Love the idea of wallpaper but not the thought of how permanent and overpowering it can be on a full wall? Try wallpapering the back piece of a bookshelf. It’s a great idea to add a splash of color to any room. The color won’t be overpowering because you can add elements to the bookshelf to break it up.
All you have to do is:
1. Aquire, buy, or steal (haha, just kidding) a bookcase
2. CLEAN the bookcase
3. Gather your materials and keep them nearby. I would also borrow a friend for an extra pair of hands
4. Remove the bookcase shelves and measure the size that you’ll need to cover
5. Turn the bookcase so the back is facing up. Unroll the wallpaper so it spans from the top of the bookcase to the bottom. Mark your measurements of how much wallpaper is needed to cover each shelf (you can mark with a light pencil/pen mark).
6. Carefully cut the amount of wallpaper needed to cover your shelves.
7. Follow the directions on your wallpaper to glue it (some of them have glue already on the back, and others you’ll have to purchase the glue separately). Stick the wallpaper to the back of the bookshelf.
8. Starting from the center, gently push out any wrinkles or air pockets (Popsicle sticks or little squeegees that they sell specifically for wallpaper application work great for this). You may also want to have a damp rag handy to wipe away any excess glue.
I love this wallpaper pictured to the left by Graham & Brown. You can purchase it at Design Public for $60.
Here are some other great resources for wallpaper:
- Apartment Therapy’s Best Online Wallpaper Sources
- Wallpaper from the 70’s
- This Next: Modern Wallpaper
