Over the past couple of months, the girls’ bedrooms have been receiving a makeover. New carpet, paint, wardrobes and for Emily…wallpaper!! I was very excited to receive an email from Annie of Photowall (Sweden) asking if I would be interested in collaborating again with receiving some wallpaper of my choosing. You can see the first Photowall collaboration project here (which is now Juliette’s room). Photowall are an amazing Swedish company who produce wallpaper, wall murals, prints and posters. The email came at an unbelievably apt time! I was just contemplating the wallpaper that already existed in Emily’s room, which we had outgrown. I jumped on the offer and quickly began pouring over the thousands of wallpapers on their site!!! Before I go on, I’ll let you know that Photowall are providing a generous discount to all sewpony readers of 25% on all their products with the code sewponyii25. This code is valid for two months!
I wanted something light, neutral and something that would grow with Emily as she gets older. Let me tell you, it was soooo hard to choose! The Photowall website is so well set up and gives you multiple photos to help you envisage how the wallpaper will look. You plug in the dimensions of your wall and it will show you how the wallpaper will fit. This is particularly helpful for the wall murals. The wallpaper I finally settled on is this gorgeous cream and bone wallpaper called Euphorbia in bone. But I could have chosen fifty others that I loved too!! Emily and I both liked this one and decided it would suit her bedroom well.
The colours in this wallpaper are just what I wanted…a super soft cream with the slightest hint of pink with a pretty bone print. When viewed close up, the print can almost look a bit bold, but for me as a mass on the wall it is beautifully subtle! Emily didn’t want anything bright and we wanted something that was light and fresh and that preferably incorporated nature. It’s perfect!!!
The wallpaper compliments the carpet and colours in Emily’s room perfectly and we all love it!
The delivery took less than a week from Sweden. The wallpaper comes in a continuous roll but is divided into panels to fit the dimensions of your wall. Photowall recommend that you add 10-15cm to the width and height of your wall to allow for crooked walls – which let me tell you are most often invisible to the naked eye.
Here’s a run down of my wallpapering process:
WALL PREP
1/ Prepared the wall by removing old wallpaper and glue; 2/ Cleaned the wall with warm soapy water to remove glue residue; 3/ Filled any holes/defects; 4/ Sanded plastered sections and ran sandpaper over any raised blemishes to create a smooth surface; 5/ Gave the wall two coats of white undercoat to have a white backdrop for the wall so that any discolouration wouldn’t show through the paper.
WALLPAPERING
1/ Lay drop sheets along your floor surface; 2/ Collect the tools and supplies you will need – wallpaper, bucket, glue, water, scissors, utility knife, damp sponge, greylead and ruler or laser level. step ladder, paint brush, roller and roller tray; 3/ Mix you wallpaper glue as per instructions (glue is supplied by photowall) in large bucket then dispense into roller tray and allow to sit; 4/ My husband set up his laser level to get an accurate vertical line, one panel width in from the left hand wall edge; 5/ Cut panel 1 of the wallpaper and set aside; 6/ Use brush to cut in along edges of one panel width of wall with glue, then roll the rest of the first panel width (make sure the wall section is completely covered but only thinly and without lumps); 7/ Lift panel 1and place it on the wall with a couple of centimetres overlap at the top and left hand side (remember you have accommodated for this with ordering a little more than required). There will also be some excess that will run over the top of the skirting board. Use the laser level (or a ruled feint line) to align the right hand edge of the panel. Carefully place the first panel since the rest of the panels will be parallel. 8/ Use clean hands to press the wallpaper into the wall and then use the lightly dampened sponge to smooth over the panel; 9/ Repeat steps 6 – 8 for the remaining panels; 9/ Thoroughly check all panels for bumps and the need for additional glue along edges if required; 9/ When glue has dried, use your utility knife to carefully cut the excess wallpaper from all sides of the walls. Some recommend to do this when the glue is wet, but I find it much easier when it is dry.
That is my process. Photowall also include an information leaflet with the wallpaper and glue telling you all the steps and tools you need. For me, the process from beginning to end (not including clean up) took just under two hours for a 3.7 x 2.4 metre wall. It was really fast using the roller on the wall and I highly recommend this method as opposed to pasting the back of wallpaper panels.
Thank you Photowall for this very generous gift. We absolutely LOVE the new wallpaper!! Don’t forget to use the discount code sewponyii25 for 25 % off!!! PS. Emily is wearing a new soft pink corduroy Posie dress for the wallpaper reveal!!