Wall stenciling, decals, wallpaper... It's all good. Once viewed as passé or, "So 1980's", stenciling can be quite a neat DIY trick for those with a creative eye or who have a strict budget that doesn't include $180  a roll wallpaper. When most people think of stencils, they imagine rooster motifs as borders in kitchens, or pink roses on dressers. Let's change the mental picture. I want you to envision Wary Meyers in place of all that, okay? Think hip and now, not has been.

Images from Wary Meyers.

Wary Meyers is this super cool couple living between Brooklyn and coastal Maine who paint, design, DIY, and stencil their hearts out transforming mundane objects and spaces into swank pads. Yup, these hip New Yorkers stencil in style. Need proof?  Here are some custom stencils that they did for a few of their clients.

If you'd like to try your hand at a little faux-paper effect like the one above, here are some sources for stencils that I suggest. If you know of any others, please add to this list with your comments.

• Henry Donovan Motif
• Modello Desgin
• My Stencils
• Royal Design Studio
• Stencil 1
• Stencil Library
• Stencil Planet
• Victoria Larsen

Do you stencil? If not, would you consider it?

(image from wary meyers)

If you are new to purchasing original works from artists, here are some tips that may help you get started. First, you want to figure out what exactly floats your boat, that's a good start -- then you can start shopping. When it comes to art ask yourself: What do you like? Watercolor? Oils? Mixed Media? Still life? Encaustic?

Some practical ways to figure out what you like and then, where to find affordable works for a new collector...

• Art blogs - There are many great ones out there, do a little research and find some with work that speaks to you.
  
• Attend gallery shows.
• Look for originals at flea markets, auctions, and estate sales.
• Shop eBay, Etsy, Trunkt, DaWanda, etc.  If you find an artist that only sells prints of their work, ask them if they accept commissions or would consider selling you an original. Most will consider it.
• Take a class (community center, art school, etc.). Learn more by diving in yourself. Pick up a paintbrush and have a little fun. You may realize you can display some of your own work!
• Don't ignore the younger peeps in your family -- children and teenagers often have some pretty amazing stuff that they bring home from school. Frame and cherish it.
• Talk to an artist and ask them about their work and how a new collector can get started, they may know of some local artists or shows that aren't as well known.
• Find out if your city has artists lofts or a designated spot in the city where independent artists live and work and see if they offer public shows, most do.
• Visit museums and take note of artists names that you like and do research when you get home to learn more about their inspiration and technique.
• Visit school exhibitions. Most schools have annual art sales around the holidays where you can score some major finds, original works of course, at amazingly low prices compared to what you'd find in a gallery. Just call your local art school to inquire or check out their website. Some even have Spring/Summer shows. It's a nice way for a new collector to get started, or for an old pro that knows what they like and buys art for art itself, not for its current or future value, but because they simply love it.

Speaking of art blogs, New York Magazine has this great entertainment blog called Vulture that I just started reading. As in yesterday. I never paid much attention to it before but when I noticed Vulture has this daily feature called Art Candy where they spotlight one artist per day, I perked up. It seems as though the artists featured are ones currently showing at some New York area gallery, it is New York Magazine so of course the focus is going to be on Gotham City, but for the rest of us it's cool to follow what's happening for the sake of discovering new talent. I found a slew of artists I'd not heard of which makes me want to keep tuning in for more. Plus I like how writer Emma Pearse gets her point across. She's witty, to the point, and slightly sarcastic, a fun and easy read -- something you often don't find when you read articles about art. Pearse has the charm and ability to draw us in with gorgeous imagery and more, words that entertain and not put us to sleep.

One such artist Pearse mentions over at Art Candy is Susan Homer. At first glance Pearse calls Homer's paintings, "Something our grandmother would hang on her wall." After viewing them up close and personal her view changes and she concludes that they are,  "Actually lovely: bright and happy, featuring tiny birds with big personalities". I agree with Pearse. Still life paintings of flowers and birds doesn't fall into the grandmotherly category at all, to me they are charming and I'm pleased to see that she noticed this as well. Think of Homer's works displayed over a lush velvet sofa in gorgeous wood carved frames, perhaps in a grouping. Still life paintings, especially of birds and branches, are hot. Especially coupled with floral patterned tablecloths and delicate teacups.

