My Metallic Rush

It’s no secret I love shiny reflective and mirrored surfaces – especially silver metallic. I could have them everywhere…

BUT what I’ve found is not all metallic is created equal – they all look pretty but they differ a lot in their reflective properties. Foil is shiny, whereas leaf is dull but more dimensional. For my room, the foil catches light day and night - even in full darkness. That’s my top priority.

I have been looking for my metallic wallpaper for a while. Very retro, very glam, very right now - if only I could find “it”. Here is a recap of my search…

House & Garden UK had a question in House Clinic on finding this very thing. I looked at every one - nothing.

Another option presented itself at an event covering the history of wallpaper: a silver scallop pattern, reminiscent of shingles on old houses, fish scales, or fans depending on how you look at it. Interesting…but I fear it’s too subtle.

I found another one to love in a design book and tracked it down - hand painted with metallic embroidery. GORGEOUS…but this in custom colors with embroidery, wayyyy pricy - perfect for someone who stays put for a while, not me.

In the meantime I found two fun papers that come in metallic foil and are customizable in color. Good and good, but the patterns are not quite as compelling as my original pick.

Which led me to revisit my original pick, the disappearing wavy stripes. I blogged about them here last February (http://kellyg-design.blogspot.com/2010/02/one-upping-my-past.html) and after some inquiring found they will custom print it on metallic paper. Perfect, but no surprisingly it comes with restrictions – a 12 roll minimum plus an up-charge. Uh oh….

There is another option – I could have it custom made. This is certainly nothing that hasn’t been done before. Cynthia Rowley’s dining room had me mesmerized and it was custom. Bring your design concept and the colors you want, and a graphic artist will make it happen. Verrrry tempting, but it costs a bundle.

Decisions, decisions…

And the winner is ????

My wavy stripe -, Kiku Shima by John Mahoney in pale blue and silver. This pattern has been my top pick from the beginning, giving me a “that’s it feeling” at first sight and still. It also closely resembles the plaster molding on my ceiling. On it’s own as is, it’s stunning, but I’m looking to catch maximum light, so mine will be custom printed on silver mylar. I can’t wait to fall sleep and wake up under this pattern. It’s the one….

Yesterday a nice surprise arrived - the strike off. I originally waved the sample as I was 100% sure it would look amazing printed this way, but they did one anyway. When I opened the envelope, I was immediately struck by a glimmer of silver….

Truthfully I was stunned. It is soooo BEAUTIFUL – even prettier than I imagined. It glimmers when it catches the light like thousands of tiny diamonds. I can’t not take my eyes off of it. I’m so happy I took a little extra time and paid a little more to customize it. They should really add this metallic option to their line.

That said, I’m still interested in a custom designed wallpaper, so I’m starting a file of ideas, and I’m still in the market for other lovely metallics – perfect to have ready in my back pocket. But for now I wait for my paper to be printed and slightly reinvented – counting the days to paper hanging day...