Aside from adding a few new pieces of furniture this summer, we’ve had a slow-down in the decorating department thanks to my injury and with travel. One of the things that have been on the list since before we moved in was redoing the shelving alcove in the kitchen.
I wasn’t a fan of those buttercream walls and robin’s egg blue alcove. The colors just didn’t go with the mid-century modern / folk feel of our design scheme. The walls went white, but I felt the interior of the alcove needed something extra other than a few coats of paint. So we picked out some cute reusable wallpaper from Chasing Paper, but the rolls sat in our storage closet since we moved in 6 months ago in March. (Oh, and as a side note, “we picked out” means I presented Graham with three choices and then opted for one of the two he didn’t select.)
It wasn’t until after I’d ordered all the wallpaper that I realized we had a dilemma. We were planning on using the lowest shelf as a raised food stand for Huxley.
The problem is that our dog PLOWS through his food. In cartoons, you might see a dog scarfing down his meal with bits of food flying up.. that’s our dog.. in 3D. At our old place, I’d have to scrub the walls at least once a week to remove dried kibble crumbs. There was no way wallpaper would withstand Huxley’s lack of eating etiquette. I was about to give up on the idea, when Graham, being resourceful as usual, suggested putting up plexiglass on the lower third of the alcove.
Neither of us have had any experience with wallpaper, so I made the executive decision of begging inviting the help of an expert… my mother-in-law. She came armed with rulers, T-squares, pencils, and some other tools I couldn’t identify. We didn’t get to finish that evening, but the upper area would be easier than the lower for a solo job.
I pulled the ladder from the basement last night to finish up the project. That’s when I realized how great my mother-in-law is with wallpapering. The entire time, she required minimal assistance from me, all the while maintaining this upbeat demeanor getting the job done. She made the whole thing look so easy! As I struggled with wallpaper curling over my head, unsticking it from itself (for the 8th time in 15 minutes), beads of sweat rolling down my face, I realized I’d been fooled.
Hearing the huffing, grunting, and whining, Graham wandered into the kitchen to see what the commotion was. That’s when he rolled up his sleeves, took the wallpaper from me, and climbed the ladder. Between the time he started and the 20 minutes that he descended from the ladder, he’d come up with ample verses for the song, “Wallpaper Is A Pain In The Butt, and We Are Never Doing This Again.” But it got done!
I haven’t made up my mind about what to display or organize; I’ve been experimenting with storage containers, plants, tchotchkes, etc, but I’m really happy with the end result!
Graham did add, however, that whenever it is that we renew our marriage vows, he’s going to insert a clause regarding never wallpapering again.
Thanks, Graham and Christine!
Stacy
