20/06/2026
One of the most technically challenging wallpapering projects I’ve completed in nearly 30 years of being self-employed… and I loved every minute of it.
When people see the finished room, they see beautiful wallpaper. What they don’t see is the amount of planning, head scratching and precision that went into making it look effortless.
Before a single drop of paste was mixed, I spent a long time working out exactly where every length needed to start and finish. With so many different angles, sloping ceilings, exposed beams, a roof window, hidden storage doors and awkward returns, there wasn’t a single “normal” wall in the room.
Every decision affected the next one.
Should the pattern run over the ceiling first or up the gable? How do you keep the pattern flowing through every angle? Where do you lose or gain the pattern so your eye never notices? How do you wrap around beams without the design drifting? Every cut had to be thought through several steps ahead.
There was no room for guesswork.
The exposed beams were painted first, then the wallpaper had to be carefully cut around each one, making sure the pattern remained balanced from every viewpoint in the room.
This wasn’t a job you could rush. It demanded patience, concentration and experience. Every strip had to be offered up, checked, adjusted and then committed. One wrong cut could have meant replacing an expensive length of wallpaper.
The job ran well over the time I’d originally allowed.
Did that matter? Not in the slightest.
Some jobs aren’t about watching the clock - they’re about producing the best possible finish. I’d much rather spend the extra time getting every angle, every joint and every detail exactly right than rush out the door.
Standing back at the end made every extra hour worthwhile.
It’s projects like this that remind me why, after almost 30 years in business, I still genuinely love what I do. Every challenging room teaches you something, and every finished project gives you that same sense of satisfaction.
What do you think of the finished result?
