How to Print Wallpaper By Hand (and with Love!)
Pattern after pattern to fall in love with!
As seen on episodes 5, 7 and 8 of our HGTV show
Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?
You can count on one hand the number of makers in the United States still producing wallpaper using the manual process of block-printing. And even fewer specialize in reproducing historical wallpaper patterns, but Adelphi Paper Hangings in Sharon Springs, NY, is one such company to know and celebrate!
As seen on “Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?” episode 7, Elizabeth and designer Jen Salvemini visit Michele Farwell at Adelphi Paper Hangings to source wallpaper.
Our Assignment
As Cheap Old Houses co-founder Elizabeth Finkelstein explains: “We’re trying to be historically appropriate to these homes but also make them feel very fresh and reflect the personalities of the owners. The best way to do that is through color.”
From original samples sourced directly from historic homes across the country, Adelphi Paper Hangings replicates the patterns and gives them new life, as “Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old Houses?” designer Jennifer Salvemini says: “When it’s reinterpreted in these bolder colors, it just pops and really has a playfulness about it.” Adelphi Paper Hangings’s commitment to these unique block-printing techniques is something to celebrate!
The “Volute” pattern, (left) seen in its original c. 1840 reference panel, and (right) one of Adelphi’s updated colorways.
Volutes & Vines
In Khalindi and Ed’s dining room, Elizabeth and Jen selected “Volute” in a new, custom colorway to complement the “rainbow sherbet” color story envisioned for the Sharon Springs home.
About the pattern:
Although this paper was discovered in the stair hall of the Hancock-Wirt-Caskie House in Richmond, Virginia, the design is related to a large category of patterns in the Bibliotheque Forney, which are generally referred to as “Volutes” (meaning spiral). With their scrolling foliates they reflect the influence of the Renaissance Revival. A color scheme of cinnamon set against ochre is typical of the 1840s palette.
Adelphi Paper Hangings is also featured in the Troy home of Vanessa and Dan. “Trumpet Vine” adds a playful pop of color in the dining room.
About the pattern:
Employing botanically correct, highly rendered blossoms and foliage of the plant Campsis radicans, the basic structure of Trumpet Vine a simple diamond – is partially obscured. Two identical configurations of flowers and leaves alternate down the length of the pattern, switching between left and right orientations.
A large, but incomplete fragment of the pattern is visible in what was, referred to as the hall of the Judge Samuel Holten House, in Danvers, Massachusetts. Fortunately, a section with a full repeat exists in the archives of Laura McCoy Designs. It is this document on which the reproduction is based.
Cheap Old Houses counts itself as incredibly fortunate for this opportunity to work with and support such an amazing company like Adelphi Paper Hangings.
Photos: Scenes from “Who’s Afraid of a Cheap Old House?”; stills by Stephanie Munguia for Cheap Old Houses.
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