As I’ve indicated before, wallpaper removal is the bane of my existence. The devil’s handiwork. And I have more of it in my house than I would like. Our office is another one of those spaces, only this time, it’s black wallpaper. Yes, black. But hold your judgment for a moment my friends. Don’t be a hater just yet.
Here is a picture of the black wallpaper in our office.
Not as bad as you thought it would be, right? Maybe? I should mention that the entire room isn’t wallpapered – just two walls, which makes it a bit easier on the eyes. Plus, with the white trim, crown moulding, wood floors and cute window seats, it’s tolerable. I don’t love it. I wouldn’t have chosen it. But I can deal with it. For now.
From a distance, it’s ok. But you lose me on the close up.
No, you’re not hallucinating. Those are elephants. With little men riding them.
Sometimes the little men are holding little umbrellas. Maybe he’s trying to direct the wandering elephant in the right direction. Black wallpaper just went from chic to geek, right?
It doesn’t always have to be that way though. Look how dramatic and striking black wallpaper can be:
 |
| Chicago Home+Garden Magazine |
 |
| Kim Kardashian’s bathroom via Decorpad |
 |
| Sarah Richardson via Decorpad |
 |
| littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Decorpad |
 |
| Kishani Perera – Jean Randazzo Photography via Decorpad |
 |
| Jean Randazzo Photography via Decorpad |
 |
| Atmosphere Design via Decorpad |
So, maybe black wallpaper with elephants is a miss, but many of the options out there can be big hits if they’re used in the right way, don’t you think?
13 Comments
Anna @ Take the Side Street
April 6, 2011 at 4:09 pmI love the idea of the strong contrast between the walls and the trim, but I (personally) don't like a high contrast on walls, curtains themselves… this is totally just my opinion, but I think it ends up looking busy instead of making a big impact. I do kind of like picture #2 though, with the black fireplace and round mirror. 🙂 And the bathroom with the black-on-black floral kind of works for me too. Less contrast in both of those, though. 🙂 Good question!
Cindy
April 6, 2011 at 4:17 pmI don't like dark walls, especially since our home is dark already (we don't get lot of sunlight) but I do like #2 as well. I guess it would have to be in a well light home with plenty of sunshine coming through windows.
A Vintage Vine
April 6, 2011 at 4:36 pmJenny…too funny, my friend had that wallpaper..but it was a border with those elephants……Love all those other pics…some really great eye candy!
Adrienne
April 6, 2011 at 5:05 pmI'm not a big fan of it and the elephants (although used to be my style -safari theme) are just not doing it for me.
I do like the Sarah Richardson pic though- not too dark.
tale of many cities
April 6, 2011 at 5:50 pmyes, i agree. i love b/w wallpaper! maybe you CAN find a way to live w/ the elephants, without compromising your own personal style. good luck! 🙂
Karen@StrictlySimpleStyle
April 6, 2011 at 7:05 pmI didn't mind the black wallpaper until I saw the little men and elephants. The right black paper could look very striking with your beautiful floors.
craftykat
April 6, 2011 at 8:17 pmI like the black wall paper wall behind the bed, but with a lot of white in the room… I just have a hard time with how in large quantity it darkens everything up so much… but yes, done the right way, it can make a great look. Elephants….though… hmmmm…. 😀
Pine Tree Home
April 6, 2011 at 8:19 pmI have a love hate relationship with wallpaper. I am removing loads of it at my parents house right now. Every room is a different floral.
Karen
April 7, 2011 at 1:39 amI like to change things too much to have wall paper. Removing it is a job for someone you really hate LOL. I like a little black in a room, as an accent wall it can be very chic.
modern jane
April 7, 2011 at 1:42 amI love that room with the green headboard by sarah richardson! It's what inspired me to go b & w in my bedroom:)
Anonymous
April 7, 2011 at 12:56 pmI actually like the elephants. I know Im the minority on that, but I would rather have them in a border as i hate wallpaper
Andrea
April 13, 2011 at 7:44 pmI'm with Anonymous… I'm sure that I wouldn't select that wallpaper if I was choosing it on my own. But if I bought a house that already had it, and it was in good condition, I could rock it! It's kind of fun, I think. I love a bit of whimsy in a room. (Of course, you can't go whole-hog on the elephant theme or it would get crazy… but a small dose is nice.) Of course, I'm a total geek, so maybe that's why I like it!
Anonymous
May 26, 2012 at 2:24 pmChic!!!!