Tessa was clear when he started this blog that not ALL of the posts would be about mixology – that things go on in the living room besides cocktail-drinking.  We agree that there is more to mixology than shaking and stirring; one must consider the whole milieu.  Upon questioning the drink-mixer himself about what form these milieu posts would take, he told me that I (EE) am actually the one responsible for writing most of these topical diversifications.  Now that I know this, I will begin.

A previous TR post referenced my desire to rearrange the side tables in the living room.  This was true, but my vision was more ambitious than that.  The last couple of weeks saw the reconfiguring not just of side tables (which is still not complete, perhaps a subject for another day), but also a fair amount of art reframing and rehanging, and the piece de resistance: wallpaper in the dining room.

Our dining room, which we generally call the “center room,” is so-named because it’s in the (umm) center of our apartment.  Everything connects to it – the living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and front door.  It’s the dining room, but it’s also the entryway, my office, a hallway of sorts… we ask a lot of it.  And because it’s the center of everything and visible from everywhere, I want it to look good.

In the 15 months we’ve lived in this apartment, I have painted the center room 3 times – and while Tessa did not actually participate in these projects (he “does not paint”), they were nonetheless extremely unpopular with him.  Sort of understandably.  So when I casually floated the idea of wallpapering over the room’s pale gray paint with something more bold, I was surprised when he responded pretty positively.

See below for the finished product:

I think it looks fantastic!!!

I love that the pattern is strong and modern, but also sort of calming.

I also think it’s brilliant that somehow, the wallpaper is an ideal rococo reinterpretation of our silver pattern, Gorham Strasbourg.  The connection between the two designs is remarkably satisfying to me, although others may be forgiven for not noticing.

The way silver used to be sold – v. cool

See the matching swirls and shell shapes?

Where does one find the ice tongs with the clawed bird foot?

The wallpaper I put up is actually temporary – it’s called Tempaper, and more or less works like Contact paper.  You peel the paper backing off of it, and then just stick it on the wall.  Since we rent our apartment, temporary wallpaper is great in the sense that we may actually get our security deposit back when we move out.  This is huge. 

The reviews I read before I bought it were basically 100% positive, but I personally would only give the product a B+.  Because it’s thinner than actual paper, the walls need to be really smooth for the finished product to look really smooth (which our plaster, pre-war, barely-restored walls certainly are not).  And because the adhesive on the back isn’t as sticky as paper+glue, it is impossible to have as clean, as sharp, and as totally secure edges.  It’s actually more difficult to put up than real wallpaper, since it’s more fragile.

BUT – to bring it full circle – I love the pattern, and think that the center room finally pulls together and anchors the rest of the apartment with the kind of style I wanted it to have.  Even its temporaryness is kind of comforting in that if I do change my mind and feel inspired to try something new (and to take a more kamikaze approach to our security deposit recovery mission) … the milieu-enhancing aesthetic experimentation can continue!