Using Pattern in Your Home

Since updating the powder room last year with a wall full of mermaid tile, I've been wanting to add a little something to give the other side of the room balance and more panache. I chose my Bolinas Bay wallpaper to give it just the punch it needed.

Mixing and Matching Patterns

As you can see, the tile itself creates a pattern.

So how do you make a wallpaper work with what is already a feature wall?

Contrasts and through lines. First, I picked a print that was larger in scale to the tile. Second, there is negative space in the print. And third, there are colors from the tile in the Bolinas Bay Heron Print as well as some contrasting colors (pinks, peachy oranges etc). All of these factors bring the whole room together.

Installing Wallpaper is Easy

• The most important part is to decide where in the room is best to start your paper. This depends on the width of the wallpaper. Bari J. wallpaper is 24" wide. We picked a corner to start in. Measuring in 24" increments to where the last strip of wallpaper would go up, it turned out we'd need to install a tiny strip at the end to finish. That would have made the installation at that point very difficult. We wanted to have at least 5" to work with, so we divided the starting strip in one 14" and one 10" strip. That made finishing on each side way easier.
• Cut a strip that is about 6" longer than the height of your wall. Use a rotary cutter or blade and a straight edge to cut. 
• Place the wrong side up and roll water on the paper.
• Now bring each end up to the center of the wet side of the paper. This is called "booking" your wallpaper. Sticking the ends to to the wet side allows you to easily transport the paper to your wall.
• Start the paper about 1" above the top of the wall.
• Smooth the paper down using a brush and a wallpaper smoother.
• Repeat the wetting and booking process with the next piece, and then match to the first piece and smooth out the bubbles as before.
• Continue until all pieces are in place.