Warming Up to Wallpaper

When I was a kid, the idea of wallpaper got us downright irritable. We lived in a gloriously large (by our standards) house that my mother slowly but surely made into a home. I like to romantically liken it to Mary Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life." I'm positive it wasn't actually like that, but sometimes it's nice to live in our imaginations.

Regardless, I'm not sure if my mother was responsible for it or a previous owner, but our dining room was wallpapered. It had either been applied incorrectly or with an old-fashioned paste that made it damn near impossible to peel off with any efficiency. Instead, whenever we were on the phone (corded, kids), we would sit mindlessly scraping with an old paring knife, one chip of paper at a time. If nothing else, it taught me that, come hell or high water, you must do things the right way. Even if it took years of tedium.

So, when I first started seeing wallpaper come back 'in', I raised an eyebrow. There's so much to hate about it.

But, after seeing it more...and more...and in incredibly modern, bold prints or subtle, classic designs...I warmed up. The fact that all the blog posts I read tout how simple and easy it is to apply (and just as easy to take down) made it less and less scary.

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Okay. So, I won't be applying the stuff in our current house anytime fast (unless we suddenly decide not to move in the next year), but it gives me thoughts about fixing up places we may consider in the future. But, I have stipulations.

I'm not into papering an entire large room. Even with the most modern of prints, it seems to have an overpowering, almost Victorian style to it. Too busy, I guess. That said, I'm also not an "accent wall" girl; at least, not in a large living area. I also wouldn't pick any of the styles they carry at, say, Lowe's. They seem like all the other outdated, flowery options. 

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So, what WOULD I do with modern-day wallpaper? I'm kind of into the idea of papering a closet (especially a bedroom one, emanating inspiration and a mood change every time the door is opened), small bathroom (large prints can actually do wonders in a small space), or maaaaaybe as an accent wall in an office or nursery.

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The other cool trend in wallpaper is the forms that it can take. Traditional adhesive-backed or moveable vinyl or even a stencil used to look like a large pattern, you can customize it to your preferences. Whatever mood you hope to evoke, you've got it. Whimsical? Got it. Feminine? Of course. Moody? Sure thing.

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You can shop around online and, luckily, purchase swatches before committing. There are several discount stores, although I could drool over Spoonflower (far from discount) for hours. The coolest part about this site? You can literally custom-make your own. But, really? How can you not want to just pick one of the genius designs they already offer? (This isn't a sponsored post, BTW. I just like the site.) 

What do you guys think? Is wallpaper a trend you'd rather see go away? Or do you have some that you love in your house? Are you on the fence about it because of the "PITA to put up" factor?