{friday finds: flerique by eijffinger)

I’m excited to show you a new wallpaper book from Eijffinger called Fleurique. I know Eijffinger isn’t for everyone, but it appeals to my sense of style. The strong colors, patterns, and European flair is what I like most about this line.

This book is inspired by brightly colored flowers. Rounding out the book are stripes, overscaled snowflakes, raised patterns with matte and glossy finishes playing together. Never a dull color in the Eijffinger books.

                 

Fleurique surprised me with the elongated triangles shown here in neutrals, which also is available in a lovely pink. And how cool is wallpaper that looks like shiny, iridescent eyes of peacock feathers? It’s a modern looking pattern not found in other wallpaper books; plus, it’s available in some doable neutral colorways. I see patterns from this book crossing the line from residential to commercial applications. Eijffinger has not disappointed me yet.

The wallcovering libraries vary at each Hirshfield’s location. Call in advance if you are looking for a specific book, and ask if the book is checked in. Our stores are seeing a steady increase in customers looking for wallpaper which is very exciting for us wallpaper lovers.

{bits & pieces: thibaut’s faux bois wallpaper}

I planted the seed a couple of weeks ago. In passing, I mentioned to my husband, ” Think about horizontal (painted) wood planking on the headboard wall in our bedroom.” Audible groan, and then, “what are YOU talking about?” In our house, my ideas = husband doing a lot of the work.

That was before I saw this wallpaper in the new Neutral Resource book from Thibaut. The Hirshfield’s Design Studio staff first showed me the paper, and then a couple of the stores mentioned it. Everyone’s in agreement. It’s an excellent faux bois paper and all around great book. That extra layer of texture gives a room more character and added interest. What do you think?

A wide array of natural tones comprise Thibaut’s Neutral Resource wallpaper collection. Designs range from traditional classic patterns to novelty contemporary prints. A variety of metallics paired with colors such as soft fawn, stone, and charcoal enrich the neutral color palette. Specialty papers like cork and raffia enliven the collection with dimension and vitality.

The majority of H’s stores have the Thibaut books, but call first before making a special trip.

Enjoy your week! Spring is almost here.

{MELINKI wallpapers & fabrics now at hirshfield’s}

Modern. Bold. Quirky. Fun.

We’re talking about the line of Melinki wallpaper and fabric now available at Hirshfield’s! Melinki’s range of wallpapers and fabrics add a fun, bold style statement to any home.

The non-woven wallpapers are responsibly manufactured in the UK and printed using ethically sourced raw materials on paper from sustainable European forests. The eclectic mix of wallcoverings are inspired by mid-century archive documents and modern Scandinavian design. These versatile wallcoverings enjoy a cool, clean palette of fashionable hues: coastal calm, retro kitsch, bakelite brights and urban neutrals.

Melinki Wallpaper

Melinki Wallpaper

Melinki Wallpaper

{friday finds: wallpaper – it’s not just for walls!}

Wallpaper – it’s “in“, it’s “out“, but most recently it’s been “in”. Businesses, designers and homeowners have all embraced the resurgence of wallpaper and there’s lots of beautiful, modern designs out there right now to fit every taste. But, of course, trends are always changing and we’re loving that traditional wallpaper has been able to remained current in the design world by being used in nontraditional ways!

Wallpaper – it’s not just for your walls!

Furniture: Desks, dressers, end tables, night stands can all be jazzed up with some wallpaper. Design Sponge gives a great tutorial on how to apply wallpaper to furniture.

Design Sponge

Interiorholic

Apartment Therapy

Create Art: Scraps of wallpaper are perfect for creating budget-friendly works of art.

{friday finds: wild about wallpaper}

Schumacher Byzantium book

Another colorway of the Nasrid Palace Mosaic

House of Turquoise

Thibaut

Silhouettes

Schumacher wallcovering

Pattern from Pip (totally Anthropology looking)

Pip – get use to seeing seafoam…again!

Pattern from the  Suzani book

Pattern from the Geometric book

House of Turquoise

Pattern from the Suzani book

There are so many rockin’ wallpapers available right now it makes my head spin. Traditional, European, retro, flocked, classic, vinyl, hand blocked, screen printed, transitional; wallpaper is very much in vogue.

The staff at Hirshfield’s Design Studio tell me naturals are trending: grasscloths, linen looking papers, bamboo, or silhouettes of nature, like trees and flowers. Also, for a single wall application (focal wall) geometric patterns and damask motifs are customer favorites. The wonderfully exotic Moroccan influence has been emerging over the past year and is now starting to appear in the wallpaper industry.

 Hirshfield’s carries an extensive wallpaper library in the majority of our stores. We offer wallpapers at all price points and have the most diverse selection of high-end or “to trade only” books in town. Our sales staff are wallpaper savvy and knowledgeable with every aspect of the world of wallpaper.

