Quickup – Paste The Wall

People often ask me ‘how hard is it to wallpaper’?

Recently a customer called who had never wallpapered before. We got into a ‘discussion’.

‘If you want to do it yourself,’ I advised, ‘buy a wallpaper that is ‘Quickup’ or ‘Paste the Wall’. (‘Quickup’ and ‘Paste the Wall’ are the same thing. They are just made by different companies and therefore have different names).

Instead of having to submerge the wallpaper in to water and muck around with a trail of wet paper you literally just roll wallpaper paste on the wall and put the paper on. Its easy.

After some thought I decided to try it in my own house. After all it’s pretty hard to recommend a product if you haven’t actually tried it. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing and  I didn’t know my partner in crime was going to be taking photos (or I would have done my hair at least – blush).

But, I am happy to report that ‘Quickup’ really is the easiest wallpapering I have ever done.

1. Simply roll wallpaper paste (we always advise ready mixed for a consistent result – unless the directions state otherwise) on the wall.

2. Use a brush to do corners and edges to make sure they stick down.

3. Put the wallpaper up.

4. Smooth the wallpaper to the wall and get rid of any lumps and bumps.

It too me an hour and a half to do a 3.5 metre feature wall. No size, messy pasting (some pasting was involved) or water involved. I am really happy with the result and I love this wallpaper Om Natten – Om Dagen.

Me Wallpapering

Wallpaper ideas

And so our theme continues….idea’s with wallpaper.

We sometimes get emails from people who love wallpaper but don’t really want to commit to a whole wall. I have always been at a bit of a loss as to what to say. The usual ‘choose simpler designs’, or ‘neutral colours’ crosses my mind but seems a bit obvious.

Then along came Yunmi who is obviously very creative. She ordered some wallpaper samples of us and sent me this wonderful photo of what she created. I will be referring all those ‘wallpaper scaredy cats’ to this photo!

The best thing about using modern wallpapers is that they are ‘strippable’, so when your done they are pretty easy to remove.

2012 Clearance Sale – Tips on buying clearance wallpapers

We try not to have too many sales. It is part of our ethos to just sell fairly and at good prices.

But when our UK manufacturer approached us with their clearance deals we were flummoxed.

‘We have already had our annual sale,” I wailed. But how can we not pass on these amazing deals to you?

So as I spend my Friday night loading these up, I realise that there are also some important things that people should be aware of when buying clearance wallpapers.

Tips for buying clearance wallpapers:

TIP ONE:

Wallpaper is not like buying any other product (fabrics excluded). They are printed in batch numbers. It is extremely important to buy the same batch number because colours vary from batch to batch. I have had customers buy one roll of wallpaper and return many months later to buy another. So much time has passed that it is impossible to get the same batch and the initial role is then wasted. When buying online always check that there is more in stock if you are not sure about your calculations.

TIP TWO:

If you are buying wallpapers and the word ‘clearance’ is attached then this wallpaper is going out of print. That means that the wallpaper will probably be reduced in price. Great it’s cheap. While it’s cheap consider buying a spare roll, in case down the track something happens and you will not be able to replace it.

TIP THREE:

To be honest clearance sales are usually the less popular stock. The most popular designs are often continued, sold out or there is just one or two rolls left. We have put nearly everything that has been offered up. If you find one colour more expensive than another then it is probably because of this reason.

TIP FOUR:

This is really a tip if you are thinking about buying from our clearance sale. We import in bulk, that means some of these sale items are already in stock.  We were unprepared for this sudden and fabulous offer from our manufactures, so some of these products may take up to two weeks to arrive. Please factor that in to your consideration when buying.

TIP FOUR:

During a genuine clearance sale, items are on a first come first served basis. While we endeavour to cater to everybody (and you know we personally email and reply to every single enquiry) there will be times when the item may sell out. If you love it buy it. We don’t have samples for every item on sale but we do have a lot.

TIP FIVE:

If your not sure, then ask. We would rather answer hundreds of questions that have somebody not fully happy with their product.

