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The Be All, End All of Cloud Wallpaper | One Room Challenge Week 3

April 19, 2017

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If you’re just tuning in, we’re making over our nursery in 6 weeks as part of the One Room Challenge (check out the before here). It’s week 3, and just like last season when we participated, we’re doing it and sharing it in real time. Meaning, the progress you see, is right where we’re at. Last week, we left you with the addition of molding (and earlier this week, we shared how we painted it all).

But this week, the wallpaper went up and everything changed. Initially, I had my eye on this cloud mural–which is gorgeous!–but since there was no repeat, it couldn’t be applied to more than one or two walls. For several days I tried to push it and think of ways that we could make it work, but in my gut I knew that a one-walled mural, especially above wainscoting, was not the look I was going for.

I still loved the idea of clouds, and if you love cloud wallpaper, you know there’s one that’s the be all, end all of cloud wallpapers–Cole & Son’s Fornasetti II NuvoletteI went on wallpaperdirect.com and put the nursery’s dimensions into their wallpaper calculator to see how much we would need. 2 rolls. 2 rolls! Even though it was expensive, that felt doable! That felt worth it! I ordered a sample of each color way so that we could make an educated decision if we were going to go this route.

The samples arrived before we put up the trim, but I tacked them up here so you could see. The most popular, and the one you have probably seen several places is the black and white one (3rd from the left). While it’s beautiful, I wanted something different in here. For half a day, we loved the light blue, but I worried long term that it would feel cold. I saw one corner of a room that used that dark color way (it’s called charcoal, I think, but it’s really more navy) and it was stunning! I mean, really takes your breath away. I searched high and low for an example of the first one, the soft creamy tan one, used in a room and couldn’t find a real-life example. But, I was so drawn to the warmth and softness. I sat on it for a couple days and knew that creamy white one was the one. The one that would work so well in a nursery and transition down the road if we wanted to, as well. I tracked down a 20% off coupon and ordered 2 rolls.

When it arrived, there was actually 4 rolls. Two “A” rolls and two “B” rolls. They are to be hung a half drop from each other and it’s a paste the wall application and…Gah!!! I didn’t want to mess this up. We 100% hired this part out. Know your limits, right?

It took our guy about 5 hours to complete the room and there was one part, to the right of the window (right after I took this picture below), that he made a mistake on and had to take down. It was a tricky pattern to keep straight, even for a professional.

But goodness!

I mean…geez.

We love it so much. The room feels larger and has so much depth to it. The pattern is stunning and moving, but still so soft and serene.

The only problem we’re having now is I’m positively dreading hanging anything on the walls, haha. How can I possibly put a hole in it?! We only have a few small ideas for what we’d like to hang, but mostly, plan on letting the wallpaper keep the interest. Of course, we’ll keep you posted. ;)

 

You can check out how the other ORC participants are doing through the links below:

Centsational Girl | Christine Dovey | Dwell With Dignity | The English Room

Glitter Guide | House of Brinson | House Updated  | J+J Design Group | Lark & Linen | Abby Manchesky

Nesting Place | Old Brand New | Old Home Love | The Pink Pagoda | Rambling Renovators

Erica Reitman | Sketch 42 | Suburban B’s | Erin Williamson  Media Partner House Beautiful | TM by CIH

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What do you think?

  1. voyageurs47 says:

    Hi Julia. This room inspired me! Thank you! Were the rolls you received marked “A” and “B”? I just purchased mine and am scared I received two “A” rolls. Hope you can confirm this soon because installer is coming tomorrow. THANK YOU!!

  2. Kari says:

    This is giving us major nursery inspiration..! Do you mind sharing how you tracked down the wallpaperdirect coupon..? I scoured ebay but had no luck..! Thank you!

  3. Meghan Jay says:

    Love this wallpaper and your nursery design! We’re apprehensive about putting up wallpaper in our baby’s nursery but would love to have a similar color scheme – is there a paint color that would match to the hues in your wallpaper? Perhaps a soft white? Thanks for your advice!

  4. Christina says:

    Hi Julia! Not sure if you’re notified of comments on ancient posts… but what are the dimensions of your nursery? Looooove your work :)

  5. Jennifer says:

    So I just started on Week 4 and I had to come back and see each step. Love love love the wallpaper and yea for hiring it out!

  6. MelissaB says:

    I also use a mix of command hooks (velcro or stickies) and nails depending on where or how heavy an item is and I found that Costco has 3m hooks that have a heavier weight limit than any other I’ve found in various stores.

  7. Dee says:

    I’ve seen people cut a small X in wallpaper with an x-acto knife and peel back the corners before drilling when hanging something. Then when it’s time to rearrange art you just re-paste the X and fold the corners back down, and you can’t even tell it was there! Kind of like your living room cord/rug solution.

    The room looks gorgeous so far! I can’t wait to see more progress!

  8. The Pink Pagoda says:

    That wallpaper is just GORGEOUS. This room is going to be incredible! Can’t wait to see more!

