Granny wallpaper: Bring it on

echo a collectors home trailwaysIn case you have not figured this out, I derive immense joy at thumbing my nose at reigning mass-market stylistas.  If it’s “out” — I ask, “says who?” — and declare it “in.” Today: I declare that these novelty wallpapers are the cat’s pajamas. Heck yeah there is more →

Pink poodle Paris wallpapers

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I found these poodle wallpapers at American Blinds Wallpaper & More and the Wallpaper Connection. I guess if you have a pink bathroom…and put up this wallpaper…then you might as well get a poodle…and name her Fifi.

Vintage Beatles wallpaper


If these 5 rolls of Beatles wallpaper really are from the 60s, it should be interesting to see how much they sell for.

New vintage wallpaper repro’s from Bradbury

authentic vintage wallpaper reproductionsBradbury & Bradbury has introduced four new vintage wallpaper reproductions — classic damasks that, as owner Steve Bauer says, “would be appropriate in almost any style of home, with the exception of perhaps the most sterilized of midcentury modern homes, where ‘ornament is crime.’”

The four papers — Berkshire, Hampshire, Warwickshire and Essex — are all taken from 1920-1940s documents in the Bradbury archives. Read on for more from Steve…

Heck yeah there is more →

Wonderful vintage style wallpaper for a 40s 50s or 60s bedroom

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DOESN’T THIS MAKE YOU WANT TO BE 10 AGAIN — when no one questions why you would want a bedroom that is sweet sweet sweet?

The wallpaper is Lily of the Valley by Thibaut, and it’s available in 7 colorways – including yellow, light blue, even coral. I love the soft pastels the best, I think…. This is so perfectly vintage.

This post was originally published Dec. 28, 2007

Vintage pink poodle wallpaper… and pink checkerboard teapot wallpaper, too!

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Lots of treasures awaited my return home yesterday… An ebay find which I’ll show soon… Barkcloth samples from Full Swing Textiles… and the best of all: Two rolls of vintage pink wallpaper from reader NYC Dorothy. She has contributed it to our community – so that it can savored for all. You see, these are the two wallpapers that hung in her mother’s kitchen and bathroom – and she wanted them to go to a good home.  Dorothy, I promise you, they are in the right place – in front of many thousands of readers who treasure these memories of the homes our own families built in postwar America. Many thanks, indeed!

Oh, and readers… just to ensure you are triply amazed: Did I mention that both of these wallpapers are on a totally high-quality (not brittle) vinyl…. and that they have gold flecks and streaks throughout? Totally swoonable.

Click through for more delightful images of these two great vintage wallpapers…. Heck yeah there is more →

My vintage wallpaper collection from the 50s, 60s and 70s

I finally got around to scanning and then posting my vintage wallpaper collection on flickr. My love affair continues as strong as ever. I think that I now have about 125 rolls. I figure these are a better investment than the stock market. There is no way that I will stop proselytizing the importance of wallpaper to your retro renovation any time soon! And remember, if you are concerned about resale – you can always do “the basics” – like tile, flooring, cabinetry, countertops in a neutral, conservative, traditional style. Then, add your retro zing with with wallpaper and other accessories. If you use a liner paper underneath the vintage wallpaper, you can conceptually remove the vintage paper and reuse it (at least, this is what one expert once told me, it’s worth checking into). If your fixed basics are neutral…timeless… a new owner can work with them to create their own look..

33 affordable vintage-style wallpapers for your bedroom, bathroom, foyer and more

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I continue to be on the hunt for readers who are looking for less expensive wallpaper for their mid century ranch, cape, colonial, bungalow and split level homes. This means: Wallpapers from the sweet cheerful 40s…to the atomic 50s…to the mod generation 60s…and all the stylistic tangents in between. For example, the more I’m into all of this the more I realize: We are a traditional nation. Small tone-on-tone prints are very suitable for your retro renovation, too!

Today: 33 choices with a little of everything described above from Seabrook’s Carey Lind Mahogany Collection. These are “today” wallpapers but I like a number of them for several reasons. One of my most exciting finds is the paper above. See the ‘slubs’? And those dogwood blooms? A very typical barkcloth look! I can definitely see this paper in a pink bathroom — for those of you who want to ‘tone down’ the pink… it would also look great in a in a foyer, bedroom or office. Click through for additional selections and a complete gallery of other nice choices. Heck yeah there is more →