Navy Ikat Wallpaper by Thibaut
Favorite Wall of My Living Room
Last week Trixie asked me to do a post about my living room wallpaper, so I dug through some old photos (well, scrolled through iPhoto albums) and emails to get all the info. And then I started the post and realized this experience was so much more than just picking wallpaper... and I got a little deep. So if you're just looking for the wallpaper info, here's the manufacturer's description with a link to the website: Thaibaut Jubilee Collection: Thai Ikat – Navy on Off White. But if you're still in the beginning stages of deciding on wall decor, you may find it helpful to read on.I love this wallpaper so much. I loved it from the second it was up on the wall; it's one of the only decorating choices I haven't second-guessed (I second-guess things a lot. It drives my husband nuts). And here's how it all came together:
WHY WALLPAPER?I decided to wallpaper only this wall of our living room for two reasons. First, I wanted a statement wall; this is the first room you see when you walk into our house. I was going for a "fancy-beachy" feel in the room, and I love the new ikat trend. I was debating between a more geometric lattice pattern and this one, but I'm certain this was the better choice. I also knew that putting this on every wall would be overkill. It's not a very big room (I'd define it as oblong - sort of long and narrow), and I didn't want to feel swallowed by the design. Second, one of the walls in this room has the original beadboard on it, and I didn't want to cover that up!
WHERE DID I GET THE WALLPAPER?
I actually think this may be the most important part of the story. I
had been furiously looking at wallpaper online. Tons and tons. I pinned
some patterns and bookmarked some pages, but I really had no idea what I
was doing. I had no frame of reference when it came to price or quality
(although I did like the many of brands I'd seen advertised in my House
Beautiful magazines... until I saw the prices-yikes. Although, to be fair, Thibaut shows up in that beautiful mag a lot)!Then one day I stopped into a local Benjamin Moore paint store. I was actually going in to look at paint colors, when I noticed they had tons of wallpaper books. So I started leafing through them, and they were really cool! Since I didn't have this time built into my plan for the day (and I had the baby with me), I went to the owner to ask about the wallpaper-choosing process. He was very knowledgeable, albiet a little gruff (well, "matter-of-fact" might be a nicer way to put it), but come to find out, you can borrow the books! Now I was hooked. But here's where it got even cooler: unprompted (and unexpectedly), he looked at some of the books I had pulled out and offered a quick "two cents" on the companies. And basically, Thibaut was the company he highly recommended; he said their quality was top-notch, prices were reasonable, and shipping time and customer service were also great. It wasn't that he pushed Thibaut on me at all, he just kind of delivered it in a, "Well, you do what you want, but here's what I know," kind of fashion. Then he says me, "Prices are in the back of the book. We discount 20%." WHAT?!?! Discount?! Music to my ears.
Ok, so I knew I was onto something here, but I needed my undivided attention to really peruse these beautiful books. Luckily, I was able to carve out an hour of alone-time the next day for my special outing. It was actually really fun (be it slightly overwhelming) to look through the books. At first I was bookmarking (literally bookmarking this time) every pattern I liked. I was a bit overeager, even asking the salesman how many books I was allowed to bring home (I think he thought I was slightly nutty). Bottom line: there's not really a limit, but be reasonable. But I became more discriminating as time went on. And when I finished up, I had narrowed it down to four books (but a couple patterns in each). I think two of the books happened to be Thibaut (I definitely listened to the owner's recommendation, but I didn't want to limit my design options, either. Shumacher had some really great designs, too).
I brought the books home, and being in our own environment, picked my top few patterns. I leaned them up against the wall for a day or two, just so I had a sense of what I'd be looking at every time I walked by the room. I mean, this was a HUGE decision! And after doing that, it became clear that the Thibaut navy ikat pattern was my favorite (the print is available in several other awesome colors, too). I ordered it as soon as I brought the books back to the store. All I had to do was give them the measurements of the wall, and they calculated how much wallpaper we would need. Price? Well, we needed 3 rolls. Originally priced at $69.99/roll, with the 20% discount, we ended up paying 155.80, pre-tax.The wallpaper was delivered to the store within 2 days. I wasn't about to attempt hanging this myself (or talking my husband into hanging it)--this was too delicate a task. So we hired a painter/wallpaper-er, and he had it done in a matter of hours. I think his labor cost us about $200. And he was really good, so if you're willing to DIY it, you could save even more. 
WHY "LOG OUT"?
This whole experience taught me a major lesson, because here's the problem: I admit, I am completely immersed in technology. The internet is a huge part of my life, whether I like it or not. It's my first stop for almost everything these days: shopping, ideas, information. But while it is a great convenience, it will never take the place of the experiences you have face-to-face, especially with something like this. I would not have known that Thibaut was a great company, I wouldn't have been able to physically borrow the wallpaper books to "live with" for a few days, I wouldn't be known how much to order, and I definitely wouldn't have known that I could get a better price at a local paint store than I could online. And I honestly think that my comprehensive experience at the paint store may have led to this unusual "no second-guessing" reaction. And I kinda like how that feels.
Other items in the room you're wondering about? Here's what I can remember:
- Couch and wingback chairs: Lillian August outlet (yup, there's an outlet!)
- Accent Table between wingback chairs: CL - see Saved From Dumpster Table
- Curtains: Target-Threshold Collection (available in other colors, too) - $19.99/panel (on sale when I got them; regularly $24.99/panel)
- Seagrass Rug with "harbor blue" border: Pottery Barn... PB's a place I need to have a promo code to shop, and if you're patient, one always comes along
- Mirror: Homegoods - $59.99
- Mercury Glass Chandelier Sconce - Ballard Designs $18.00/each, minus 15% discount (I always wait until I have a Ballard promo code before buying anything there).
- Blue Ceramic Vace: Homegoods - $12.99
- Blue Coral: Christmas Tree Shops - $9.99
- End Table next to couch: Homegoods - $59.99
- Glass Jar: Christmas Tree Shops - $9.99
- Striped Throw: Target-RE Room Essentials Collection (sorry, can't find actual link)
