To Wallpaper

When we were looking for a house 11 years ago, we had two main criteria: no wall to wall carpeting and no wallpaper. We bought a house with carpet in every room and wallpaper on every wall.

 

The carpeting came up to reveal really beautiful hardwood floors--in the corners. The high traffic areas, well hidden under the plush pile, were beyond bad. A few areas rugs distract, but clearly there was a reason the carpet was down.

The wallpaper we lived with longer. It was fairly contemporary--nothing too 1970’s green. But eventually, after living in the space for a few years and debating options we decided on a color and began tearing it down.

The house is over 80 years old. That’s a lot of winters. That’s a lot of humid Ohio summers. More than one person died in the house. Many people lived here. It’s been well used.
 

And the truth is, it shows. Cracks in the first floor ceiling directly under the kids’ room, where kids jump and fall and stomp. Plaster splitting on the walls that bear the weight of the house. Charming, in a way, the way lines on any face are. This is a smile line. This is a worry line.

Wallpaper’s appeal is that there’s no plaster to fix, no sanding. One sheet at a time and all the lines disappear, the walls look smooth, even. New.

Look at me, it says, not at the walls. Look at the patterns, the lines, the layers of design. Don’t worry about what’s behind. It’s gone. Over. History. Now, everything is perfect.