Category Archives: Kitchen

Repapered Kitchen, A Dramatic Change

This kitchen and breakfast room went from frumpy to fabulous with only a change in wallcovering. At one point in time, the striped paper was dashing and trendy…but that was yesterday. Today, it has undergone a complete facelift; becoming an example of classic sophistication.
The grasscloth-look, vinyl wallcovering, opens up the room making it appear less busy and larger.
Isn’t it amazing what wallpaper can do?
I love what I do for a living!

BEFORE:
IMG_4282B4-CD-Breakfast

 

AFTER:IMG_4338IMG_4329IMG_4342

In the last photo, you can see the variations of color on the wallcovering. See over the cabinets – it’s not a solid color. (Unfortunately it’s not showing up well in my pictures.)IMG_4335

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Kitchen in Red – Brewster Wallcoverings ‘Kismet, Gypsy Red’

   This was a very cut up kitchen and breakfast area with many challenges, including a 16 foot high area that was difficult to get to. Of course, to me, it made the completed job even more satisfying! Don’t you think the final look is awesome?
    The Brewster wallcovering (Kismet pattern in gypsy red) made the bold, red island pop. The before photo show how unnoteable the walls were in brown taupe.
    The walls had five to six layers of wallcovering and backing papers on them.
In the kitchen area the top layer of paper was painted and textured with a semi gloss paint. This had to be stripped completely off. The breakfast area still had the previous wallcovering on the top and had been painted over below. Both had layers of backing paper beneath.
    After stripping the rooms, priming with a white primer, floating, then sanding – I hung a blankstock lining material to assure a smooth well adhered final installation.
Because of the difficulty (and my short stature) getting to the high area over the refrigerator, I had another member of the Wallcovering Installers Association help me hang that section. I want to thank Don Dye of Houston, Texas for that.

As for the adorable children’s artwork; I know it adds quite a bit to the room, however, I think the new wallpaper makes it stand out even more than it did with the plain walls.
Being a grandparent, I can appreciate that. 🙂

BEFORE:
ashro4
AFTER:

ashro5b

ashro5ab4-ashr6

ashro9ashro7

Breakfast Area BEFORE:

Breakfast Area AFTER:

ashro8

 

 

WallPaper & Faux Plaster Finish Combo

 

Replaced paper & textured below chair rail
Textured & painted below chair rail
Replaced paper on all this area
Textured & painted below chair rail
Textured & painted below chair rail

Part of the kitchen and breakfast area is shown above.

This home flooded and the floors and walls needed to be replaced, and/or repaired.
The kitchen wallpaper was the homeowner’s favorite and she really wanted to find the same thing to replace it.
Unfortunately it was no longer made, but she did have enough left over from the original job to replace the main area of the kitchen, just not enough for the breakfast room.
*I had an idea*   :)
I asked her: “Why don’t you have a chair rail put up around the breakfast room and I can add a faux plaster finish below it, matching the colors to the wallpaper’s background?”
She loved the idea!
About 12 inches of wall was removed all around the home.
It was quite a bit of work to remove what was left of the old papers on the now dry sheetrock.
I also stripped the paper from all the walls in two bathrooms, primed, then faux plastered and painted those rooms as well.
 
Did I tell you I was her original paperhanger which was 12 years prior?
It was just a coincidence that she found me, but BOTH of us were very glad to see each other again.
Hall Bathroom –
Before, with original paper.
Then, after stripping paper and applying a wash.

…And the final product.

The Powder Bath –
Before, with original paper.
The paper was used to make a border around the top because the homeowner wanted to preserve a bit of it.

Same original wallpaper as the 1st bathroom.
Same original wallpaper as the 1st bathroom.
fauxfabulous-17
fauxfabulous-15
fauxfabulous-18

A separate Art Niche –
Originally the same texture and color as the wall paint:fauxfabulous-19