Renovations to the Oval Office, including a new carpet, wallpaper and furniture, are seen, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, at the White House in Washington.

CAPTION

By J. Scott Applewhite, AP

The Oval Office has gotten an extreme makeover.Well, maybe not that extreme. But while the first family was away on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, the president’s office was remodeled for the first time since President George W. Bush was the occupant.

• See more White House photos

Highlights, according to our Oval blog, include new and reupholstered furniture, new paint and wallpaper, along with a new rug, paid for by the non-profit White House Historical Association through a contribution from the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

The new wheat, cream and blue colored oval-shaped rug is made of 25 percent recycled wool. The rug has the Presidential seal in the center and historical quotes of meaning to President Obama around the border:

1. “The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt
2. “The Arc of the Moral Universe is Long, But it Bends Towards Justice,” Martin Luther King, Jr.
3. “Government of the People, By the People, For the People,” President Abraham Lincoln
4. “No Problem of Human Destiny is Beyond Human Beings,” President John F. Kennedy
5. “The Welfare of Each of Us is Dependent Fundamentally Upon the Welfare of All of Us,” President Theodore Roosevelt

In the early periods of the 12^th century, damask fabric was used primarily in formal settings such as a formal dining room. It was associated with “dignified luxury” thus typically found in the homes of royalty, the elite or the general “well to do” population.

We find damask patterns and prints used in many interior design styles because once again, it adds elegance and sophistication to any room or event. As with anything, the pattern has been modernized in many ways to fit the needs of the 21^st century lifestyle.

Most associate the damask pattern with the colors black and white, although the pattern and wallpapers have always been produced in a wide variety of colors throughout the centuries.  However, modern designers have brought more color combinations to the spectrum.

As we try to walk the fine line between traditional and contemporary, damask is finding it’s way back into home décor schemes and furnishings. We have modernized it by using it as an accent piece instead of a primary focal point. This is accomplished through wall tapestries, drapes, stencil design or wall paper, rugs, throws, pillows and other things of that nature. You also find the pattern used in many bedrooms. It is a popular theme for luxury bedding.

The damask pattern is popular with brides to be and wedding planners. It is a very elegant addition to any wedding theme. The print is used on wedding invitations, save the date announcements as well as cakes! For brides who truly love the pattern, they’ll even incorporate it into their wedding gown or bridesmaid dresses with sashes and floral treatments.

There’s a lot that can go “wrong” when trying to use the pattern, so continue to read as I will share all my design tips and suggestions on how to properly and elegantly incorporate the elegant damask into your home décor or wedding theme.

Dramatic backdrops

By Nicole Swengley

Published: March 20 2010 00:24 | Last updated: March 20 2010 00:24

From left: Skulls by Barbara Hulanicki; Picture This by Timorous Beasties; jigsaw design by Tracy Kendall

Wallpaper once knew its place. Its role as a quiet, decorative backdrop was universally acknowledged. And even when it occasionally played a more prominent part – as a bold feature wall, for example – it did so as a capricious act of rebellion. Now, however, technological advances and aesthetic gear-shifts are turning the medium into a powerfully expressive and creative force.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Very Sanderson: 150 Years of English Decoration, Fashion & Textile Museum, London - Mar-20

The riches of stitches - Mar-13

Horace Walpole and Strawberry Hill, Victoria & Albert Museum, London - Mar-13

On the write lines - Mar-05

Receptacles of the subconscious - Feb-27

The return of ‘things’ - Feb-27

“A whole new generation of homeowners haven’t experienced what can be done with wallpaper,” says Miami-based designer Barbara Hulanicki, who recently launched a collection with manufacturer Graham & Brown. “They don’t realise how easy it is to put up, now that you paste the wall not the paper.”

Still, attitudes are changing. “People are realising that wallpaper is not an irreversible choice,” says London-based interior designer Suzy Hoodless, whose “Hothouse” wallpaper collection is produced by Osborne & Little. “They’re prepared to take risks with bold patterns, strong colours and interesting textures because they recognise wallpaper provides a warmth and texture that paints can’t achieve.”

“There’s a resurgence in papering walls as people realise it’s a great way of introducing texture and variety while sticking to their favourite colour palette,” confirms David Oliver of Paint & Paper Library. “Wallpaper creates an illusion of depth and space by introducing volume through pattern, so it’s an effective way to modulate moods, add personality or act as a punctuation mark. And it’s brilliant for attic bedrooms and hallways with complicated architectural ceiling lines.”

Increasingly, wallpaper is also employed by contemporary artists as a vehicle for exploring social, political, cultural and even sexual themes, as revealed in the first UK exhibition of artists’ wallpaper at Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery. Featuring more than 30 international artists, including Damien Hirst, Angus Fairhurst, Allen Jones, Sarah Lucas and Abigail Lane, it analyses wallpaper’s role as a meaningful art form.

Christine Woods, the show’s co-curator, pinpoints Andy Warhol’s repeating designs Cow (1966) and Mao (1974) as the springboard for fine artists’ engagement. “They’ve used wallpaper’s ubiquity and non-threatening domestic status as a foil for the shock factor of hard-hitting commentary,” she says. However, Karen Beauchamp, creative director of British wallpaper manufacturer Cole & Son, believes “wallpaper has always been a reflection of social history, mirroring many things”.

Some of the show’s star turns, such as Abigail Lane’s Black Skeleton wallpaper (available from Showroom Dummies) could be challenging to live with. Head Jam, a limited edition from the Hedonistic collection by De Angelis & Garner (available online) is similarly surreal, with the red-lipped, ghostly head of 1980s British performance artist Leigh Bowery (a muse of Lucian Freud) portrayed as a slightly unsettling punk icon.