  9. Sarah V. says:

    I just installed a picture rail molding in my living room and I love not punching holes in my plaster walls anymore! I used this one:

    http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/picture-railing-large-colonial-revival?sc=13&category=144

    With these hooks:
    http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/picture-hanger-hooks-heavy-duty-brass

  10. Kate says:

    Hi Julia, this room is amazing. Would you recommend the same wallpaper for a boys nursery or do you think it’s a little too feminine? What would you recommend instead?

  11. Christina says:

    Oh em gee, Julia! It it breathtakingly gorgeous!! I love it! It’s so serene and well gorgeous!!
    I can’t wait for next week!!

  12. Jennifer says:

    IT’S SO PRETTY!!!!!

    Only two rolls for that room, huh? I’ve always considered high-end papers out of my budget (without even bothering to check – duh) but this is giving me hope!

  13. beautiful! it will be like sleeping in a dream!

  14. Julia says:

    Amazing! Looks so good. I always find it hilarious how much I want wallpaper now, since it feels like just a couple years ago that I helped my parents rip out all the outdated wallpaper from their house! But there are so many cool new patterns

  15. Patti says:

    This room is beautiful! The wallpaper & the color you chose is perfect – can’t wait to see finished room!

  16. susan says:

    I love that it adds to the room and doesn’t overpower it, because nurseries need a lot of items they can get busy. This just feels relaxing with a touch of whimsical. Can’t wait to see all the details come together!

    P.S. My husband and I jumped into the ORC as guest participants after seeing your last ORC, those bunks turned out amazing I can hardly wait to see all the details come together in this space!

    -Susie
    http://www.tinyhousegiantlife.com

  17. Meagan says:

    Just by first glance, I thought it was lace! So stunning!!

  18. Breath-taking!! You definitely made the right choice. I can’t wait to see how it all comes together!

    I shared our wall treatment in our baby girl’s nursery today as well. Nurseries are the best ;)

    http://dahliasanddimes.com/2017/04/19/one-room-challenge-week-3-budget-friendly-modern-shiplap-diy/

  19. It’s stunning. Love how soft and dreamy the room feels. Lucky baby.

  20. Naomi says:

    Wow. Wow wow wow. How do you always make the right decision?! It’s uncanny! Also, never realized a wallpaper does make it impossible to rotate gallery walls, etc. Good point! I’m the type of person who’d only realize I can’t patch those screw holes only after I took down the shelf. Yicks! Wallpaper has sure come full circle from background busywork back to being an art statement all by itself, and your pattern choice is a fine example!

  21. I have never seen cloud wallpaper before; but it was love at first sight! This wallpaper adds so much depth and interest to the space, while stay serene and mature. This wallpaper is now a must have in one of my home’s rooms.

  22. Tanja Epners says:

    Julia, you picked so well – I love love love the wallpaper with the rest of the room. When we bought our house, EVERY room had some wallpaper in it so I’ve shied away from putting any up as the taking down was so horrific. This room though makes me think twice.

  23. Looks amazing! So whimsical and soft, perfect for a little lady :)

  24. Melissa says:

    Lovely. I wouldn’t want to put holes in that paper either. Have you considered picture rail molding?

  25. Lisa C in Dallas says:

    Stunning!

  26. Lynn says:

    Absolutely stunning! Can’t wait to see the finished project.

  27. jane says:

    Have you ever tried 3M Command hooks? They come in all shapes and sizes – make sure wait 24 hours before hanging something from them. I’ve used them on various projects and had mixed results.

    • Julia says:

      I always use one to hang a wreath on the range hood for Christmas, but would they hold something heavy like a mirror?

      • jane says:

        Most of them have weight limits on the packaging. Since it is an infant/childs room, I don’t think I’d do it. They are too precious.

      • Whitney says:

        I used them to hang a mirror because we’re renting and I’m not allowed to make holes in the walls. The heavier the item is, the more strips you use. I probably wouldn’t do it if I had the option of drilling directly into the studs, but it works in a pinch.

  28. Andi says:

    Love, love, love the wall paper! Especially for a nursery :) I love the super dark one too, but that would definitely be too dark in this room. Can’t wait to see what’s next!

  29. Kristen says:

    The wallpaper is stunning!

  30. Julia says:

    Woah. That’s even better than I imagined. Great choice!

  31. Well this is about THE prettiest wallpaper I have seen in situ and I’m an avid lover of wallpapers! This colorway is perfection. Can’t wait to see the rest.

  32. Kristine says:

    Have you done a post on the flooring in this room? It really has come together beautifully!

  33. I’ve long lusted after that wallpaper too. So glad I can live vicariously through you – it looks perfect with the moulding!

  34. Lauren says:

    Absolutely breathtaking! I didn’t know I could love wallpaper so much.

  35. Gretchen says:

    Gorgeous! Definitely loving the creamier whites lately.

  36. Rkay says:

    From other rooms.. it seems like you do have a slight texture on the walls. How did you deal with that to ensure the texture did not show through the paper? I think that is the biggest challenge when dealing with wanting to wallpaper a wall for some of us. The added expense of skim coating seems daunting.

