This post was first published on my original blog format on November 17, 2014.
Today I’m going to share a very easy DIY project – one that I think is maybe my favourite DIY project ever. I feel like everyone should do this to their home, partly because it is so easy, but mostly because it was actually really fun and satisfying – and cheap! I wallpapered a couple of walls in our toilet with pages from a vintage French dictionary, and I love how it turned out. Toilets really don’t get enough love, do they? So why not make yours look pretty?
I’d seen people use book pages for DIY wallpaper before and when I saw it in person at my friend Carla from Etica Studio’s old house, where she used vintage newspapers to wallpaper this feature wall in her ensuite, I fell in love with the idea even more.
When Carla and her husband Ben were renovating the old Art Deco house on their block, they discovered all these old newspapers. “We found hundreds of 1955 newspaper sheets under the linoleum,” says Carla. “We salvaged these and used them for paper flowers at our wedding and most recently as wallpaper in our dresser and ensuite. It is stunning and the soft brown colour of the sheets adds real warmth to the room.” What I love most about it is the old advertisements that now seem so quaint.
Recycled wallpaper is fun and quirky – and costs next to nothing, so it appealed to my budget decorating tightarse side (in full swing since our honeymoon).
You don’t have to use pages from a dictionary obviously. I’ve seen pictures on Pinterest of it done with use maps, music sheets, newspapers, magazine pages (ooh, now I’m thinking vintage equestrian magazines would be cool) comic book pages, children’s storybooks, album covers, family photos (scanned and printed).
But I have always been a sucker for lovely old books and when I saw a tattered vintage French dictionary at a secondhand market, straightaway I thought it could make lovely wallpaper. The pages were just so beautiful and the little illustrations so quaint. The man selling apologetically told me it wasn’t in the greatest condition (the binding was loose and the cover hanging off) and said I could have it for three dollars. Sold! Bargain wallpaper.
Now I know there are people who cry blasphemy about ripping up old books, and I actually do understand where you’re coming from. But here’s how I saw it. We – as well as all our family and friends who visit – would get a whole lot more joy out of this gorgeous book when it’s up on the walls as opposed to sitting away unseen on a shelf. It keeps what’s between its pages alive, in a sense. Your husband’s friends wouldn’t come over for a beer with him and flick admiringly through a beautiful vintage French dictionary, would they? Yet so many of them now comment on the toilet.
Maybe I inhaled a bit too much glue, but I got so excited about doing this project once I started. It was just FUN. It made me think that so many DIY and crafty things we do as adults just aren’t that fun, are they? Yeah, I love the end result of a good DIY project, the sense of satisfaction. But when it comes to actually DOING the project, to be honest, most of the time I find myself feeling very lazy.
But this wallpaper – it was so much fun I enjoyed the process just as much as I enjoyed the finished result. It made me feel a bit like a kid again. You know when you were a kid and it was art class and you just could not freaking WAIT to paint something or make a demented bowl out of Clay (or even just for the glue to dry on your hands because then you could slowly peel it all off?) Same crazed feel here guys.
I 100% think you should do this project somewhere in your home half because I guarantee you will enjoy it. It’s so easy and simple. I had some matt Mod Podge glue, I brushed it on the wall very lightly with a brush in small patches (it dries fast), I pasted a page up, smoothed it out (you can use your fingers or sleeve, or a credit card). So easy. I wasn’t that well that weekend so I took a bit longer than I had expected, but you could easily do this in half a day if you’re efficient.
I really love how it turned out. And, as my husband pointed out, our toilet also now smells nice – like old books, which is much better than what it sometimes smells like. As strange as it sounds I think the toilet may well now be my favourite room in the house! It’s fun to examine the pages and notice little things you hadn’t before.
It’s not 100 percent finished though – I’m yet to seal it (although I do love the look of it unsealed) and am on the hunt for the perfect sealer that’s not too glossy – let me know if you’ve done similar and what you used!
UPDATE: I ended up using very thin coats of matte ModPodge as a sealer. It will change the look of your pages slightly by making them a bit shinier, but I still love the look, and the added bonus of making sure everything is really in place. You can also try ModPodge Hard Coat to seal, which is meant to be better for water-resistance (note: no Modpodge is completely waterproof) but I haven’t tried that type so can’t give my opinion. Good luck!
Have you done wallpaper – DIY or otherwise – in your house? Would you consider doing it or do you not like the ‘permanence’ of wallpaper? What would you use for DIY wallpaper? Would you cut up a book or never? Maya x
Creativity at its finest. This is a great idea!
What did you end up using for sealer?
I would love to know what you used as a sealer? many thanks