Avant-garde wallpaper is found elsewhere, too. Take the subversive images conjured by Timorous Beasties, a design studio founded by Glasgow School of Art graduates Alistair McAuley and Paul Simmons. Glasgow Toile – a graphic depiction of an urban landscape populated by homeless people, scavenging seagulls and crumbling tower blocks – is uncompromising in its focus on contemporary social and political issues. Less provocative but still unusual is Picture This, a wallpaper showing an illustrated frame bordering a block of colour, as if a painting has been removed. Meanwhile graphics of iguanas, thistles, insects and pineapples are among Timorous Beasties’ less contentious, yet still off-beat, imagery.

Unusual subject-matter is also Annette Taylor-Anderson’s speciality. Her own-brand Construction wallpapers depict cranes, bridges, pavements and New York traffic lights. Meanwhile Amye Fitzgerald, whose intensely coloured papers were a 100% Futures highlight at London’s 100% Design show last year, combines her own photography with hand-sketching to create exotic, digitally printed, Rousseau-like designs. Her Las Vegas collection of bespoke patterns feature dancing girls and palm trees embellished (as requested) with crystals and feathers.

Texture is as seminal as pattern or image for many designers. New York-based fine artist Anya Larkin hand-paints rice-paper or grass-cloth (available from Donghia). Fluxus, a hand-painted rice-paper, resembles an ancient, peeling façade while Zephyr, a rice-paper handpainted in faded blues, greens and creams, looks like a sun-baked wall. Concertina, a pleated, hand-painted rice-paper embellished with gold leaf and an antique glaze, is as much an evocative artwork as a tactile wallcovering.

Similarly, one of Jocelyn Warner’s new designs, Fern (shown at 100% Design last September), shimmers with iridescent gold and silver detail. Warner, whose work is in the collection of New York’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, enjoys scanning objects such as folded paper or pebbles to create big, apparently three-dimensional designs. She favours eye-catching surfaces – often mirrored or metallic – and works closely with manufacturers’ research and development teams to explore new finishes and speciality inks.

New production techniques are creating fascinating textural effects. Fine silica sand accentuates and softens lined grid patterns in Ulf Moritz’s Charisma collection (available from Brian Yates). Lacquered flowers in spectacularly large repeats sit on silky, gloss grounds while hammered metallics, woven leather effects, crystals, pearly micas and shimmering sparkling threads are incorporated into various designs.

Flutter by Catherine Hammerton

This textural trend accounts for the renaissance of flock, a technique that replicates cut-velvet on wallpaper. Cole & Son, one of the few remaining manufacturers of hand-flocked wallpaper produced by traditional, 200-year-old methods, offers customised designs while its dramatic flock-on-foil collection is a bestseller. Meanwhile Hulanicki’s new flock collection for Graham & Brown combines bold images with hot fashion colours such as cerise, burnt orange and purple grape. A subtle outline pattern of skulls has been a surprising hit. “I wanted to give traditional flock a distinct modern twist,” Hulanicki says. “I feel wallpaper design has previously been too serious. It needs an injection of humour.”Innovative finishes are a key focus for Beware the Moon, a father-and-daughter design studio run by John and Louise Wakefield. Glitter, holographic undercoats and iridescent, colour-changing, movement-activated inks are among their “magic tricks”. “We try to achieve effects and finishes that play with light and colour in new ways,” says Louise Wakefield. The company’s initial designs, hand-printed on paper made from sustainably produced pulp, play on themes of denial (Ostrich), desire (She) and death/re-birth (Skulls).

Meanwhile texture combines with image and pattern to create an intricate layered effect in Claire Coles’s bespoke wallpaper panels. Coles scours markets and charity shops for vintage wallpapers, then cuts, layers and machine-stitches them together to create new scenes and illustrations that lend fresh significance and unexpected beauty to discarded or unremarkable papers, as revealed in a recent show at London’s Flow Gallery.

Royal College of Art graduate Catherine Hammerton extends this concept with her Collection wallpaper – a collage of original love-letters, fabrics and lucky charms that turns each hand-finished panel into a wildly textural explosion of colour and image. Meanwhile Flutter is made from hand-cut paper ginkgo leaves stitched to a traditional ground, while laser-cut floral paper shapes tumble and trail like foliage in Bramble. Blossom, a hand-stitched, waxed paper dotted with lacy perforations, is best hung proud of a wall to emphasise the design’s natural shadow-play. These bespoke designs start from £200 per metre but a “ready-to-wear” range, including Stamps, a quirky photographic print featuring cascades of vintage stamps, is more accessibly priced (£179 for a 10-metre roll).

Hammerton’s designs, which combine silk-screen printing and handwork with digital technology, typify the new mixed-media approach that is transforming our wallscapes. For example, Maria and Ekaterina Yaschuk of Meystyle integrate twinkling LEDs (light-emitting diodes) into their bespoke wallpapers. The Moscow-born, London-based sisters print their designs to any scale on materials including textile-based wall-coverings, using Swarovski crystals to accentuate the lights’ impact.

Meanwhile zips, sequins, tassels – even button-holes with hand-stitched buttons – rank among Tracy Kendall’s special effects. Inspired by a 1920s dress, her Sequins wallpaper creates its own reflective light-show while a bespoke design called In the White Room employs a cut-and-restitch technique to create a three-dimensional patchwork effect with strips of paper peeling away to add texture, shadow and depth to a wall. Flax, a frondy design comprising cut strands of paper, whispers audibly as you brush past. “[She] treats wallpaper more like a textile – weaving it or creating 3D effects by manipulating and involving the paper,” says design historian Lesley Jackson.