TIP SIX:

Get it up as quickly as possible. Last week a woman called me. She had bought wallpaper from us a year prior and had only just got around to putting it up. She had actually miscalculated and was a roll short. By the time she called me the wallpaper had been discontinued and she didn’t have enough. Sometimes I can find some at a store overseas (as most distributorship’s have to buy in bulk) but in this case I was unable to source any more.

I hope these tips make it a little easier when choosing your clearance wallpapers.

Room of the Month – Sonya’s Place

Tucked away in Hawkes Bay, as owner Sonya describes it – ‘is a work in progress’. Sounds great, a beautiful old 1910 Villa, complete with timber floors and ceilings, rose & thistle stained glass (over 100 years old) and tons of personality.

She laughs when she says, “we got both rooms renovated so far. Yip, only renovated two haha”.

We both have a good chuckle about this because both of us bought ‘doer uppers’ and have kids. What were we thinking?

“Both rooms have a piece of The Inside in them,” she says kindly. She is referring to the Daiquari wallpaper in her lounge. In fact Sonya was the very first person to buy it in New Zealand. She also bought our cute Pink Floral Cats wall decals for her daughters room. The great thing about decals is you can arrange them in any fashion you please. I like the way Sonya has made on of the cats stretch up to the light switch.

Also of note is the Twinkle Toes fabric from Harlequin and the beautiful art work above the fireplace is by Rakai Karaitiana a local screenprinter.

Great taste Sonya, cant wait until you do the rest of your house!

Weddings and wallpaper – When squirrel met bear

As you know we love all things wallpaper.

So when a customer requested just one roll of Laroche in teal, I just had to ask why.

I always ask ‘why?’ because buying just one roll can be quite problematic further on down the track.

“I’m making a photo booth”.

Wow – she had me hooked.

“A photo booth? With wallpaper?’

“Yip”.

Turns out the customer had started a company called ‘When squirrel met bear’  (I didn’t get round to asking about that one).  But take a look at some of their cool ideas

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Based in Auckland and Timaru (it just keeps getting better and better) ‘When squirrel met bear’ specialises in custom made props and accessories for weddings and events. They really are the ultimate in gifting a certain kind of ‘uniqueness’ to a wedding or a bit of pizazz to an event. We all know that the devil is in the detail which makes these guys the best.

According to Abbe, the photobooth project had been in the pipeline for about six months. The raw wooden photo booth that had been completed for a couple of months was just sitting around waiting for the perfect wallpaper to finish the look….and presto in comes ‘The Inside’.

Abbe (creator and inventor of all great things at ‘When squirrel met bear’) was looking for a special kind of wallpaper she told me.

“As the photobooth will be hired and used at weddings and events, I want a very soft wallpaper with a floral print that will work with many different wedding palettes”.

She doesn’t want much does she?!!!?????!!

Oh well perfection is never easy, and with that in mind she trawled through our website and came up with Laroche in teal. I must admit it fitted the bill. The end result is that the photobooth is beautiful without being over powering.

 

Afterwards Abbe said “I was open to different colours, but as soon as I had seen the Laroche in teal I knew it was the perfect paper for the job and loved the teal with slight sheen and the strong floral pattern”.

 

At the moment the photobooth is for hire in Auckland only, set up a tripod and camera and guests can snap themselves or a photographer can take images throughout the event.

Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/when.squirrel.met.bear

Professional images by  Alanah Paterson Photography & Kate Grewel Photography

Neutral Wallpapers

This is a blog for a customer who wanted me to show her a selection of wallpapers. Her brief was to convert an 80′s styled home into offices. Two of the rooms were mainly used by men (so I’m guessing that means no flowers). The desks were to be pressed hard against the walls so she didn’t want any busy patterns or distracting designs and the two rooms are smallish and don’t get much light.

As we have access to thousands of wallpapers I had to give it some thought. This is what I came up with that fitted ‘neutral, not too busy and non floral’.

I have started with a list of my favourites on the website and then with ones that I have access to but have not yet put up on the website.

First up we have Manor Stripe in cream. This is a smart neutral wallpaper with a simplistic design and a slight metallic sheen. It is a shame it doesn’t photograph better because it is a really sophisticated wallpaper and very reasonably priced at $90 per roll including post.

