Wallpaper musings...

I hate wallpaper.

I can count on one hand the amount of times I have looked at a wallpapered room and did not feel the need to lie about liking it. Usually I end up smiling politely and saying "Wow, you wallpapered". (It is a trick my mom taught me that gets you out of a situation where you would otherwise have to lie. I do it quite often. Usually it takes the form of: Wow, now that's a baby! or Wow! that's a unique hair color.)

I remember one afternoon when I was in my early 20s and I brought a new boyfriend of mine to see my mom at work. I warned him ahead of time that the office was in a basement with really bad 70s decor. It had gold shag carpeting and a HORRIBLE wall mural of a Hawaiian sunset on one wall. Seriously, who buys those things!?! Could they be more tacky!

A few weeks later this same guy brought me home to meet his parents. I was nervous because I was really falling for him and wanted his folks to like me too. As he gave me the tour of his home, he paused in front of an upstairs room to tell me that this was his his favorite spot in the whole house. "Actually I chose the decorations myself," he bragged.

As he opened the door and turned on the light my jaw dropped. They had the exact same Hawaiian sunset mural! I froze. I could not even muster up the courage to lie. Let's face it -- it's a Hawaiian sunset mural! I can fib with the best of them but even I could not get out of this one. He thought it was hysterical and laughed at my shock and horror for a long time after that visit.

Fast forward a few years later when I married Paul, a man who hates wallpaper just as much as I do. Unfortunately the previous owners of our home did not feel the same way and had wallpapered EVERY SINGLE WALL IN THE HOUSE. I kid you not. Every. Single. Wall.

After taking possession I quickly discovered that the best thing about wallpaper is stripping it off. It is one of my favorite home renovation jobs. There is something mesmerizing about grabbing a tiny corner and seeing how big of a sheet you can pull from the wall. For me it is almost therapeutic; it is a concrete, measurable accomplishment.

Today I am tackling our downstairs powder room. It is one of the last spots in our home that still has wallpaper. I spent the day with my iPod on full blast and my scraper and steamer in hand. There are small scraps wallpaper strewn on the floor and overflowing out into the hallway.

It has been a fabulous, relaxing day.