Kendall’s latest designs, shown at the Maison & Objet interiors exhibition in Paris in January, include Inventory, which depicts a 19th-century household inventory, and Picturespots, a collection of 18th-century vignettes. Interaction is also Rachel Kelly’s goal. Specially created pattern pieces can be stuck on by homeowners, giving her wallpapers greater visual depth (available online from www.interactivewallpaper.co.uk). Kelly, whose wallcoverings grace London’s Zetter hotel, is not alone in forging a creative link between designer and homeowner via a product. Inspired by the 1950s paint-by-numbers craze, Jenny Wilkinson’s Wallpaper-by-Numbers designs can be painted in small sections or left as outlines.

An even more intensely interactive experience comes from computerised, digital wallpapers. Leading exponents include Daniel Brown, whose animated floral wallpaper – a light projection activated by self-generative computer software to evolve “organically” – is in the V&A show Decode: Digital Design Sensations (until April 11). He is currently working on a domestic version for Gallery Libby Sellers. Also on show is Simon Heijdens’ Tree – a light projection linked to outdoor environmental sensors that “blow” leaves from swaying branches on to the ground, where they lift and settle as you stroll.

Are homeowners keen to commission such elaborate designs? It appears so. Heijdens has installed moving wallpaper in five homes, while one of Brown’s is in a three-storey atrium/living space. “It looks quite exceptional,” he says.

‘Walls Are Talking: Wallpaper, Art and Culture’, until August 30, Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester, UK, tel: +44 (0)161-275 7450,

Acanthus
A leafy plant used in ancient Greek art, especially as ornaments in their sculptures. Example

Accent Wall
The wall in a room on which special or extra emphasis has been given to attract attention from the adjacent walls.

Accordion folding
See Booking.

Aeration of adhesives
A condition that exists when the adhesive is filled with miniature air bubbles, frequently caused by extreme or vigorous whipping during the mixing procedure. This must be avoided for the reason that it may cause small blisters to form underneath the wallcovering, especially when installing a non-breathable type.

All-over design
A design that covers the entire paper without any stand out emphasis usually comes in floral, foliage, geometric, or scenicss.  - 

American single roll
The wallpaper roll will contain between 34 to 36 square feet, regardless of length and width. Contains 25 percent more material than a Euro roll, so you have fewer seams, but its width makes it slightly more difficult to handle.

Anthemion (Anthemia)
A stylized classical motif based on the honeysuckle leaf and flower. Often found in neoclassical and neo-grec wallcoverings. Its similarity with the palmette has allowed for the two terms to be used interchangeably. Also known as Honeysuckle ornament.

Appliqué (Applique)
A design or ornament cut out from wallpaper or floor covering and then applied to a plain, textured or figured background.

Anaglypta
A Greek word meaning “raised ornament”. When speaking about wallpaper, it refers to a type that is embossed or textured, looking like ornate plasterwork. Anaglypta wallpaper is available only in white; it must be painted after hanging.

Antimocrobal
Compound commonly added to a coating to inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi and algae on the surface of a finished product.

Architrave
The molding that surrounds a door, arch, or window. Also known as Casing.

Art Deco
An art movement, largely from the 1920’s and 1930’s, that is characterized by the use of angular, symmetrical geometric forms.

Example

B

• Index •
Baroque
The style is characterized by rich ornamentation and depth, sweeping curves, and dramatic scale. Baroque style used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur from sculpture, painting, literature, and music. Example

Baseboard
See Skirting.

Basket weave design
A pattern or arrangement that simulates the over-and-under weaving effect of basket weaving. Example

Blank stock (Backing paper)
See Liner paper.

Blister
A small bubble (air pocket) which forms under the wallpaper during the installation. Blisters are usually caused by: (a) inadequate soaking or relaxing time after the adhesive has been applied to the backing; (b) installation temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit; (c) air trapped betweenthe wall and the paper; (d) wallpaper installed on an extremely porous wall that was not properly sealed; or (e) aeration of the adhesive.

Bolt
Two or three single rolls of wallcovering sold as a continuous length packaged as one unit.

Booking
When applying paste onto wallpaper, the procedure of temporarily folding, not creasing, pasted surfaces on to each other for easier handling and allowing time for the adhesive to soak into the paper, keeping it tacky until ready to hang. It allows the wallcovering to relax, which helps to prevent stretching and shrinking that can cause seams to show. Also known as Accordion folding.

Border
A narrow band of wallpaper usually used along ceiling lines, baseboards, doors, windows, and at chair rail height in place of or in addition to wood molding.

Breathable
Wallcoverings that allow water and air to pass through. String wallpaper, vinyl-coated paper, and paintable woven fiberglass wallcoverings are breathable.

Bridging liner
Porous under-wallcovering material designed to cover irregularities on walls or smooth surfaces, such as brick or paneling, to hang decorative wallpaper. This material may also be painted though many will want to hang liner paper over the bridging material for a smoother surface.

Butted seam (Butt joint)
Two strips of wallpaper are laid with the edges just touching without any overlapping or spacing between the strips.

C

• Index •
Casing
See Architrave.

Cellulose paste
A paste that is derived from wood plup, cotton, plants, etc. These are non-staining and ordorless adhesives that are frequently used in hanging natural materials such as Grasscloths, Linens, Silks, Stringcloths, etc. We recommend Gardner-Gibson’s Dynamite C-11 Ultra Clear for lighter grasscloths, like Silks and Strings and Roman’s Ultra Premium Clear Pro 880 for heavier grasscloths such as Burlaps and heavy Jutes.

