3 Ways to Bring Old Wallpaper Back to Life

Over the past week, we discovered that Blackbird Cottage is layer upon layer of old wallpaper. (As were most old homes in our area.) And as much as I could spend weeks peeling tiny pieces off the walls and putting them together like a historical jigsaw, I do not have time to go down that rabbit hole. So what do you do if you discover the history of your home is contained in the walls you are about to rip down and bring into the 21st century?

You think of creative ways to preserve the history, of course. Then you make it part of the new home.

Here are the ways I came up with to bring our old wallpaper back to life.

What to Do First

The first thing you should do is collect as many samples as possible. For us, it was relatively easy as the paper mostly peeled off in sections. At some stage, I will add these to a journal to preserve them.

The next thing to do would be to take photos of anything you cannot get a decent sample of. So a number of our wallpapers were wedged between other layers. It was hard to see entire sections, so I captured these on my phone.

Once you have done this it’s time to get creative.

A number of followers, okay heaps, suggested I frame the old wallpaper and display it on the wall where we found it.

Firstly, and this is nothing against those of you who have done or would do this. This idea is not for me. I have collected so many pieces of wallpaper there would be no room for art. I am, however, going to begin a scrapbook or journal to document what we found and where. The journal will also have my decorating ideas.

Others suggested a ‘truth wall’. This is basically a wall of original features like wallpaper left untouched amongst the modern changes. We did this at the farmhouse: one was in the hall and the other was in our walk-in robe. I don’t really want to do this again, though I do like the idea.

My First Idea for the Old Wallpaper

This is where my creative juices go into overdrive.

My first idea is to have a jpeg made (in high definition). This would recreate my favorite wallpaper samples into a seamless digital pattern. I can then use this pattern to print wallpaper. I think it would be a lovely nod to history to have an original wallpaper recreated and used again.

My Second Idea.

Once the jpeg is ready I can also use it to print fabric and . . the uses are limitless. I am thinking of curtains for the lounge, cushion covers, tablecloths, or even tea towels. It will take some tweaking to find the right colorways to suit our home. I don’t want it to look like a museum.

Another possibility is to have the images printed onto placemats, lampshades, or even mugs. As I said, endless possibilities.

Lastly, as mentioned, I want to create a kind of decorating historical journal. Sort of like a Junk Journal. I’ll use washi tapes to put the wallpapers onto pages and print labels to show where I found them. I’ll also include dates, the newspaper clippings and the updates we did to the house. That way, when we are gone, people will know the history of Blackbird Cottage.

This junk journal is from houseofmahalo.com