A little background on Homer that I was able to find online... She lives and works in Brooklyn, studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (M.F.A), the Rhode Island School of Design (B.F.A.), and she primarily paints on canvas using oil paints.

(images from metaphor contemporary art)

I have this thing for animal motifs, maybe you do to? Take these wallpaper animal silhouettes from Inke in the Netherlands for instance. Love 'em. The first time I saw them was back in '05 in a German magazine, then a year later I spotted them in a little shop in Hannover, Germany while on vacation. I loved them instantly, I think they are so clever and unique. They're made using vintage wallpaper and there's more than wildlife silhouettes, Inke also has trees and imagery that is more 'adult-like' such as lamps, chairs, and table silhouettes as well. There's a little something for the nursery and the living room!

Photo: Inke giraffe silhouette, March '07 issue of Domino Magazine.

Inke Heiland is a Dutch artist/designer who graduated in '02 from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. Inke "wildlife" wallpaper was an idea she had for her son's bedroom which then gave her the idea to produce them as a product. In '04 she presented them at an exposition for new design in Amsterdam and from there she expanded her collection to include tree and furniture silhouettes. Inke is mostly known in Europe with an expanding client base here in the United States thanks to design blogs and magazines.

Photo: Inke tree via Lille Mandarine.

Photo: Inke tree.

Each silhouette comes on a roll much like gift wrap and is made out of genuine vintage wallpaper from the 60s and 70s, all handmade in the Netherlands. Each roll comes with a do it yourself kit that includes adhesive, a brush, and installation instructions. Sounds like an easy afternoon project!

What do you think? Is this a look you'd like to try at home? I'd love to see one of these in a shop, perhaps a pretty stationery store or book store... Even a pediatrician's office -- now how cute would that be?

(images all linked to sources above.)

Lonely walls no more! I promised last week that I'd pull together a few of my favorite wallpaper resources so please click on the links below to view their entire collections. Along with a few great wallpaper resources, I've decided to weave in a little story as a reminder that the modern woman is a lucky girl when it comes to wallpaper selection. Remember the patterns mom had to choose from?

Nama Rococo is haute! Every sheet is painted by hand. This is couture paper at it's finest produced not in Paris, but in Massachusetts by an amazingly talented team.

When I was 4 years old, my parents custom built a home and I can still recall the process in great detail because it was a really big deal to them because everything had to be perfect. It was a big deal to me as well because It took precious time away from my little art projects and the one house I really cared about -- the Barbie dream house -- to tag along with mom to home stores. Together we viewed tile, carpet, paint, appliances, garden supplies, I was constantly by her side as she managed the interior and gardening part of the project while my father was off dealing with the contractors. The home was 4 levels and had about 11 rooms, several acres of land, a huge finished lab space for my father, and a large brick patio. Perhaps this is where the whole design bug really sunk its teeth into my tender young skin; looking back I see that exposure to decorating came long before even I appreciated it or knew that someday my life would be dedicated to obsessing over interiors.

Ferm Living is ultra desirable, so many ladies I know want to own something from Ferm, it's brilliantly bold.

At one point in the decorating process, I recall my mother complaining about having such a limited wallpaper selection. Today's American consumer has a new problem -- a plethora of papers! We are exposed to a superabundance of patterns, textures, and colors when it comes to nearly everything. For a new homeowner like my twenty-something mom back in the '70s, things were different. This was long before the bevy of magazines, the internet, and all of the amazing design blogs we can access 24/7. See what I mean about being lucky? When I think of American design in the '70s (cough, cough) and what people had access to  here I tend to think that good design options were slim. Sears was all the rage and when you needed paint, you headed to Sherwin-Williams or checked out those massive wallpaper binders from the local hardware store with some pretty dreadful patterns inside.

