Within these walls
Moi Ali shows how wallpaper can transform a room – plus find out how you can win a makeover for one room!
Wallpaper can transform a room – find out how!
In our full-size homes we so often lavish time on selecting the perfect sofa and choosing curtains to complement, but when it comes to our walls, the extent of our interior design efforts is to slap up a bit of white or magnolia paint on them! Don’t make the same mistake with your petite property: go to town with your walls! A white wall in a dolls house can look soulless. Pep up your premises with a vibrant wallpaper, or evoke a period feel by using a patterned designed in your chosen era. Go groovy with a 60s or 70s vibe. Select a demure classical print for your Georgian town house. Choose an overblown floral design for your Victorian villa, or a refined iconic William Morris creation if you want to go down the Arts and Crafts route. Whatever style of little house you have, you can be sure that there’s a wallpaper to match.
Unless you’re quite handy with DIY, wallpapering a real room is quite a skill, but
anyone can paper a dolls house. I asked Poppet from Poppet’s Dolly Bits for her top tips on how to approach the task. She told me: “People are quite daunted at the prospect of wallpapering, but it’s quite simple. The first piece of advice I’d give is to invest in a rubber craft roller. You can use it for all manner of crafting projects, but it’s an absolute must for wallpapering. It helps get rid of any lumps, bumps and air bubbles so you end up with a flawless finish.”
I asked Poppet’s advice on what kind of adhesive to use for best results: “I always use ready-mixed wallpaper paste, although craft glue can also be used. There’s no need to buy expensive special products,” she explained. Poppet also advised priming the walls first, with a coat of matt emulsion to seal them – although if they are already papered and the paper is in good condition, it’s OK to paper straight on top of it. “If you’re stripping old paper though,” warned Poppet, “make sure you remove all of it or you might find that it creates an uneven surface that spoils the finish of your new paper.”
Poppet’s Dolly Bits has just become the
UK’s only supplier of Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers, an upmarket American company who reproduce fine hand-printed authentic patterns for full-size historic homes, fancy hotels, restaurants, museums and even film sets for cinema and historic dramas for the small screen. They have now branched out into 1/12th scale papers and Poppet is thrilled to have become sole UK supplier of their stunning range.
Generally, when we think of wallpaper, we imagine a paper product – but Stick and Go create wallpapers made from self-adhesive vinyl. Owner David Garrett explained: “I created this range as a fast, affordable and easy way to decorate a miniature home.
It’s so easy – peel, stick and go!” As well as wallpapers, the same ‘stick and go’ concept has been extended to floor and wall tiles, coving and skirting, roof tiles and paving, and a host of other applications.
David advised when using a vinyl adhesive to ensure that the surface is smooth and dustfree: “Rough or dusty surfaces may affect the adhesive performance otherwise,” he explained. I decided to assess for myself the impact that wallpaper can have in a room. I made up some room sets against a plain white backdrop, then recreated them with an appropriate period style paper. The paper transforms the scene and adds an authentic touch.
Library living
This Stick and Go vinyl ‘trompe l’oeil’ gives the appearance of a library without the expense and effort of having to make 100s of books. It’s a kind of instant library, and highly effective. Library steps by Dolls House Emporium, cabinet by Reina Mab and books a mixture of bought and hand-made.
Nautical but nice!
These seafaring accessories – trunks and shipping charts – conjure up images of the coast, but this sailing boat paper from Poppet’s Dolly Bits adds a nautical flourish that brings cohesion to the separate items.
Arts and crafts
Jane Harrop Arts and Crafts furniture made from kits (the plans are also available in her book on Arts and Crafts) is shown to best affect against an authentic design, Lion and Dove with Briar Rose, by Bradbury & Bradbury.
Tangerine dream
Nothing says 1970s more than orange. It was the colour of the decade and this paper by Poppet’s is totally groovy, man! The rug is made from a scrap of shearling, the TV is a vintage piece by Lundby and the iconic ‘fat lava’ vases are made from air drying clay. The G-Plan nest of tables is from a kit by Arjen Spinhoven.
Fab 50s
The distinctive style of the 1950s is evoked with this iconic wallpaper, adding real period atmosphere to the room, which contains a resin Eames lounge chair and ottoman designed in 1956, and a 1950s salon table from a kit by Arjen Spinhoven. The painting of the so-called ‘green lady’ by Vladimir Tretchikoff dates from 1952 and was sold at Woolworth’s! The Zambesi vase was made from air-drying clay.
Gentleman’s relish
Wood panelling is expensive, but a wood effect wall covering is quick and easy – and very effective. This lovely design from Stick and Go creates an atmospheric gentleman’s study, with warm, rich mahogany panels created in an instant. Gothic bookcase by Sue Cook.
Art Nouveau
The poppy was a characteristic Art Nouveau motif and this vibrant design by Poppets Dolly Bits forms the perfect backdrop to an Arjen Spinhoven cabinet and hand-stitched rug.
Classic Colonial
This Colonial Williamsburg design by Bradbury & Bradbury works in harmony in this music room. Tea set by Victoria Fasken and table from a kit by Alison Davies. Candlesticks are painted plastic ones from a kit by Crysnbon. Fruit made from polymer clay.