Wallpaper Ideas Wall papers by the roll are a fairly modern product, having been introduced by Herman Schinkel in the year 1568. Old Italian domino papers and block prints, charming in design and color, used to be put on the walls in large or small squares. It is a long leap from these costly and painstaking methods to the modern papers, which may be had in good color and design from fifteen cents a roll, up. One practical point must be remembered in buying paper rolls. Cheap domestic papers come eighteen inches wide, but the general width is twenty-two inches. One single roll of paper measures eight yards, and it is sold to that measurement. English rolls of paper, however, come a roll and a half to the roll, i.e., twelve yards; and some American papers come two rolls to a roll, i.e., sixteen yards. These double rolls cut to better advantage than the single, as can be readily seen. Yet when the purchaser finds nine or twelve rolls delivered when she has ordered eighteen, she supposes the order to be short. Countless times this mistake is made, and it causes much needless worry both at the time of delivery and on paying the bill. Before hanging paper the plaster should be thoroughly dried, otherwise the paper will streak and wrinkle as the plaster contracts beneath it. Papering around a chimney breast or hot air flue is apt to crack at the corners with the expansion and contraction of the chimney. There seems to be no remedy for this unless the paper is of such heavy stock as to hold its own shape. Cheap paper hangers use cheap sour paste, which forms discolor on the paper and will not hold at the seams. Insist on having good, springy paste with a strong body to it. A poor, uneven wall surface must have a lining paper applied before the wallpaper is put on. It is interesting to note, apropos of this, that the contracts drawn up by the Paper Hangers' Union absolve the hanger of liability unless the lining is provided when he deems it necessary. While one paper can be put over another, where the sanitary laws permit, it is best to remove all old papers and paper directly on the plaster. Old seams will show under the new paper, and if the new paper is heavy and the old thin, it is apt to drag away from the wall when the room is heated. As a rule, English wallpapers are superior in stock to the domestic make, but the patterns are no better, as both are generally designed in France. A paper with a fairly hard, shiny surface gives the best wear. A tint surface paper is apt to water-spot and also rubs off easily. In choosing a wallpaper the decision should never be made from seeing a small sample. It is best to hang two rolls together so that one gets a good broad surface and can see the effect. Also, paper should not be chosen in a dim, soft light. It should always be seen in full daylight, and also in gas or electric light, because colors change in artificial light, especially grays, lavenders and tans. Some papers go on the wall darker and some appear lighter when hung. Blue and green generally go darker. It is best to have a paper a grade too light than too dark, as dust and soot darken any wall. Avoid the tones in grays and tans that are dirty in color: a yellowish gray is apt to look murky, although it has more warmth than a blue-gray. Striped or plain papers are satisfactory in most rooms, as one tires of them less easily and they form the best background for furniture, ornaments, pictures and human life itself. We ourselves form enough movement and variation without being surrounded by vari-colored scrolls and garlands. The paper should suit [37] the furnishing; for example, as a background for Chinese and Japanese furniture, a Japanese grass cloth looks very well, but it does not suit colonial mahogany or oak furniture. Fortunately, the vogue for this paper and its imitations has gone out, for, besides being inappropriate for most of the rooms in which it was used, it went on the walls badly, showing every seam. Being horizontal in feeling it lowered many an apartment room that could ill afford the lowering. Colonial stripes - plain stripes of two tones, or one tone and white - are excellent for halls, kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms. The stripes may be broken by floral or conventional inserts. If the stripes are wide, be careful that they do not stand out too prominently, else the effect will be that of a picket fence, especially when there are many doors and windows in the room. Striped papers add an effect of height to any room. When the room is low, do not add to its low effect by using a border or a frieze. The frieze or border can be used in the room that is too high, with the desired results, or else the ceiling paper can be carried down the walls a foot and a half and joined to the wall paper with a simple molding. Very often a large handsome cornice, such as is found in old houses with high ceilings, will produce the desired effect. Oatmeal and cartridge wall papers present a disadvantage in the fact that their rough, pulpy texture gathers dust and grime. Something on the same order but with a superior texture may now be had with a hard, smooth finish. These in browns, tans, medium blues and green make the best wall covering for the living-room, library, hall, kitchen and dining-room. The putty color, seen in so many shops and offices, should be avoided as it is too impersonal for a private dwelling. A figured or figured stripe paper is good for halls and stairs, since it does not show finger marks readily. For a small hall use a foliage or landscape paper, as the distance in the design will make the hall appear larger. Nothing is more suitable for a Colonial or Georgian hall than a copy of one of the old historic landscape papers. There is much charm, interest and refinement in them. A wallpaper of a very large, insistent pattern is apt to dwarf a small room. The scale of furniture should be taken into account as well. If it is light, delicate mahogany, the paper should be delicate in color and of a small design. If the furniture is oak or something similar, the paper should be darker in color and of a plain or large strong figured design. Should one have furniture of a special period, a paper of that period in design and color should be chosen, for each period has its distinctive tendencies in color as well as line. Papers of Chinese designs, or English or Colonial adaptations of Chinese designs, are attractive in a dining-room. That particular room can carry a figured paper because pictures are notor should not beused. Blue and gray are the two colors par excellence for dining-rooms, as they show off silver, pewter and china to the best advantage. Gilt, silver and bronze paper are generally unsatisfactory; they tarnish with gas and heat. On the other hand, a rich and unusual wall may be created by papering with Japanese gold sheets. These come about twenty-four by fifty-six inches and are made of gold leaf. They have to be carefully hung and shellaced, but they produce a beautifully rich, brilliant wall surface. This paper sometimes bears a small design. It is generally known as tea-chest paper, as it originally came to this coun- try on tea chests. With such a paper the woodwork should be "antiqued" and the ceiling tinted buff. Embossed and leather and imitation fabric papers are apt to give the appearance of a restaurant and are rather showy and cheap, as are all imitations. Considering the subject of paper according to the type of room in which it is to be hung, we arrive at some general suggestions: The bedroom walls may be papered throughout in one tone gray or tan and the colors introduced in the upholstery, hangings and accessories. This will give the effect of space and rest fulness. For the bedroom, generally neutral tone papers are better than pink, blue or green. These colors are apt to fade and occasionally streak. A yellowish paper holds its own best and is splendid for a north chamber, using for it a figured design and plain hangings. This makes a pleasing variety, especially if the other bedrooms have plain papers and figured hangings. A guest room may have a chintz figured paper as it is not lived in steadily and there is little chance of tiring of it. It may be very smart and fresh and ultra, as a guest is generally in a gay and festive state of mind and the gayly figured paper enlivens her the more. Old people generally like vari-colored figured paper. Something with mauve predominating is a good selection. Childrens rooms may be papered with delicate floral stripes or bouquets, carrying out the design of decoration on the furniture. Yellow is a happy color as well as a favorite with children. Servants' rooms should be prettily and cheerily papered, but as the paper is apt to have hard wear, it should be of a well-covered and colorful design. Next Page: Wall Paint & Wall Tint. | 