are tough, some can take a little less cleaning such as with surface added details like the flocking or beads, ete..  Take a chance and make a fun, gorgeous choice. If you aren’t so sure at first, try a smaller space first like a bathroom.  Get a great paper hanger, too that has done this a million times.  They know all about plumb lines, prepasted -vs- non-pasted papers, tricky areas, etc. It is money well spent.

Wallpaper question?  Let me know and shoot me a comment.  Think bigger than paint…think paper!  Send me your pics…I want to see!

Make it fab!

Jill

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pics by Jill Tran Interior Design and Co. and Schumacher

Wallpapers Are Moving In, And I’m Loving It!

Dear Jill,

I want my living room to look great.  I am having trouble deciding between paint, faux finishes and even wallpaper???  For some reason the paper scares me a bit.  What do you think?

Love your blog and work.  Thank you very much,

Anne in KC

Hello, Anne!

I get asked this so often…but who doesn’t love a great paper?  If you are thinking about your grandmother’s kitchen, your aunt’s bathroom or the guest room in the house you grew up in, you are thinking way too long ago.

Today’s papers are gorgeous, crisp and exciting.  They add such beauty to a space.  Paint is just not cutting it anymore!

Faux Finishes -vs- Wallpaper -vs- Paint

Faux paint finishes?  My thoughts are this:  Just like with anything in life and design, there are good ones and there are bad ones.  Just be certain you truly have a talented person do your faux finishes that have done them a million times before.  I would rather see a solid paint than a bad faux.  It can be easier to strip wallpaper that has been correctly applied (using sizing first) than to sand down and paint over a faux (depending on the faux)!  Many faux finishes are stained or have the color mixed in so if one was to paint over those finishes, the paint would “fill” the small cracks and the look would be lost.

Paint is well, just paint.  Yet there is nothing like the richness of a beautiful paint job highlighting trims and architectural details. Paint is easy to change or, even paper over!  Texture should be a consideration for you with paint too as there are so many different textures now…even metallic paints.

A few well said thoughts from Seabrook papers:  With so many design options in the world of home decorating today, why use wallpaper? Besides the obvious beauty that wallpaper brings to a home, the practicality of its durability and cleanability is a definite bonus in adorning your walls. Wallpaper is the single most effective way to change a room’s decor. By simply applying paper to a wall, elegant design is instantly present in your home to enrich your living quarters and your everyday experience. While wallpaper has astonishing historical relevance, it is also completely en vogue for today’s home fashions. Artistic designs and contemporary color palettes will enhance your home’s interior and ultimately contribute to the value of your home.

The opportunity to add depth, complex textures, intricate patterns, and varied colors is easily achieved when you choose to use wallpaper. Modern technology has integrated sophisticated printing techniques into today’s wallpaper, providing everyone with the chance to incorporate stunning art into their homes. The colors and patterns of wallpaper can subliminally affect your emotional well-being and attitude, adding a boost of energy, serenity, or cheer to your daily living.

Much attention has been turned to our children’s’ rooms within the world of interior design. Pattern is very important in decorating for children because of the repetition within a design. This repetition, or rhythm, of a pattern promotes problem solving and gives the child a sense of stability. Many visual learning aids have been combined into the designs of Seabrook’s recent children’s lines.  Yet another reason to use wallpaper in a child’s room is the inherent durability and ease of cleaning – always welcome where kids are concerned!

Add to your individuality by choosing a wallpaper pattern that is particularly suited to you, and watch your home transform into a one-of-a-kind backdrop that is a reflection of your life!

So, Anne….I vote wallpaper!  Just find a really great one!

Next blog:  How to choose wallpaper and install it correctly.

In the meantime, make it fab!

-Jill

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More blogs by Jill on Wallpaper, click here. Jill Tran is a Kansas City Interior Designer and creates beautiful, custom interiors for Kansas City Interior Design clients and clients around the country.