HOUSE: Newburgh

Wallpapered vestibule.

vestibuleok1.jpg

The big project for this weekend was painting and wallpapering the vestibule (or “the vegetable”, as we prefer to call it) at the front of the house. What I thought would be a half-day affair wound up taking 2 1/2 days, and the detail work still has to be done. I had never wallpapered before, but with the help of my mother, I think I got the hang (hee, punny!) of it pretty quickly.

I can’t find a before shot at the moment, but when we bought the house, this little 4×5′ space was an atrocity! The beadboard wainscoting, doors and moldings had all been painted with a rubbery, forest-green paint (putting the word “forest” in there might make it sound somewhat appealing, but don’t be fooled!), and the upper portion of the crumbling walls had been covered with dark chipboard paneling…and graffiti.

The result of our makeover is really refreshing: the woodwork has all been painted the same color as in the rest of the house (Benjamin Moore Simply White, satin finish), and the upper walls have been replastered and wallpapered with Orla Kiely’s Flower Blossom paper.

I can’t wait to come home tonight and see that wallpaper peeking out through the triangular panes in the front door! Ahhh.

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9 Comments

  • Reply marye August 13, 2007 at 11:13 am

    Wow that looks good! Especially for a first time paper project ! You are brave.

  • Reply Jaimie August 14, 2007 at 8:14 am

    I love the paper you chose — fresh and modern but not jarring at all with your traditional house. I have been racking my brains trying to think of where we could use wallpaper in our house!

  • Reply Anna at D16 August 14, 2007 at 9:24 am

    Jaimie, have you thought about wallpapering the inside of a closet? I that’s where I’m going to use the paper that’s left over from the vestibule. The hardest part is the first piece (especially if you have an old house with lots of moldings and uneven corners) — after that, it’s just time and glue!

  • Reply Adam August 14, 2007 at 12:33 pm

    That looks so amazing compared to what it looked like before! So bright and clean! Great job!

  • Reply Jaimie August 16, 2007 at 10:59 am

    Anna – that’s a cute idea and one that I hadn’t thought of. We’re starting to think about a nursery for a future child and a quirky wallpaper there would be a nice little detail.

    By the way, you are smart to document your progress along the way! We’ve been trying to do that with our own renovation projects. It’s satisfying to see how far you’ve come.

  • Reply Rechelle August 18, 2007 at 1:09 pm

    Love, love love that wallpaper.

  • Reply Miss K August 18, 2007 at 8:27 pm

    That looks absolutely amazing,so beautiful.Actually doing the wallpapering scares me,i just know i’d stuff it up.

  • Reply sarah May 19, 2009 at 7:26 am

    The orla kiely vestibule looks amazing! Is there any chance that you have leftover wallpaper that you’d like to sell? I’m needing about 6 to 8 yards, but could work with even less… so sad that it’s sold out.

  • Reply Anna at D16 May 19, 2009 at 10:16 am

    sarah: Unfortunately I don’t think I would have enough for you. I’m sorry!

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