wallpapering the entryway

oh hey, hello, HIII. i know, i dropped off the face of the earth for, oh, about 2.5 months. but in my defense, i was busy doing some hardcore nesting, and i was still ALL ABOUT THAT INSTAGRAM (as always).

lots has happened since we last hung out. i’ve moved in (on halloween weekend, oy)! my counters went in (they are not quite right and will cost 1700 to fix. OY)! my tile and kitchen shelving went up (YASS)!

i have my heart set on doing a professionally photographed, real, true “home tour” once things are done for realsies, so for now, you’ll have to settle for little sneak peeks here and there.

ANYWHO, one of the things i have managed to check off my list is wallpapering the entryway, which is pictured below (scroll down if you’re impatient). i went with this one, and i am straight up obsessed with it. it’s whimsical and glamorous and statement-making without being too loud.

but let’s back up a bit.

here’s the wall pre-wallpaper. nice, white, simple, but it didn’t pop. i worried that it would get easily scuffed, what with everyone and everything (humans, cats, packages) coming in and out of it every day. i also wanted something to play against my amazing worlds away light fixture, which is mercury glass and is my favorite thing in the ENTIRE APARTMENT.

i toyed with painting it the same grey as the living room, but that felt like a design letdown, especially when i’d gone and splurged on that vintage persian rug and had spent all this dough to custom build out the entryway storage unit you can see peeking out in the left of the photo above.

i was feeling all uninspired and conflicted, and then i came across this post, from my latest interior design blog obsession, chris loves julia. HELLO, ENTRYWAY OF MY DREAMS! how freaking cute are those oversized brass hooks? (they’re from pottery barn)  how fierce is that paper?!

suddenly, the way forward was clear: wallpaper was the answer, and wallpaper only. so down a wallpaper rabbit hole i went, pinning the shit out of paper designs and stalking the hygge & west site.

initially, i was eying the rifle paper line. i am an anna bond fan girl and love literally everything she puts out–but it felt like her papers might be just a biiiit too busy for my little wall. i didn’t want to compete with the rug or the light fixture, i just wanted a little bit of pop.

then i stumbled upon this paper. it’s by julia rothman, who is based out of brooklyn (what what), and it’s the most magical. i’m bookmarking it in my brain for my future nursery (if that ever comes to pass), because it’s got this amazing childlike feel to it without being, well, only for children.

i’ve never installed wallpaper before (or had it installed), and after having a few conversations with people more experienced than myself, i decided NOT to DIY this, and to hire out the job to someone who knew what they were doing.

after deciding not to DIY, i asked my friend holly for her wallpaper guy (her apartment is that of a real grown up and is gorgeous and FULL of beautiful wallpaper!), and gave the man a call. as with pretty much every subcontractor i’ve dealt with in this process, mitch was a wee bit out there, but he knew his shit, and quoted me $350 for a morning of wallpapering, along with a time slot for the following week.

in the spirit of full disclosure, $350 isn’t pennies, at least, not to me. especially given that the paper itself was $150. that being said, under $500 for a beautiful entryway that will make me smile every time i walk in the door feels worth it to me. sure, it’s a plane ticket to mexico, or 10 spin classes, but hey, COMPROMISE, am i right?

i know i couldn’t have done it myself (at least, not well), and the security of having it done right (especially when the paper wasn’t cheap) was worth it to me.

here’s the paper guy prepping “daydream” for the wall. is that a portrait of a man who knows what he’s doing or WHAT?! this is what it looked like when he started rolling out the paper on his “wallpaper table” (#industryterms!). it’s also a shot of the moment in which i started freaking out about just how goddamn pretty this paper was. as you can probably tell by the look on his face, he was anxious for me to get the hell out of the apartment and be on my merry way to the office, but hey, when a girl’s excited, she’s excited.

and RIGHTFULLY SO, if i do say so myself. because now that it’s installed, i’m in straight up wallpaper heaven! it sounds silly, but somehow, doing this wall has made the space (and the apartment) feel way more “finished” and therefore, way more like home.

next up: going all chris loves julia on the space and adding adorable “S” hooks from anthropologie (no longer available, but similar to these), plus my favorite oversized antique gold mirror.

ps: this wallpaper experience has been so positive that i’m thinking of doing my bathroom, too. stay tuned for inspiration shots and my paper picks for my tiny little porcelain palace.