Next on my list is Bonsai in linen. This is beautiful. Not quite flowers (which appeases the men) but still retains the impact of a floral wallpaper. There is a mini design/swirl that runs through it but it is faint and non-complicated. It is also $90

Archway is also an amazing wallpaper. Striking in black and silver it loses a lot of its impact in the two neutral colourways it comes in, but is still a nice non gender specific wallpaper without being too bold and is $90

Damask in cream is a vinyl textured wallpaper (perfect for covering wonky walls). A few of my customers who have bought it have used it ‘French’ themed houses. This is very reasonable at $90. It sells for $129AUD in Australia.

This is a really nice one. It is called ‘Origami’ and although boasts quite a busy pattern it is in gold so quite faint with a shimmer of gold. This wallpaper is no longer made and we are lucky enough to still have some in stock. It sells at $90 per roll also.

Ikat is a lovely wallpaper with a subtle shimmer. It is $90 per roll.

Arlington in neutral tones is also a winner. Damasks are typically bold designs but n two tones of neutral it is subtle without being dull. Arlington is $90 per roll.

 

One of our most popular wallpapers is from Sweden and very aptly called ‘Tree Trunks’. Similar to the Cole & Sons ‘Woods’ themed wallpaper but quarter the price. It comes in white with a soft grey print so not too dramatic. This lovely wallpaper is also $90. We have started selling this into Australia also and it has been quite popular.

I love this wallpaper ‘La Vie Ordinaire’, it is fun without being too bold. It features a trendy retro design of 50s holiday postcards with scenes of London, Paris and New York in black and white with olive and red accents. It is $90

The next following are beautiful wallpapers that I have not had time to introduce to the website but are available.

‘Berry’ is a lovely wallpaper, not yet on our website but a little pricer than the previous ones at $140 per roll. It is neutral with a hint of red. The berry trees look almost hand painted.

‘Circus’ is slightly better priced at $130 per roll and features fantastical creatures in white on a neutral background. Typically used as a kids wallpaper I have seen it in other situations where it creates a splash of creativity.

And recently the leather look has been popular. At $135 per roll this wallpaper is an econimcal way of turning your office into a ‘plush pad’.

As I mentioned we have access to hundreds and thousands of wallpapers. I have just listed my favourite ones under $200….and just because I said that, here is the last one at $195 per roll – Cashmere Lion.

Let me know if you need to see more.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Yellow Wallpaper

This is a blog for Casey – who like me loves Yellow wallpaper. There is something about yellow that just makes you happy. It is surprising that there aren’t that many wonderful yellow wallpapers available. I have included some of my favourites that may or may not be on our website. These wallpapers are predominantly yellow……I have more available that include yellow, but that may have to be for another blog.

To start with, my all time favourite ‘Nippon’. Imported from Sweden, this is nearly neon in its ‘yellowness’ and is slightly textured, slightly metallic. Usually $200 per roll, we do discounts for three or more rolls.

Another favourite and slightly cheaper at $150 per roll (oh don’t forget all our prices include free post) is the iconic Dandelion Clocks. The ‘Chaffinch’ colour (thats teal/aqua) to us normal folk out there has been a massive hit with Sanderson’s running out and reprinting. Surprisingly the yellow colourway has been less popular and is therefore a little more expensive an a little harder to get hold of. The best thing about Dandelion Clocks is it has matching fabrics, duvets, towels and china. So if you like matchy-matchy, this could be your thing.

 

Next on my favourite yellow wallpaper list is ‘Berries’. Ok not altogether completely yellow in composition it does have a lot of different yellows in its design. 
 And what is ‘yellow’ if it does not come with Daisies? Check out this pretty yellow floral for that real spring time feel. The pattern repeat is quite small so it is quite intense, but would be quite nice in a room that is not used often (wishing I had a powder room when I see this one).

Next on my radar is Drangonflies. This wallpaper is simple and yellow and the pattern large, its great.

 ’Yellow Dots’ is kind of self explanatory.  Burnt yellow on a crisp background creates an almost childlike atmosphere and lightens the mood of the darkest of rooms. You may become sick of it after a while but wallpapers aren’t really designed to stay up for years and years any more.

