Wait, That's Wallpaper?!?!

I mentioned to you last week when I was recapping my recent purchases that I chose some wallpaper for the stairs that lead up to the Master Bedroom.  What I haven't told you is how I chose that wallpaper, so by request, here are the samples that I ended up getting.  

I knew that I wanted a textured wallpaper, that way the boring white boards that are underneath the stair treads would stand out a little bit.  Most textured wallpapers now are made so that they can be painted over, and some actually require that you paint over them, which means that you can choose any paint color that you want to go over your textured wallpaper.  Even though The wallpapers come in white, I will still be painting mine over with a white paint, just to give it that finished look.  

I originally ordered a few samples from Graham & Brown and then I came across a collection of textured wallpapers from American Blind and Wallpapers and More, so I ordered some samples of those as well.  The first set of samples, the ones from Graham & Brown, were very interesting. I immediately nixed the two top patterns because they just didn't have enough interest for me. The other two were stripe patterns, and after feeling the difference between the actual textures, I removed the arranged striped wallpaper from consideration.  While I really liked the look of the even stripes, they were too soft, and I was worried that with feet potentially kicking up against the wallpaper, that the stripes would end up with too much wear and wouldn't look as nice after a while.

The last one in the group, the Bruno wallpaper, was the one that I kept in the running. I wasn't completely sold though. I really liked the way that it looks, but I was concerned that it wouldn't look as nice since the paper would only be about 8" high on every step.  The other thing that concerned me was that I would have to spend a lot of time trying to make sure that the stripes matched up with each other from stair to stair, because if they didn't, that would drive me crazy. My OCD would definitely come out on that one. 

Clockwise: 1. Linen Paintable Wallpaper  2. Stream Paintable Wallpaper  3. Corduroy Paintable Wallpaper  4. Bruno Paintable Wallpaper

The next group of wallpapers that I got were from American Blinds and Wallpaper and More.  They had a great collection, called Anaglypta X, and they have tons of different patterns to choose from. I really wanted to get all of them, but I narrowed it down to four again to get samples of.  

The first one that I received was a very random pattern that reminded me of a room divider that my aunt and grandparents used to have to separate the kitchen from the dining room, so after seeing the pattern in person, I immediately said no.  The second sample I received was a very cool and somewhat modern pattern that looked like flat blades of grass. I really liked the way this one looked, so I kept it in the running.  The third one that I received was supposed to look like the picture below with the paint roller in it, but that's definitely not the sample that I received, which was not my style at all.  The last one I really liked. It was very modern and the pattern of the squares touching each other gave it some visual interest.  The only issue with this was that I think it is too modern for my house. While I love a modern design, I'm trying to be a little more contemporary/transitional since some of the decor in our home is more traditional.  

Clockwise: 1. Anaglypta 437-RD4009  2. Anaglypta 437-RD80028  3. New Geometric Paintable Wallpaper  4. Paintable Plus Wallpaper 40882840

So out of all of the samples that I received, you know that I have selected the flat grass blade pattern from the Anaglypta collection by American Blinds and Wallpaper and More.  The pattern just spoke to me, and while it's modern, it's not scream-in-your-face modern.

It's really neat to see how much wallpaper has transformed over the last few years. What has almost always been seen as taboo and a pain in the neck is now available in textures and awesome patterns that can really transform a room.  Plus, with the ability to apply the wallpaper only temporarily, they have become very popular for renters looking to personalize their space.

I am so excited to see where I can include wallpaper in my home.  What are your thoughts on wallpaper? Are you still terrified of it? Are you using any in your home?