No other decorating product offers so much color, design and coverage to suit any mood, taste and need. Stop by your neighborhood Hirshfield’s and see for yourself all the exquisite wallcovering options.

{friday finds : wallpapering tips : how to hang wallpaper}

We promised you if you stayed tuned, we would follow-up our post on wallpaper tools and supplies with a post on how to hang wallpaper. And we like to stay true to our promises! So now that you have the right tools and supplies, let’s go over some best practices for hanging wallpaper:

Prepping your walls to hang wallpaper:

• Remove all outlet plates, vent covers and anything else that can be removed to make less taping work for you. Turn off the electrical current to the room and cover electrical outlets with masking tape.
• For painted walls: Wash walls with solution of trisodium phosphate, then rinse with clean water and allow to dry.
• For new sheetrock: Apply two coats of Hirshfield’s Wall Prep Universal Primer.
• For wallpapered walls: Remove, clean off old paste, rinse and dry.
• The wallpaper experts at Hirshfield’s recommend using Hirshfield’s Wall Prep on painted surfaces with flat paint, and Uniprep over surfaces with a sheen.
• Repair and patch holes and cracks.
• Check that all dye lot numbers are the same on each roll and inspect each roll of wallpaper for flaws.

Measuring and cutting wallpaper:

• Start in an inconspicuous corner (i.e behind a door), and plan to work hanging the wallpaper from right to left.
• Take the width of the paper minus 1/2″ and measure that distance out to the right from the corner. With a pencil, draw a straight vertical line using a plumb or a level. Determine the pattern desired at the ceiling line before cutting your first strip.

{wallpapering tips: tools and supplies}

Ready to take the plunge and embrace the wallpaper trend? The wallpaper experts at Hirshfield’s are ready to help, seam roller and broad knife in hand!

Let’s back up for a second. For some of us, hanging wallpaper can’t begin until the old wallpaper has been taken down. For those of you who fall into this category, check out our  tips on how to remove wallpaper.

Ok, now that the wallpaper has been removed, let’s talk about the tools and supplies you’ll need to hang your fabulous new wallpaper.

• Sizing: Sizing will help to keep seams from opening up or shrinking. This product also aids in the future removal of wallcoverings. Hirshfield’s recommends Uniprep 100% Acrylic Universal Wallcovering Prepcoat for shiny surfaces and Wallprep Universal Primer over flat, unsealed surfaces.
• Border Adhesive: This product ensures proper adhesion of borders when installed over a coordinating wallcovering. This is not for use over painted surfaces because of the strong adhesion. Hirshfield’s paint experts recommend AllPro Border Adhesive.
• Prepasted Activator: This product is applies like a wallcovering adhesive and activates the dry adhesive on the back of prepasted wallcoverings. Prepasted Activator is a great alternative to water and a water tray as it provides extra track to prevent seam separation. Give Hirshfield’s Prepasted Activator a try.

{friday finds: silhouettes by ashford house}

Scenic Woodland

Medallion with Scroll

When I hear, “you’re going to love this new book” my heart races for a few seconds. A new wallcovering book always carries the hope of great expectations. The Silhouettes book is a winner in every category!

{best paint colors for accent walls}

An accent wall can define a space, add interest to a room and even highlight an architectural feature of your home. But with endless paint color options to choose from, how do you decide which color is the best for an accent wall in your home? I spoke with Kathy Basil of Hirshfield’s Design Studio in Minneapolis to get her opinion on the subject.

Kathy starts out by emphasizing not all walls are suitable accent walls. There needs to be a reason for an accent wall and it needs to make sense in the overall design plan. A fireplace wall, a headboard wall or a window wall all make good accent wall candidates.

House Beautiful

Martha Stewart

{friday finds: favorite blog posts of 2011}

It’s hard to believe that we have entered into the final week of 2011. The year 2011 will be remembered as the year of the royal wedding, the year Gabrielle Giffords inspired us all with her heroic recovery and the year we said farewell to the Oprah Winfrey show.

It will also be remembered as they year of Benjamin Moore, wallpaper and sliding barn doors. Well, at least according to the Hirshfield’s blog! We took a look back at our most read posts of 2011 and wanted to take a moment to revisit them and reflect on the most talked about design topics of the year.

We’ll start with Benjamin Moore 2012, our most popular blog post of 2011. This post showcases some spectacular photos featuring Benjamin Moore’s 2012 trend colors. This post also announces wythe blue (HC-143) as Benjamin Moore’s 2012 Color of the Year.

Walls: Sharkskin (2139-30), ceiling: Wythe Blue (HC-143), trim: Battenberg (AF-70), stencil: Fresh Olive (2149-30)