Wallpaper is back and more fabulous than ever!

Wallpaper is back and more fabulous than ever!

The new addition to Perch <3

A few months back, we found ourselves drooling over this colorful, fantastical, whimsical wallpaper and thought to ourselves, we MUST have it for Perch!

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We called our go-to wallpaper guru Dennis Gauthier who has been in the game for 48 years, and decided to document how he works his magic.

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Putting up wallpaper seems easy enough, right?  Wrong! It is so important to have a wallpaper installed by a professional.  Here’s how its done…

The first thing Dennis told us is that when he looks at wallpaper he sees numbers, not patterns.  “You need a really good background in math because it is all geometry”, he said. This had us scratching our heads, because that is the LAST thing we see when we were looking at this beaut!

Figuring out the type of "match" this wallpaper required.

...There are three types of wallpaper "match" patterns…

1. Random Match : where none of the pattern is consistent (e.g. a mural scene)
2. Straight Match : where the pattern is matched identically (e.g. vertical stripes)
3. Drop Match : where the first roll is hung from the top of the roll/pattern, and the next roll is hung midway through the roll/pattern … this is the type of wallpaper we were working with.

While our paper could have been hung as a straight match, the pattern would appear repetitive, and would certainly take away from the etherial charm the “scene” naturally has.

The diagonal effect that is produced by hanging the paper in a Drop Match fools the eye to make the pattern appear larger and more complex. 

He pasted two rolls at a time to allow the paper to get tacky, attaching the top the roll under the picture hanging molding and straightening it after it has fallen “naturally” to the base of the wall. He made it clear that hanging wallpaper in New Orleans is never uniform, as the houses shift so frequently and so much, that lines on walls are rarely even.

Once the roll was up he used a number of tools to brush out and secure the paper to the wall..

• A special roller that adheres the edges of the paper to the wall, and to the next roll
• A large flat brush that pushes out any air pockets and paste buildup that may remain
• A specialized razor blade to cut the roll at the top and bottom to ensure the edges line up perfectly.

Et voilà!

We have a whole library of wall covering books here at perch just waiting for you to come and peruse!

Whether you're looking for a traditional toile, a funky geometric, a modern metallic or a coastal grasscloth, we've got you covered!

Some of our current faves...

Feel free to stop by or call us to schedule an appointment to peruse our wallpaper library.

Perch
2844 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
504-899-2122 T