Centering
Placing the dominant part of a wallpaper pattern on a focal point in a room, such as the middle of a fireplace.

Chair rail
A strip of decorative wood molding set 32 to 36 inches above the floor.

Chalk line
A length of string covered in chalk dust, pulled tight, and snapped against a surface to leave a straight guideline.

Chevron
A geometric form composed of a horizontal or vertical string of V’s used either singly or in a series to form a zig zag. Also called saw tooth for its tooth-like protrusions.

Example

Chinoiserie
A French term that describes the influence of Chinese design in wall coverings and fabrics. Usually represented by graceful, flowing floral designs with birds, and branches. Subdued tones or rich, multi-colors are used.

Example

Choke
The background area of the wallpaper. Also called the ground.

Colorways (Colourways)
The various color choices for a specific pattern.

Cork (Cork veneer)
They have natural textures with no definite pattern or design. Cork veneer is shaved from cork planks of blocks and laminated to a substrate that may be colored or plain. Cork naturally absorbs sound, insulates, provides contrast and can be used as a bulletin board.

Example

Cornice
A moulding that runs round the ceiling at the top of a wall.

Crown Molding
Ornamental strip of wood that lies along the ceiling line.

D

• Index •
Dado
The wall space between the chair rail and the baseboard.

Damask
Patterns imitating stylized textiles, usually monochromatic in color with floral, foliage or swag themes.

Example

Dead corner
An inconspicuous spot where you can place the mismatched last sheets of a wallcovering. Also, known as the kill point.

Documentary wallpapers
Replica historic wallpaper.

Example

Double cut seam
A wallpaper seam in which the edges of two adjoining sheets are overlapped and then cut through the overlap; then excess materials are removed from both layers and the seam is pressed into place. Also known as an overlapping butt joint.

DRC (drywall repair clears)
See Primer/Sealers.

Drop
A length of wallcovering cut to fit a specific space. A full drop runs from the ceiling to the baseboard and includes allowances for trimming. Also called a sheet or strip.

Drop match
A design in which the pattern is staggered rather than straight across. The pattern at the top is the same on every other strip of wallcovering. There is waste with the drop matching of large scale patterns, therefore, when dealing with a drop match, paper hangers use the technique of measuring and cutting adjacent strips from different rolls of wallcovering and alternating them. Also so known as a pattern drop.

Dry hanging
Method of hanging wallcoverings in which the adhesive is applied to the wall instead of the back of the wallcovering.

Dry strippable
Describes a wallpaper that can be pulled off the wall without first treating it with a wetting agent.

E

• Index •
Embossed
Wallpaper that has a raised textured effect, like Anaglypta or Flock.

Euro roll
A single roll of wallcovering sized in the metric system. Standard Euro rolls yield about 29 square feet of surface material. Its narrower width makes it easier than an American roll to handle, but you get more seams. Also known as a metric roll.

F

• Index •
Faux
A French word for “imitation”. In wallpapers, it usually applies to designs that imitate actual textures such as wood and stone.

Fill
The main wall area between the chair rail and frieze of a wall, also known as a sidewall.

Fleur de lis (Fleur de lys)
A stylized version of the iris flower used often in heraldry and French design.

Flock
Wallcovering made by a machine that shakes very fine cotton, silk, rayon or nylon fibers from a hopper over a pattern printed in varnish or slow drying paint, to create the appearance of cut velvet, damask, or create a three dimensional effect.

See More At FlockedWallpaper.com

Floral prints or patterns
Any wallpaper pattern or design with recognizable flowers printed as the decorative surface.

Flush
The term used to describe two level, adjacent surfaces.

Focal point
The first wall you see upon entering a room. If a room has multiple entries, the main focal wall is the one facing the room’s dominate flow of traffic.

Foils
Constructed by laminating a thin sheet of aluminum onto a substrate of paper or scrim. Foils sometimes have a polyester sheet between the paper backing and the foil to prevent water in the adhesive from actually contacting the foil. They must be hung on very smooth surfaces and require great care in handling. Example

Fret
A geometric band or border designs, consisting of interlacing or interlocking lines. Also known as a key pattern.

Frieze
A horizontal ornamental border along the top of a room or panel. Generally a pictorial border that ran above, the door height or, in a dining rooms, above the plate rail.

Frieze Pattern
A pattern that repeats in one direction, popular in the early 1900s.

Fungicide
A chemical that kills mold.

G

• Index •
Geometric patterns
Modernist design from the 1900-1970’s usually printed on non-woven surfaces. A pattern or design characterized by straight lines, triangles, circles, etc.

Glass textile wallcovering
Woven with glass yarns and designed for strength, health, safety, and designed versatility. They are paintable, decorative and a functional wallcovering for interior wall and ceiling surfaces.

Gothic
A style of architecture developed in northern France that spread throughout Europe between the 12th and 16th centuries; characterized by slender vertical piers and counterbalancing buttresses and by rib vaulting and pointed arches and a developing emphasis on verticality and the impression of height.

Ground
The background area of the wallpaper. Also called the choke.

H

• Index •
Handprints (Hand screening)
See Screen-printed.

Header Strip
A strip of wallcovering that is allocated to be hung above a door or window.

Herringbone
A pattern consisting of rows of short slanted parallel lines with the direction of the slant alternating row by row and used in masonry, parquetry, embroidery, and weaving.

Honeysuckle ornament
See Anthemion.

