Why paint your walls when wallpaper can offer so much more?
Sure, wallpapering is somewhat more expensive than painting, but then, so is wool carpet compared with linoleum, and an antique sideboard is megabucks more than one nailed together last week in pine. Style, of course, usually comes with a price.
Wallpaper primarily adds character to your house or room in diverse ways. Wallpaper can be cheerful, elegant, chic, colourful, and uplifting. Choose to fit the mood you are creating.
Your house is a grand home? Apply paper to make it grander. Maybe your house is "average" - papered walls will make your 'castle' stand out from your friend's. And well-chosen paper disguises age better than paint.
It can be fun decorating a papered room. It's also a challenge to select the perfect paper, matching it to floor coverings and selecting window furnishings. Notwithstanding covering for your chairs, or the bed cover. Then there are the paintings, and lamps. As well as the sense of achievement in creating a lovely room, it's the journey ....
We commend papering - it can be the essence of style.
SUPPLY AND DEMAND:
HERITAGE PAINTS of Balwyn carries a comprehensive range of wallpaper catalogs and books. All price points are covered, and all books may be borrowed over-night.
The choice includes quality imported papers from Europe and North America generally not available at other paint and wallpaper stores.
The best sellers feature well-known makers including Vymura, Harlequin, Sunworthy, Imperial and Wilson. Moderately priced, these papers are pre-pasted, washable and strippable. Most designs have matching borders and friezes, and some fabrics. All are suitable for bathrooms and kitchens.
The childrens' and babies' papers and borders are always popular, including many doll and bear prints, toys, novelties, sports and teenage designs. Pre-pasted, washable, strippable.
The selection of "Designer" wallpaper books is impressive. Featured are traditional Sanderson florals and pastel prints, Zoffany traditional prints, famous Liberty designs, William Morris classics and others including Osborne & Little, Eisenhart & Zoffany.
AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE PAPERS:
Two Australian companies manufacture hand printed papers of the Victorian and Federation periods - Paperhangings and St. James (Karman Grech Designs), both available through Heritage Paints & Decor.
These fascinating wall and dado papers, borders and friezes are authentic re-productions taken from original paper designs, scraps of which were discovered behind cupboards, under light switches, in backs of wardrobes, under layers of paint and other wallpapers, and from archives. The prints have been meticulously copied and, in many cases, colours matched.
If restoring an old home, your project may not be complete without returning the walls of the entertaining rooms to their original glory. A newish home might appreciate these papers as well.
Note that ceiling, cornice, rose and woodwork paint colours can be readily matched as required.
A FABLE OF BORDERS AND FRIEZES:
A border paper is narrower than a frieze. It is usually positioned at dado level, or under a picture rail, or where one would be if one had one.
A frieze is a wider paper than a border and is usually placed under the cornice, the area called the "frieze".
A paper frieze becomes a border, no longer being a frieze, when placed under a picture rail, or where one would be if one had one, or at dado (chair rail) level.
A border, on the other hand, can still be a border if positioned up in the frieze, although one may declare it a frieze and no-one should really mind. But, some people will still call it a border because it might look like a border doing the job of a frieze. Not that that matters.
A frieze paper purchased to be used as a border paper (usually narrower) does not attract a reduction in price; likewise a border purchased as a frieze does not suffer an increase. That's fair.
HOW TO USE BORDERS AND FRIEZES:
Paper borders and friezes are a simple but exciting way to transform a room, hallway or entrance.
They can be placed in almost any position: under the cornice, in the vicinity of the picture rail, and at chair or dado rail height are the most popular. But I have seen borders work successfully on ceilings against the cornice, in the cornice cove (gutter), and sitting above the skirting board in conjunction with another similar paper higher up.
Borders and friezes successfully carry out many functions: to add interest to an otherwise featureless wall area; to add further character and style to a room; to act as a catylist or connecting feature tying in all the colours (cushions, carpets, rugs, lamps, drapes, etc.) in the room - that's how you decorate; and to establish colours within that room or area. A prominent paper in an entrance can establish colours and style for the rest of your house.
Use borders and friezes with confidence. They change a room. They lift a colour scheme. They establish an atmosphere, for very little money. $100 - $200 will purchase enough rolls to run 'round a room 4m x 4m. That's the popular papers. The hand printed friezes start around $400 a room. Sound a lot? Not really. Your rug might set you back $1000 - $2000, or the drapes - $1500 or more.
Understand: when decorating, the frieze plays a bigger part.