Style Isn't Just Fashion

Not only is there a personal ongoing quest for a fashion style happening, but my 100 year old plus house is also in need of renovation and I'm constantly on the look out for inspiration. I bought the house because I was heartily sick of magnolia painted walls in rented accommodation (and I wasn't allowed a wolf). Upon moving here just over two years ago, I have slowly begun work on the house starting with a new kitchen, and promptly painted the room neutral. This is obviously because I am a Moron.

Now, don't get me wrong, I like it but it's a very neutral room. In an attempt to liven up the kitchen with some additional colour and because I love the colour red, not to mention because I'm too poor to be able to afford tiles and too incompetent a grouter to tile myself, I hit up on a cheap plan to create a splash back. Wallpaper. And not that vinyl kitchen/ bathroom stuff that comes in only one or two decent prints and costs a fortune. Normal, everyday wallpaper. I know, genius, right?

I carefully picked out my wallpaper, ordered it and it arrived several months ago. Unfortunately, despite a number of people offering to help me put it up no one has actually followed through and the roll has been languishing on my window sill ever since. A broken finger, an attempted burglary, Christmas, a magic wand remote control and New Year have added extra distractions but, oh yes, yesterday was the day.

I carefully (okay, haphazardly) rolled out the wallpaper along each wall and marked a couple of inches more than I needed before returning to the dining room table to cut. Once all the pieces were cut I started clearing the work surfaces, removing lower shelves and taping along the edges of the surfaces to help protect the wood from the glue. I then covered my table with disposable tablecloths and got to glueing.

It transpires that I am as poor a wallpaperer as I am a grouter and choosing to wallpaper (by myself) for the first time since I was about 15 in an area fraught with plugs and screw holes was probably not the best plan. But so long as you don't look too carefully at the finished results then it's unnoticeable.

The original idea had been to mix up some PVA glue with water and waterproof the paper to ensure it would work as it was intended, as a splashback. And whilst I think the theory was sound I'm not sure the print I've chosen really works. It's possibly a little too busy. And old lady-ish. In fact, I'm beginning to think maybe I should have saved for some tiles instead, my grouting can only get better afterall. Thoughts, anyone?

And some accents I'd previously added to the kitchen, on the shelf above Gwenie.

Thanks for stopping by,