Houndstooth check
A textile design of small broken checks.

I

• Index •
In-register paper backed vinyl
Solid vinyl layer of material is laminated or bonded to a paper-backing sheet. These wallpapers have a raised or embossed effect to register the pattern design. They resist moisture, stains, and grease and are scrubbable and peelable but will not withstand extreme physical abuse. Cleaning may be more difficult due to the raised pattern.

Intensity
The strength of a color.

J

• Index •
Jute
A soft, resilient natural fiber extracted from the stalks of the giant cochorus plants grown in Kerala, a state of India. Example

K

• Index •
Key Pattern
See Fret.

Kill point
See Dead corner.

L

• Index •
Lamination
The process of building up thin layers of materials and bonding them together as one product under heat and pressure with an adhesive added.

Lap Seam
A method of hanging wallpaper in which strips overlap slightly. Primarily used on commercial goods.

Level
Perfectly horizontal.

Liner paper (Lining paper)
A special paper, also called blank stock, usually applied horizontal and used under wallcoverings. Benefits of use include, smoother surface for final wallcovering, serves as an excellent porous base for decorative wallpaper, and sets (bonds) the seams and controls the expansion/contraction process (moisture and vapor bubble reduction).

Loeil
See Trompe L’oeil.

Lotus
One of the oldest of all decorative motifs, utilizing the water lilies of the Nile River.

M

• Index •
Match
Wallcovering patterns are printed in repeats known as straight match, drop match, and random match. The “match” refers to the place where the design matches at the seams. When ordering wallcovering, be sure to take the pattern repeat and match into consideration. For instance, a large repeat with a straight match will require more wallcovering than a small repeat with a drop match. A random match has the least waste factor, because no allowances need to be made for matching the pattern.

Matte finish
A dull or flat finish.

Medallion
A decorative element confined within a round, oval, square or rectangular outline. Example

Metal wallpaper
Wallcoverings with real metal surfaces.

Metalized polyesters
Consist of a vacuum metalized polyester film laminated to a fabric backing. They have a highly reflective surface of foil without the accompanying stiffness and creasing. They are strong and durable. Mylar is the common brand name. Example

Metallic
Wallpaper that gives the appearance of a sheet metal or foil.

Shop for Wall Paper at WallsandFabrics.com

Metric roll
See Euro roll.

Moiré (Moire)
Wallpaper having a watery silk sheen or wood grain effect embossed on the decorative surface.

Molded wallcovering
See Anaglypta.

Molding (Moulding)
An ornamental strip of wood or plaster that protrudes from a ceiling or wall surface.

Monochromatic
Of one color, sometimes in different light to dark values.

Motif
The recurring design or subject matter of a wallpaper pattern.

Murals
Wall coverings with a pictorial design that continues over two or more strips of wallpaper and is intended to cover part or most of a wall without repeat. These scenes may be photographic, digital, custom, hand, or machine printed. Cleaning care and durability widely varies depending on the manufacturing technique and materials used. Also called scenics. Examples

Muted colors
Any colors with brightness that has been lessened or moderated, often by their complementary colors.

Mylar
Often mistaken for foil, it has similar application and appearance features. A brand of polyester film from Dupont that is applied to decorative prints of wallpaper. Example

N

• Index •
Natural fibers
Natural materials, such as vines, jute, wool, seagrass, coir, cork, hemp, reed, sisal, cotton, and grass are laminated to a paper backing. They are usually unpasted. They provide a natural and textured character to decoration and are available in an extensive variety of color combinations. Examples

Neoclassicism (Neo-classicism) (Neoclassical) (Neo-classical)
Reviving the unemotional ideals of ancient Greece and Rome. Its rigidity was a reaction to the over bred elegance and elaborate Rococo style and the emotional charged Baroque style.

Neutral colors
Beiges, whites, grays, and browns. Colors which coordinate well with most other colors.

Non-breathable (Nonporous)
Wallcovering with this characteristic does not allow water and air to freely pass through its surface. Solid vinyl and foils are not breathable.

O

• Index •
Ombre stripe
Striped wallpaper where one color is used in several values, giving it a blurred or bleeding out look. Example

Open time
The time period available between the activation and application of adhesives until they dry.

Osnaburg
Type of coarse, heavy cloth, usually cotton, used as a backing in Type II vinyl coated fabric wallpapers.

Outside corner
A corner formed when two walls, not facing each other, are joined and protrude into the room.

Overlapping butt joint
See Double cut seam.

Overlapping Seam
A method of hanging wallcovering in which strips overlap slightly. Primarily used on commercial goods.

P

• Index •
Pad grounds
Wallpaper that has been printed in one operation, with the design printed on a wet background.

Paisley
Printed with colorful curved abstract figures of Persian origin. Examples

Palmette
Fan-shaped ornamental motif resembling either a palm leaf or a loose cluster of honeysuckle flowers. A band of palmettes is called an anthemion. 

Panel decoration
Style of wallcovering which developed in the second half of the 18th century, designed to be framed in the wood paneled walls. Today they are used as spot decorations and framed with molding.

Paper backed vinyl
Solid vinyl layer of material is laminated or bonded to a paper-backing sheet. This type of wallcovering is very durable since the decorative surface is a solid sheet of vinyl, making it scrubbable and peelable. Paper backed vinyl can be used in most areas of the home since it resists moisture and is stain and grease resistant. However, this type of wallpaper will not withstand hard physical abuse. Also known as solid sheet vinyl.

Patina
Often associated with the green film that forms on copper and bronze. Example

Pattern drop
See Drop match.

