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HOME HANDYMAN a feature of ®ltc Canberra
Professional finish made easy
ToDAY'S home decorator wants
fast, professional results which
make a strong statement in style
without incurring large debts.
The present ranges of co-ordinated
wallpapers and fabrics make redecorating
fast, foolproof, fashionable and easy
on the budget, according to Joanne
Dotta, the "Lady Paperhanger" of the
Wallpaper Council of Australia.
"Whether you want a country-farmhouse
feeling, or sleek, smart penthouse
chic, the many mix-and-match
wallcoverings and fabrics can give you
the mood you want," she said. "With
today's new easy-to-apply wallpapers,
you can do the job yourself quickly and
efficiently."
She travels all over the country to
show people how easily they can do
their own wallpapering.
She said creative cover-ups in companion
wallpapers had been prc-co-ordinatcd
by manufacturers to eliminate
any possibility of mismatches, allowing
the home decorator to go for daringly
professional complexity with confidence.
The end product was a custommadc
look without the professional
price tag.
Choosing the right background pattern
was not as difficult as some homemakers
might think.
There were three basic types of effect
which could be achieved. If the room
was narrow, a diagonal geometric or
floral pattern would apparently widen
the space. A horizontal pattern would
Joanne Dotta of the Wallpaper Council of Australia. Help
Joanne Dotta of the Wallpaper Council of Australia.
make a short room seem longer. For low
ceilings and long, skinny passages, a
vertical pattern would "lift" the ceiling
and expand the wall surface area.
To the basic background print, or
field, complementary wall-coverings
could be added.
A trend in finishes was the outtined
window. Instead of papering a wall right
up to the window sill and frame, a
margin of about 20 to 25 centimetres
was left. This could be filled with a
varying pattern from the co-ordinated
range to create an outlined window
which made an interesting focal point.
An effective decorating approach
was the use of different co-ordinated
patterns on each wall of a room, using
a small print for the small areas, larger
complementary designs on the larger
walls and a wallpaper border around the
skirting board in the hallway leading to
the room.
Wallpapered ceilings were in vogue.
Using the smallest print in the coordinated
collection selected, the paper
was fitted over the ceiling expanse and,
if applicable, mouldings picked out in
a paint at least two shades lighter than
the paper's dominant colour.
The job of papering a ceiling was a
bit awkward, but the new easy-tohandle
pre-pasted papers made the task
manageable.
A wallpapered ceiling was "particularly
stunning" in a turn-of-the-century
house — and it camouflaged ugly hairline
fractures in old plaster.
Joanne Dotta's main advicc for successful
wallpapering is to first read the
instructions.
"As with anything else around the
home, whether it's baking a cake or
washing clothes or planting a garden,
it's best to take time to read over the
manufacturer's instructions," she said.
"If you follow the advicc and stick to
the formula provided, you're on your
way to a finished effect you can be
proud of."
She stressed the order in which novice
paperhangers should approach redecorating.
"Don't experiment with wallpaper for
your very first time in areas like the
bathroom or laundry. They may be
small areas, but they're also the most
difficult because of obstacles like cisterns,
cabinets and sinks," she said.
"Start with large, uncluttered areas,
like hallways and bedrooms, where
you'll encounter fewer obstacles. Then
work on the lounge, the dining room and
the kitchen. Save the small, fiddly
spaces until last."
She emphasised that the manufacturers
had done all the hard work oncc
associated with wallpapering — pretrimming,
pre-pasting and pre-co-ordinating
the patterns and colour values.
"They've even made it easy to take
the wallpaper off," she said. "With
most modern wallpapers, the main paper
can be peeled right off, leaving a
backing ready to take the paper you
next select."
Getting the hang of wallpapering was
easy. It was finally making up your
mind on which wallpaper to have that
posed a problem.
"There are foils and textiles and
exotics in natural fibres — even Berber
styles and the beautiful, if expensive,
handprints," she said. "Happily, with
the marvellous range of mix-and-match
co-ordinates, you don't have to choose
just one."
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