Walls Like Pictures in Germany has a huge collection of modern graphical prints in excellent color-ways.

The beautiful Familjen wallpaper by Swedish designer Lisa Bengtsson available at Le Souk. It's a hard pattern to find in the states, but Le Souk ships all over the world.

Canadian designer Judit Gueth creates digital wallpaper that enchants. The Koi paper in silver is my favorite.

And for a terrific on-stop-shop on the web (also there's a LA showroom) that carries lots of different lines, try Walnut Wallpaper. Don't miss their line up of Cole & Son, Osborne & Little, Flavor Paper, and Twenty2. Delish!

Frustrated over her limited wallpaper selection, I vividly recall the day mom stood in Sherwin-Williams looking through samples in large dog-eared books, eyes glazed over and thoroughly unmotivated. Eventually, she hired a designer to help her because she fell into such a design rut and couldn't see her way out of the tunnels of ugly orange and brown paper. The designer had a fresh perspective and a few books my mother hadn't seen before, so within a few months wallpaper was installed and the home was complete. Just in time for the relatives to fly out and inspect things.

In the end, our home was beautiful and thoughtfully pulled together, but I'll never forget the frustration mom felt due to lack of a good selection. I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief that vast improvements have been made in the world of design and thanks to the web we have products and services available today that our parents could only dream of. So the next time you fret over selecting wallpaper, think about  how lucky we modern ladies are that such an abundance even exists.

Looking for additional wallpaper patterns and a few tips too? Click on over to my design blog decor8, I have lots of great papers and ideas for them in my archives right here and here.

(images linked beneath photos to source)

The idea of wallpaper excites, but the reality of it often overwhelms. Most resort to the safe option: paint. Why does wallpaper intrigue but rarely ends up on the wall? Is our childhood to blame?

My mother selected lots of gold foils and dramatic florals that were quite stylish back in the day, so I have no trauma to relate. Perhaps you weren't so lucky. Let me assure you that great leaps in wallpaper design have made over the years and that you can overcome your fear of it simply by falling in love with a pattern and hanging it in the perfect spot. Paint isn't the only show in town!

When it comes to where to install it, use bold prints in the entryway, hallway, a guest bathroom, inside of closets, on single walls as an accent (behind your sofa, for instance), or use it to pretty up your laundry or mud room. Add a bold pattern to the ceiling in a dining area and paint the walls in a solid hue to complement it. This photo below is a perfect example of how to use a high impact print. What a grand entrance!

Above: This is Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis in green as shown in the entryway of actress Chloë Sevigny's apartment. Via: House & Garden magazine.

For subtle patterns, you can paper any large space in your home where you spend a lot of time because you won't tire of a quiet pattern as quickly as you will a loud one. That's why I prefer papers with wow factor in areas that I'm not in on a regular basis.

Cow Parsley in Yellow is a hugely popular pattern by Cole & Son, shown above in Real Simple magazine.

If you rent your home, experiment with options other than pasting it to the wall since your landlord may not approve. Wallpaper inside of your bookcase, excluding the shelves and the sides, to add pattern to your space. Mount your favorite pattern to a foam core board and display it as art. Wallpaper a room divider. Line your lingerie drawers. You can even use this poster hanger from Rare Device to display a single sheet.

Painting may be easy to do, but learning to hang wallpaper is a smart skill to acquire and the benefits are certain to exceed your expectations. If you don't have time to learn, hire out (craigslist is my first choice) or call your mom like I do. :)

Need to know where to find papers that don't scream grandma's house circa 1960? No worries, finding great wallpaper is the fun part. Start with Walnut Wallpaper because they carry papers from today's hottest designers and round them up according to color on their website, which I find extremely helpful. In the weeks to come here at Real Simple, I'll share my top 10 favorite wallpaper resources with you, so stick around. No pun intended.

(images credits: top - house & garden magazine. bottom - real simple)