Vintage Wallpaper

During the late 80’s,  I remember helping my mom tear down all of the wallpaper throughout our house.  It was becoming a dated look and many seemed to be moving towards a “neutral” world of beige and eggshell walls.  Looking back, somehow I wonder if we were being a bit hasty in our judgment of wallpaper.  Typically, it was durable (I know because taking it down was no easy task!), washable, and of course , could even decorate an empty room.  So why the bittersweet parting?  I’m not exactly sure why, but two things come to mind – 1.  Its overuse in homes and 2. Making changes wasn’t easy.  Both of these points may suggest limiting wallpaper use to an accent wall.  How beautiful would it be to have one wall with velvet motif wallpaper?   Is that even made anymore?   Secondhand Rose in New York carries vintage wallpaper.  They claim to have the worlds largest collection of antique wallpaper ranging from 1860’s to 1970’s.  Movies such as Anne of Green Gables, have used Secondhand Rose as a resource when trying to make period specific sets.   My guess is that they would have my velvety wallpaper.  Here is a tiny sample from their website – does any of this look familiar?

I’m not sure that they sell online so we may be stuck just “looking”.  But if your in the New York area, stop by and take a look at their complete selection.

Images: Secondhand Rose