8 Great Ways to Use Wallpaper

Ellie Cashman
2015-01-23T15:00:00-05:00

I hope this post convinces you that wallpaper can enhance a space in a myriad of ways, playing many roles, striking many notes. Your imagination truly is the limit!
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When I designed my 'Dark Floral' wallpaper, I imagined it being used on an accent wall. I mocked it up in Photoshop as the backdrop for a rustic wood table and an Eames chair.

What happened next, I hadn't imagined at all!

That mockup went viral on Pinterest, and e-mails began to pour in from all around the world. People wanted to know where they could buy the wallpaper. This gave me the guts to go out on my own and find a partner to produce 'Dark Floral.' We were shipping the wallpaper around the world even before the web shop went live. And now, just a short time later, 'Dark Floral' has appeared on the pages of Vogue and Elle.

So, real life has exceeded the capacity of my imagination. I feel truly lucky.

This little wallpaper that could has had quite a journey so far, and it feels like it's just getting started. There's more good news on the way too (it just keeps getting better!)

But for now, I wanted to share some of the highlights from this journey so far.

Because, speaking of imagination, my clients have got it in excess. They've shown me that there are many more possibilities for 'Dark Floral' - and any wallpaper for that matter - than just an accent wall.

8 Great Ways to Use Wallpaper

1) As an invitation to 'come hither' into a space beyond
Le Mordant/Lucky Liam restaurant
Designed by Lucie LePage-Depreux of agence - mur.mur
Paris, France
Featured in Elle France, April 2015

"We especially love the breakfast table decorated with 'Dark Floral' wallpaper by Ellie Cashman." --ELLE

2) As a mood maker
Finca restaurant/tapas bar
Designed by Cody Derrick and Lauren Bald of City Home Collective
Salt Lake City, UT, USA

From the City Home Collective blog: "The private dining rooms at Finca were one of the first things to be designed. Even before the paint color was chosen for the restaurant, Cody knew he had to have that floral wallpaper. It’s bold, it’s sexy, and it’s as multidimensional as the tapas on the menu. After sourcing for countless hours, we finally tracked down the paper to Ellie Cashman. Well worth the flight across the pond. These rooms are dark, brooding, cloaked in grey crushed-velvet curtains, and my favorite space to dine. Everything looks sexy in these rooms." -- Lauren Bald

3) As a display maker
Butik Guldkant, Boutique
Småland/Eksjö, Sweden

4) To offset lovely white built-ins
Home office, private residence
Designed by Jaimee Rose Interiors
Arizona, USA

5) As an art collection backdrop
London Terrace living room of award-winning florist Nikki Tibbles
London, UK
Featured in Vogue Living Australia September/October 2014

"Dark Floral wallpaper by Netherlands-based American designer Ellie Cashman feels like walking into a still life painting. In the room behind, Ellie Cashman's 'Dark Floral' is custom printed on linen for curtains. Tibbles bought the limited edition Thomas Eyck bugs many years ago. 'I never knew where to put them until I found this wallpaper.' she says." --VOGUE

6) As a space divider
Screen created by Le Moissonnier
Bourg-en-Bresse, France

7) As a dream enchanter
Bedroom, private residence
Brisbane, Australia

Oh, imagine the dreams you would have ... This client says the wallpaper "literally stops me in my tracks every time I walk into the room."

For the wallpaper hanger's account of the installation process, check out Wow Wallpaper Hanging, where they attest to the fact that "The wallpaper is only limited to your imagination."

Majeka House Hotel
Designed by Etienne Hanekom
Stellenbosch, South Africa

8) As an immersion experience
Powder room, private residence
Designed by Amber Lewis of Amber Interiors
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Featured on Cupcakes & Cashmere and Amber Interior Design, February 2014

From Cupcakes & Cashmere: "I knew I wanted to wallpaper the room and though we considered going with something subtle, I couldn't be happier with the Ellie Cashman design we ended up using. Her wallpapers look like beautiful oil paintings and the large scale floral pattern worked remarkably well in the small space. It's quickly turned into one of my favorite rooms in the house." --Emily Schuman, Cupcakes and Cashmere

From Amber Interiors: "Maybe (positively ) the best little powder bath I ever did see ... Em and G really wanted to make a statement in this perfect little powder bath. We searched for wallpapers that would be as impactful as possible and not something we may have already seen before. Because Pinterest is a magical unicorn, and has the power to unlock even the most buried of treasures, we were able to stumble onto this wallpaper…and the rest was history. Is it possible to even say that the pictures don’t do it justice?? In the flesh it looks like an oil painting… its “Bonkers Good” for lack of a better phrase. --Amber Lewis, Amber Interiors

So, I hope this post has convinced you that wallpaper can enhance a space in a myriad of ways, playing many roles, striking many notes. Your imagination truly is the limit!