Pattern match
The alignment of wallpapering strips at the edges so that the design makes a continuous horizontal, vertical, or diagonal flow of pattern around the room.

Pattern repeat
The distance between identical parts of a wallpaper’s pattern in a straight vertical line.

Peelable
Describes wallpaper in which the decorative surface and ground can be separated from the backing. The backing remains on the wall, but should be removed before hanging a new wallcovering or painting a wall. Note important differences between “peelable” and “strippable” wallcoverings. Example

Photo Murals
Wallpaper that simulates photography that is enlarged to be placed on a room-sized wall or door. Photo murals are usually divided into quarter panels for installation purposes, and portray scenes such as mountains, seashores, cities, or outer space. Photo Mural

Pimple
Blister under wallpaper caused by a wall defect, usually a small bit of drywall that protrudes above the normal wall surface.

Plaid
Designs consisting of crossed stripes, many of them originating in Scottish tartans. Examples

Pliability
Degree of softness and ease of flexing and bending of wallpaper.

Plumb
A true vertical line on a wall.

Plumb bob (Plumb line)
A weighted string used to establish and mark a true vertical on a wall, assuring that each strip is hung straight.

Prepasted paper
Describes a wallcovering that has an adhesive coating applied to its backing by the factory. Activated by dipping in water, activator, or thinned down wallpaper paste. The directions for each individual paper must be followed to determine proper soaking and booking time.

Pretrimmed
Describes a wallcovering whose selvages were removed at the factory.

Primer
Are applied to make the substrate more uniform for acceptance and improve the adhesion of the topcoat. Not all primers will allow the wallpaper to slide easily during installation. Primers will improve the removability of the wallcovering and decrease the chances of wall damage.

Primer/Sealers
Can provide the best insurance on a good installation, often used in place of sizing materials. It is a special penetrating primer that is designed to penetrate the wall surface and seal up any problem areas due to wall damage or any situation where wall surface anomalies are suspected. These products are available in several mixtures to address specific needs. A colored (pigmented) acrylic primer/sealer is the most common because it can be used on all surfaces. It’s water based, easy to clean and the coloring helps prevent any discolorations from showing through the paper. These products protect the underlying drywall, provide a good surface for adhesion, and increase the slip during wallpaper installation. Examples of primer/sealers are Zinsser’s Gardz, Roman’s Multi-Task™ PRO-900 Universal Primer, and Sherwin Williams’ PrepRite Drywall Conditioner.

Primer/Size (Prep coat)
Acrylic primer that normally, when dry, leaves a tacky surface. This surface allows wallpaper to easily adhere to the surface. Examples of prep coats are Roman’s R-35, Zinsser’s Z-54, California Paint’s Prep ‘n Size, Golden Harvest’s BITE, Muralo’s Adhesium, and Benjamin Moore’s Wall-Grip.

Primer/Stain Killer
Should be used for walls with problematic stains such as grease, recurring mold, etc. They prevent these types of stains from bleeding through the wallpaper. This product would be used to spot-treat these areas or as a total primer base. These primers are also excellent for covering brightly painted surfaces that may otherwise bleed through the final wallpaper. Most stain killer formulas contain antimicrobal agents to prevent future growth of any type of mold; however, existing mold must be removed using a 3:1 water to bleach solution prior to application of the primer.

R

• Index •
Railroading
The horizontal application of wallpaper. This is used to create an unusual or striking effect, an example is a stripe hung horizontal. It is also, sometimes done with liner paper or bridging material.

Random match
Describes a design in which the pattern doesn’t align at vertical edges in a regular fashion. Stripes, all-over textures, and grasscloths are good examples.

Reedcloth
A handcrafted wallcovering in which every individual reed is inserted into the cotton warp threads of a hand made loom. Example

Relief
Making a design prominent by raising it or by cutting away the surface or background of the design.

Repeat
The distance from the center of an identical element in a motif or pattern to the next.

Reverse Hanging
Technique of paperhanging where each strip is alternately hung “right side up” and “upside down” in papers with a random match. This is used to negate or lessen the effects of shading problems on the edges of those wallcoverings, if applicable.

Rigid Vinyl Acrylic
This product is used in areas where there is a potential for high-impact concerns such as hospital corridors, high traffic areas in commercial buildings and the hospitality environment where movable carts are used.

Rococo
It is characterized by opulence, grace, playfulness, and lightness in contrast to the heavier themes and darker colors of the earlier Baroque period. Rococo motifs focused on the carefree aristocratic life and on lighthearted romance rather then heroic battles or religious figures.

Running
Measured lengthwise.

S

• Index •
Saw tooth
See Chevron.

Scenics
See Murals - Examples

Screen-printed
Involves the use of stencils to transfer the design. Paint is applied to a frame of stretched silk, polyester, or nylon screen and penetrates areas of the screen not blocked by the stencil pattern. By using several stencils, many colors can be added to form successive layers in a single print. Also known as handprints, silk screening, hand screening, and serigraphy. Examples

Scrubbable
Describes a wallcovering that can be cleaned with a prescribed detergent, water, and a brush.

Sculptured Wallcovering
See Anaglypta.

Seam
Areas where two wall coverings are joined.

Seam roller
A small, narrow plastic, felt, or wooden roller used to secure the seams of wallpaper to make them adhere to the wall when dry. This is done by rolling or pressing the seams after the paper has been applied to the wall and the air bubbles, if any, are smoothed away. Stringcloth, grasscloth, flock, and heavily embossed wallpaper are examples of product that would be damaged by the use of a seam roller.