    • Julia says:

      Good question. Our home has a slight orange peel texture throughout and we’ve wallpapered 3 different spaces so far with none of the texture peeking through. I think it’s a mix between the very slight texture and the busy-ness of the wallpaper.

  37. Jillian says:

    If you dont want to make holes you could hang artwork from a picture rail? like the Victorians did?

  38. Marty Oravetz says:

    Love the paper, it is amazing.

  39. Erin says:

    It’s so dreamy! Love it

  40. Corine says:

    It’s breathtaking! what a dreamy space! And it’s just getting started!

  41. Christina says:

    I have anxiety about putting holes in walls after spending days spackling/sanding/painting the damage from previous home owners. I’m actually considering this picture rail as I like the idea of being able to change things up whenever I want.

    https://www.bobvila.com/articles/picture-rails/#.WPdyxtLyuUk

  42. Leena says:

    This is exquisite!

    I have had a question since you started the trim. I consider your home style traditional, modern but comfortable. However, The wood panels (to me) feel more formal traditional. I think it looks gorgeous but it seems not to mesh with the rest of your home. Do you plan to carry it into any other rooms?

    • Julia says:

      The trim is definitely more traditional, but we have lots of traditional touches throughout our home and hope to add more while still keeping a comfortable trad-modern feel. We just added a bunch to our home office. The girls’ room has trim and we definitely want to add more to the stairwell and our bedroom. Slow and steady. :)

  43. wilma says:

    looks lovely. as for hanging, maybe you could try out 3M picture hanging strips–we’ve used them with FANTASTIC (going on 5 years) success, though only on drywall, not wall paper. and they really DO come off cleanly!

  44. yasmara says:

    I love it! And I’m glad you said that about being afraid to hang things – I am always so surprised when I see designers who have used a gorgeous wallpaper and then immediately hung art – how can they stand it??? I would be soooo nervous!

  45. Molly says:

    I’ve read somewhere that when putting holes in wallpaper, you can cut a little upside down V where the hole will be, fold the paper down and then the nail doesn’t go through the wallpaper. Then if you want to change things up, you just fold the notch back up (and re-paste if needed) and voila! Can’t even tell!

    • Julia says:

      Wow! Cool! I’ve never heard of that.

    • Brenda Hodges says:

      I was going to give you that tip as well. Another option might be a picture rail molding…if you painted it the background color of the paper rather than like the other molding, I think it would blend right in and you could hang whatever, wherever.

      P.S. This is going to be one lucky baby – the room is gorgeous!

  46. Debbie C says:

    Ohhhhhh…so dreamy and gorgeous! Ah, this room. It had my heart with the wainscoting, but now, even more so…

  47. Jeanna says:

    Dreamy is the only word that seems to fit :) I’m in love with it!

  48. Erin says:

    It is absolutely stunning! And I totally get your fear of hanging anything on it- or why you might not want to even put anything over that gorgeous paper!

  49. Lori says:

    Ooooooh, I love it. I looked at the other colorways, and I think you def made the right choice. It’s the perfect amount of depth and pattern without overwhelming everything else.

    And what about command hooks for hanging? I wouldn’t want to put a nail through this wallpaper either!

  50. Ah, we also just installed dreamy wallpaper in our nursery last night right in time for this week’s ORC update – except ours is the “Clara” floral mural from Walls Need Love. Literally the second we got done, the first question out of my mouth was, “But how are we supposed to hang things now?” It’s so beautiful, I could just sit and stare at it for hours…

    I’ve never seen the cream version of Fornasetti II Nuvolette in a full room, but now that I’ve seen yours, I think I like it even better than the classic black and white!

  51. Nicole says:

    I adore that wallpaper! I would love to put it in our dining room, but we would need SO much (and it’s a pricey option). It’s perfect in your nursery!

  52. Arli says:

    Perfection!

  53. Tina says:

    I would have the same anxiety about putting holes in that beautiful paper! Do you think you could use the little command hooks? Can’t wait to see the final reveal!

  54. Use command strips to hang things! The Velcro ones allow you to remove it all safely with no holes in the walls! There are limitations, obviously, but it could cut down on the amount of holes you put into the wallpaper!

    • Carey-Jane Sinke says:

      I was going to suggest this too! They’re from 3M. I hang pretty much every single thing using those- I hate holes in the walls!

  55. Winnie G says:

    Good choice. It is so beautiful.

  56. marcie says:

    Oh my gosh. That is the absolute perfect wallpaper for that room but I don’t know if I could make a hole in it either :) But then it doesn’t need much. The room is so amazing already. I would just be standing there looking at it all day!!

  57. Stacy G. says:

    Oh wow! It’s so gorgeous. Seriously, it’s so pretty. Hyperbole is warranted. :)

  58. Michelle says:

    Wow, wow, wow! Amazing how some well thought out embellishment can elevate a room. This is one lucky baby!

  59. Gah! This is so dreamy! What a change. And totally the right choice in hiring this out. I bet you can hardly sleep at night this is so beautiful! xo

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