Yes: A 1953 knotty pine den with an original wallpapered ceiling. This is so inspiring, it takes my breath away. When they first moved in, Brian & Keri (of the the 1953 retro kitchen remodel) were not thrilled with the wallpaper. But, they waited a while before taking it down — and now they love it. Brian explains:
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Hi Pam-Our den is small, with alot of furniture in it, so these were the best photos I could get for you.
.When we first bought the house, we were less than crazy about the wallpaper ceiling and planned to remove the wallpaper. However, over time the ceiling grew on us. The wallpaper on the ceiling makes the room darker and appear smaller, but gives it a cozy feel.
.Most people paint over the knotty pine. We love the honey color of the wood, so we plan to leave it alone. We were told the original owners who lived here for 50 years smoked like chimneys, which may account for that lovely dark honey knotty pine. The only thing the room is missing is a deer head mounted on the wall.– Brian
Thank you, Brian, for fulfilling my request to, like, go lay down on the floor of your knotty pine den and take photos in which we could see furniture+walls+ceiling. Did Keri laugh her head off? Gold star!
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Vintage wallpaper on the ceiling of my paneled den! Vintage wallpaper on the ceiling of my paneled den! I want vintage wallpaper on the ceiling of my paneled den! Cozy is good.
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Vintage wallpaper on the ceiling of my paneled den! Vintage wallpaper on the ceiling of my paneled den! I want vintage wallpaper on the ceiling of my paneled den! Cozy is good.
One of the most important lessons
of Retro Renovation:
And, here’s a repeat of that super duper important Retro Renovation principal: LIVE WITH YOUR HOUSE A YEAR, at the least, before you go rippin’ vintage things out (unless there are environmental or safety factors, of course.) Save the regrets by taking it slow. Learn the house you’re in; Love the house you’re in.
Alice says
what a comfortable looking room! This is another example of how inspirational this site can be. We have yet to do anything about our knotty pine room, which is currently my office. the knotty pine is not pretty – it’s sort of streaky blondish. So perhaps I will try some coats of linseed oil – or, take up chain smoking – to see if we can enjoy the panelling in a richer color.
I think wallpapered ceilings are beautiful…and in plastered ceiling homes, they can be a blessing because you don’t see the undulations of aging plaster.
thanks for sharing!
Christine says
You know, Pam, all this time that I’ve been reading your blog — and it’s been a few years now — you’d write about how the original homeowners liked the knotty pine paneling for its warm. And I’d think, yeah, okay, warm. Whatever.
But, this room. This. Glorious. Room. I’ve seen the light.
That fireplace, those beautiful honey-colored walls. The bookshelves. Even the wallpaper on the ceiling. I totally get it now! I’m still trying to work up love for knotty pine kitchen cabinets, but I LOVE this room.
pam kueber says
🙂 I am so putting wallpaper on my office ceiling!
Miss Wynonna says
LOL !!! Be sure to have LOTS of extra hands to help and an extra roll or two of paper !!!
I have put textured paper on MANY a ceiling to cover bad plaster work or to create a vintage tin ceiling look.
Lisa Hildebrand says
I emailed a while back, Pam, asking if you had heard of wallpaper on the bedroom ceilings before. And lo and behold, I find an article featuring a den with a wallpapered ceiling. Talk about weird….I think it is the same wallpaper I have on my master bedroom. Mine is a bit faded here and there and I am currently researching whether there might be some way to deepen or refresh the color…..with a clear glaze of some sort perhaps. But I agree with your reader – I intend to live with it for a while before making any decisions. So far, I’m loving it!
pam kueber says
so sorry i did not respond to your email — i am SO OVERLOADED. Lucky you to have wallpaper on the ceiling!!!!
Keri says
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all the retro love! Brian and I think the beautiful honey colored finish is (alas) the result of many, many packs of cigarettes. Our evidence: when we removed the light fixture to install the ceiling fan, we discovered that the ceiling paper was not dark tan. It was, at one time, actually white. It goes with what neighbors have told us about the original owners, and with other evidence of heavy nicotine use in the house: yellowed kitchen cabinets, yellowed paint inside closets. We don’t think about how it got that way: we’re just enjoying the patina!
Keri
Robin says
My cape cod was built in 1939 and I had paper very similar to it in a upstairs bedroom in blue. We also have the knotty pine in our dining room. I would never change it!
MCM is Grand says
That is a great term – when I had to replace some baseboard moldings in our 1955 house, I found some wallpaper underneath…evidently they had wallpapered down to the floor, then installed the baseboards. I kept these scraps as part of the “archaeology” of our house. 🙂
flyingethan (what's his name) says
Awesome! Hannahs is great but definitely a little pricey. I’ll check out the places that Pam recommended. I have a feeling that I will pay dearly if I want something similar to that wallpaper. Thanks.
pam kueber says
ebay: watch ebay
Lynne says
Have you tried Hannah’s Treasures? Not inexpensive, but fabulous old papers.
pam kueber says
7 places to buy vintage wallpaper, from 80cents to $200/roll: https://retrorenovation.com/2011/03/01/7-places-to-buy-vintage-wallpaper-from-1-25-to-200-per-roll/
flyingethan (what's his name) says
I am glad that Brian and Keri did not take the wallpaper off of the ceiling. That wallpaper looks very similar to the wallpaper used in Darrin and Samanthas kitchen on the show Bewitched seasons 3-6. That wallpaper is impossible to find now. I’ve looked and looked. If anyone knows where to buy wallpaper that looks like that, please share.
JKM says
My grandparents’ circa 1957 modern-style home in Dallas had knotty pine on the fireplace wall of the family room, which had a centered fireplace faced with long, rectangular roman brick light gray in color. The room was beautiful. No wallpaper on the family room ceiling, though – that was reserved for the three family bathroom ceilings! Each had painted walls but pretty paper on the ceilings, which I always thought was so unusual. One had a pale yellow motif, another a sort of celadon and the other in pale gray tones. The ceiling paper in each coordinated with the wall and tile colors with tiny pops of color – little birds, flowers, etc. The fourth bath was off a small, never-used maid’s room but didn’t have wall or ceiling paper – it was painted a pale terracotta color with matching fixtures. Pretty but monochromatic and more utilitarian.
All was in pristine condition the 45 years they lived in the house until it was sold, scraped and replaced with a giant, bloated two and a half story gilded monstrosity. We knew it was going to be scraped (like practically every other house on their street had been) but it was sickening to see it as a pile of rubble. I’m so glad I found this site where people appreciate things for their timeless beauty. Sigh.