Tone on Tone
Wallcovering in which shades of one color are featured.

Selvage
The blank edge of a wallcovering. Used for markings that maintain registration during printing, plus protects the design during shipment.

Semi-automated wallcoverings
The selvages are partially severed and can be detached easily, or, the wallcoverings are fully trimmed on one edge only.

Serigraphy
See Screen-printed.

Shading
Effect that can sometimes appear along the seams of patterned or textured wall coverings due to heavier ink coverage at one edge than the other during printing. Reverse hanging can often solve this problem.

Sheet
See Drop.

Shiki
Means “four seasons” in Japanese and used to describe hand-made Asian silk glued to a backing.

Silk-screening
See Screen-printed.

Sidewall
See Fill.

Single Cut
What you do to seam a sheet that is wet with a sheet that has already dried. This technique mainly applies to sidewall paper and borders. You overlay the wet sheet on the dry sheet, use a smoother or putty knife to force the impression line of the underlying dry seam and then with the feel of your fingertips and a single edge blade, you cut a butted seam using the creased line as your guide.

Sisal
Wallpaper made from the fibers of the sisal plant. Example

Size (Sizing)
In the case of plaster walls, it will prevent too much paste from being absorbed into the wall. Its use on drywall applications is not so much to prepare the wall, but to provide added adhesion for the final installation of wallpaper. It usually comes in the form of a white powder that is mixed with water according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Another form of size is to coat the walls with a thinned down version of the adhesive that ultimately be used in the installation of the wall covering. Many wallpaper manufacturers specifically request its usage on any wall type though it is traditionally associated with plaster walls.

Skirting
Narrow board that runs round the base of walls. Also known as baseboard.

Sliding cut
A method of cutting wallpaper by sliding a sharp knife along the edge of a surface under it.

Smoothing brush (Smoother)
Used to smooth out wrinkles or air from behind wallpaper during installation. Most often used on delicate wallpaper.

Solid sheet vinyl

Square
Describes two walls whose sides join one another at true right angles.

Stain killer primer
See Primer/Stain Killer.

Stain-resistant
Describes a wallcovering coated with an acrylic, plastic, or vinyl that does not absorb stains.

Stencil
A method of applying a design by brushing ink or paint through a cut out surface.

Straight across match
Describes a design in which the pattern aligns horizontally at single-roll intervals. This means that the pattern design at the top of each strip is always the same.

Straight edge
A six foot or seven foot ruler used by a paperhanger to trim the selvage off of the wallpaper.

Stria (Strie)
A type of stripe, usually consisting of very fine, irregularly spaced parallel lines that are often monochromatic in color. Example

String effect
Wallpaper that have very fine vertical threads laminated to a paper type substrate. Threads may be of a man made material or natural fiber such as silk or linen. These wall coverings should not be subjected to abuse and require great care in their cleaning. Example

Strip
See Drop.

Strippable
Describes a wallpaper that can be pulled off the wall without first treating it with a wetting agent.

Substrate
The backing of a wallpaper. It is laminated to the bottom of the design layer.

Swag
Swinging or suspended decoration, representing garlands, drapery, ribbons or leaves. E

Swatch
A sample cutting of wallpaper or fabric. Resource

T

• Index •
Toile de Jouy (Toile)
A fabric style that originated in the village of Jouy-en-Josas, near Paris. These designs typically resemble finely engraved copper etchings; use one color on a solid ground, and originally had a narrative element - such as a pastoral scene or motifs from classical mythology. Today, this technique can be used for any number of designs including floral trails, birds, or even palm trees. Example

Trompe L’oeil (Loeil)
French term meaning to “fool the eye”. Wall coverings that utilize this technique include designs that use light and shadow to convince you that you are seeing a three-dimensional object. Some wallpaper designs that have been successful are those that simulate draped fabric, trees, bookshelves, moiré silks, and murals and accents that feature a window or door with a view.

U

• Index •
Untrimmed
Describes wallpaper with intact selvages, not factory-trimmed.

W

• Index •
Wainscot
The lower part, dado, of a wall when it has a different covering or finishes than the upper part.

Wallpaper trough
A specially shaped container designed to hold water for soaking prepasted papers before hanging.

Wall Primer
See Primer.

Warm colors
Red, yellow, or orange, or any color to which yellow has been added.

Wire Lap
See Lap seam.

Washable
Describes a wallpaper that can be cleaned with mild detergent and water applied with a sponge or soft cloth.

INTRODUCTION

The walls of any given room represent the largest single area of eye contact in that room. Hence, if a decorative atmosphere is desired for that room, the walls play a very major part. Professional decorators have known for years the asset that wallcovering can be in establishing a mood or feeling as one walks into a room for the first time. Evidence of this fact is reflected by the time, energy, and money invested in the real estate field when selling homes or condominiums from models.

Vinyl For the manufacturing of wallcovering, vinyl can be one of two types, either flexible film sheeting or liquid to be applied as a coating.

Around 4000 B.C., the earliest known form of “paper” was introduced:  Egyptian papyrus.

Wallpaper actually began in ancient China, first because the Chinese invented paper, and secondly because they glued rice paper onto their walls as early as 200 B.C.

In 105 A.D., the Chinese court official Ts’ai Lun, invented papermaking from textile waste, i.e. from rags. This was the birth of paper as we know it today.

Some time in the 8th century, several Chinese prisoners with papermaking skills worked under Arabs, who in turn, spread the knowledge of papermaking throughout the Middle East.

By the 10th century, Arabians were substituting linen fibers for wood and bamboo, creating a finer sheet of paper.  Paper now reached a much higher quality level.