‘Retro Muscat Yellow’, is a different kind of yellow altogether. Great for any home built in the seventies, this retro feeling wallpaper is fun. And lastly (for today) check out Jena Floral, a pretty flower inspired wallpaper dedicated to turn any girls heart.

 

 

 

Decals for furniture and floors

What does a decal and my holey floor have in common? Until today not much, but now, in my house, they are best friends. My damaged (might I add NEW) click clack flooring is now the proud owner of one of our designer doily decals. It is at this point I can hear my Mothers voice, ‘your asking for trouble with wooden highchairs!’.  Arggh of course she was right again.

Toddler + click clack flooring + wooden high chair = disaster.

And even though my highchair is from Sweden and my flooring is from Norway there was just no cohesion, until a rather delightful purple vinyl doily was carefully placed beneath the highchair to hide and to protect.

How to protect your floor from your toddler and a wooden high chair

Decals are relatively new on the design scene. Most people associate them with kids rooms, and rightly so – they are the perfect way to do up a kids room. But they have been around commercially for a long time and now its time for the little guy to realise just how great they are around the home.

Some of these photos are from my own house (excuse the slop on the high chair), some are from customers and some are from various suppliers.

Use decals to reinvent an old wardrobe, hide an ugly floor, decorate appliances or make windows more visible. Smart design, and some of these start at about $20 – only at The Inside of course.

How to protect your floor from your toddler and a wooden high chair

Wallpaper Craft

Blown away by the response to one of my latest blogs ‘what to do with wallpaper scraps’, and at the risk of boring my overseas readers, I have decided to do the New Zealand edition. It is after all where I live, and it is nice to support some hugely talented and local craftspeople.

Check out some of these wonderful products made with wallpaper.

The cute wallpaper ducks are a modern version of the old ducks my grandmother used to have on her wall.  Available from Betsy and Fred, they come in a range of colours and are really reasonable at $25NZD.

Also making ducks but out of textured wallpaper (Damask – bought from our very own store might I add) is Pepin Design

Cassie Jade Design has some beautiful jewellery designs featuring wallpaper.

One of my favourites is Elowezil’s beautiful deer heads made from recylced wallpaper books (note to self do not thrown away old pattern books!!)

For something really upmarket and sophisticated, look at Tinch Design Studio. She makes wonderful magnetic wallpaper decals, in this case the guitars.

Room of the Month – Loft Style Brick Wallpaper

If I am lucky enough to go to a customers house, I usually don’t stay long. Something about not over staying your welcome (and I usually go with kids in tow so that is reason enough). I go, take pictures and leave. But every now and then you meet somebody whose house just sucks you up and you want to stay for ever.

So this months ‘Room of the Month’ goes to the lovely and creative Deborah. I am very envious of Deborah because while I ‘plan’ to be crafty (and I don’t mean in the deceitful way – hehehe evil laugh), Deborah ‘does’ (and I mean in the arty sense). She sews the most wonderful cushions (bit of a plug for the competition here but her cushions are divine) and makes the most amazing children’s clothes for her own brand piccalilli. Not only that but her house is awesome – where do these creative types get the time?

Being the clever lady that she is, she has used our black Goldfish wallpaper in her bathroom and then cut out squares of it to put in frames in the toilet, creating great flow between the rooms. The over all look is pretty stunning. But if I thought the bathroom looked great I headed over to the lounge where Deborah has created that sort of London Loft feel with our Brickworks wallpaper. The result is amazing. I am now thinking about tearing down all my retro wallpaper and redoing my hallway in brick….don’t tell hubby. Check out the electric yellow lamp (sourced from bits and pieces off trademe and painted by Deborah) and the vibrant colourful cushions.

I was a bit cheeky and took photographs of some of the other bits and pieces that adorned the house. I would like to point out at this stage that these photographs are in no way styled or ‘arranged’. In fact there were six children under the ages of 4, running around while I was taking these snaps (the kids were also having a tea party using real china plates and cups – I am in awe of this woman!). I’ll leave you with the pictures while I try to think of a way to get her to make me one of those amazing lamps too.