Don't Get Out Your Spackle Just Yet

Continuing my decorating theme from last week, I saw a disturbing magazine headline when I was standing in the grocery store line yesterday. It said, in bold, "Wallpaper is back!"

I have noticed the increased wallpaper usage on HGTV and TLC in past months. Shows that until recently stripped every wall of paper and replaced it with paint are now throwing wallpaper on any given space, instead of the fancy paint treatments they used to employ. And I'd just like to say, "Stop!"

I realize that wallpaper, particularly paper that looks like a fancy paint treatment, can give a similar feel without all the work or expense of these treatments. Even so, it is NOT the same--it still looks and feels like wallpaper.

What's more, if you're going for efficiency, wallpaper is not the answer! Just think about the pain wallpaper can be. I am proud to say I have never wallpapered a room in my life, but I have distinct memories of my mother and grandmother with spackling compound, scissors, tape measures, water, and buckets of paste. I can also remember their frustration while trying to match the pieces of a patterned wallpaper in order to continue the pattern around corners of a room. Not to mention the agony of removing old wallpaper. I would rather inhale the paint fumes any day.

Decorating, like fashion, goes through its trends. And while wallpaper may be currently "in," it will undoubtedly go "out" again. However, I haven't ever seen a nicely painted wall that was out of style. Don't give into this trend--Hold fast to your paintbrush.