During 12th century, papermaking had spread throughout Europe.

The earliest European pictorial block prints were religious souvenirs known today as “helgen”.  The oldest known, a representation of the Virgin, is dated 1418.  It is now in the Royal Library at Brussels.  This type of printing method may have also been used by the Chinese as early as the 5th century.

Jean Bourdichon painted 50 rolls of paper with angels on a blue background for Louis XI of France in 1481.  King Louis ordered the portable wallpaper because he found it necessary to move frequently from castle to castle.  Other well-heeled Europeans commissioned artists to paint paper for their walls, but real wallpaper can hardly be said to have existed till the advent of the printing press.

The earliest know fragment of European wallpaper that still exists today was found on the beams of the Lodge of Christ’s College in Cambridge, England and dates from 1509.  It is an Italian inspired woodcut pomegranate design printed on the back of a proclamation issued by Henry VIII.  The paper is attributed to Hugo Goes, a printer in York.

A guild of paperhangers was first established in France in 1599.

Jean-Michel Papillon, a French engraver and considered the inventor of wallpaper, started making block designs in matching, continuous patterns in 1675, and wallpaper as we know it today was on its way.

The oldest existing example of flocked wallpaper comes from Worcester and was created in approximately 1680.

The manufacturing methods developed by the English are significant, and the products from 18th century London workshops became all the rage.  At first, fashion conscious Londoners ordered expensive hand painted papers that imitated architectural details or materials like marble and stucco, but eventually wallpapers won favor on their own merits.  Borders resembling a tasseled braid or a swag of fabric were often added, and flocked papers that looked like cut velvet were immensely popular.

Wallpaper came to America in 1739, when Plunket Fleeson began printing wallpaper in Philadelphia.

In early America, colonials copied European fashions.  After the Revolutionary War, Americans set up workshops of their own.  Paper was all the fashion, from neoclassical looks to rambling roses.  American firms made their share of patriotic “commemorative” papers, which we have come to know from trunk linings and bandboxes.

In 1778, Louis XVI issued a decree that required the length of a wallpaper roll be about 34 feet.

Frenchmen, Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf invented the first machine for printing wallpaper in 1785.  Frenchmen, Nicholas Louis Robert invented a way to make an endless roll of wallpaper around the same time.

In 1798, lithography was invented by Alois Senefelder in Solnhofen, Germany.

By the 1800s, French scenic papers printed with hand-carved blocks, some taking as many as 5,000 blocks to produce, were popular.

In 1839, the English invented a four color surface printing machine with designs hand-cut on cylinders that could print 400 rolls a day.  It was invented by the Charles Harold Potter of the calico printing firm Potters & Ross of Darwen in Lancashire, England.

By 1850, eight color printing was available and in 1874, the twenty color printing machine was invented.

In 1879, gravure printing, also known as Intaglio, was invented by Karl Keitsch in Austria.

In 1888, Ferdinand Sichel developed the first ready-to-use wallpaper paste.

In 1890, flexographic printing is invented in England.

Wallpaper pasting machines first appeared around the turn of the 20th century.

Silkscreen printing is said to have originated in Japan and China between 960-1280.  Although, it was first patented in England by Samuel Simon in 1907.  The first mechanical silkscreen machine was invented in 1920.

In the Victorian era, rooms paraded print upon print, mostly in garish colors, and the advent of machine-made wallpaper put the cabbage rose and arabesque patterns within the budget range of practically every home.  Artisans such as Louis Comfort Tiffany and William Morris and their lyrical interpretations of nature, hand-printed by the wood block method, came to symbolize Art Nouveau.  The Victorian Era, as one would expect, was a grand time for wallpaper featuring over embellished designs featuring somber colors, but it was in the roaring ’20s that wallpaper really took the spotlight for the first time.  Known as the Golden Age of Wallpaper, some 400 million rolls were sold during that period.

In 1936, cellulose derivative Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) made its market debut as Henkel-Zellkleister Z 5, a paste powder that was soluble in cold water.

After World War II, the entire industry was revolutionized with the appearance of plastic resins which offered stain resistance, washability, durability and strength.

In 1974, the National Guild of Professional Paperhangers was established in the United States.

Modernism frowned on embellishments, so wallpaper fell into disfavor during much of this century. But as the 20th century ebbs and the bane of cookie-cutter homes and sterile work environments is upon us, some have rediscovered the romance and beauty of patterned walls.

Recent advances in digital, photo, and printing technologies have allowed modern printing facilities to replicate historic papers and other digital media on a variety of substrates.

Of course, one should no longer talk about wallpaper.   Now it’s wallcoverings, for technology has stepped in and created products that incorporate miracle compounds that make them washable, long lasting, pre-pasted, and yet so true to the best of history’s worldly arts.  So, companies can reproduce any style of any period.  And unlike the costly fresco paintings, tapestries and hand-painted papers of the past, today’s wallcoverings are very affordable.

By evad in Inspiration, News, Vintage

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Straight out of the 70’s, the aptly named German based company, Wallpaper from the 70’s, is the source of today’s color inspiration.

The good old wallpaper is back and she dressed to impress. She put on her patterned clothes and brightest colours. This way she first became the star in bars and clubs and it didn’t take long until more and more new friends invited her home. And those who have ever shared the privacy of their home with her don’t want to let her go.

Surely, we are all wallpaper enthusiasts, actually even old pals who have known her since our childhood days. That’s why also her other mates visit our shop. And they all have one thing in common: They enjoy the style of the 70s and chuck out their white walls to get a thrill from the wallpaper.

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