One wall in the entry is papered with pages from an old paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice, one of many copies I had picked up over the years. I bought this copy for $1.25 years ago at the Planned Parenthood Booksale in Des Moines.
Initially, I had planned to install peel-and-stick paper to the plain gray-painted walls of our entry. That was eight years ago when we moved in, and by last winter, I had yet to do anything. After looking at some wallpapers at the store, I didn’t see anything that appealed to me. Then one day, I had the idea to paper the wall with book pages—it would be inexpensive and I could do it in an afternoon (I’m all about instant gratification).
On another wall, I used bits of John Derian wrapping paper and stickers from his book to cover the wall.
About a week later, I decided the wall adjacent to the book papers needed a lift but didn’t want to do more or even another book. I have always loved John Derian, the books he creates, and his decoupage line. And I had some of his wrapping papers and a sticker book he recently published, so in the space of another winter afternoon, I took on the second wall.
Our split-level was built in 1956, and you can see some of that existing architecture in the front foyer. I don’t love the doors or hardware, but it’s all in good shape, so we likely won’t replace it since this isn’t our forever home.
While this look might not suit most people, I am glad I did it. I miss the quirks of older homes we’ve lived in prior to moving to Minneapolis. We had a 1930s bungalow in Dallas and later, a 1920s cedar shake cottage in Des Moines. I had always wanted to live in a mid-century house but now that we’ve been here, I know it’s ultimately not for me. I prefer the layers and oddities old homes inherently breathe into a space. At the same time, I wouldn’t change the architecture of this house to suit that look, so instead, I use furniture and other decorative layers to make it our own.
“Mood Board” wallpaper by Mind the Gap gives the look of a collaged wall without having to piece one together. Photo from Mind the Gap
Here’s another example of pre-made collage-like Atelier Jean wallpaper. I love the sketchbook style of this one. Photo and paper by Pierre Frey