Lifestyle Review: Decorating Our Living Room with PhotoWall

Having moved in to our first home in October last year, we wasted no time making it our own and decorating. Thankfully, being a new build, we had a complete blank canvas to work with - but it can also be tricky to make a home personal when it looks just like everyone else's on the street. So, when Photowall* got in touch and asked if we'd be interested in trying out their premium quality wallpaper to bring out home decor plans to life, I was much obliged and am excited to be sharing the result.

It's mad to think that less than a year ago I was sharing a living room tour of our first rented home in Stamford, having made the move from London. When I posted it then, I assumed it was to be our home for a few years whilst we adjusted to our new life. Little did we know that just three months later we'd be moving in to our first home - landlord free, with a grown-up mortgage and engaged. It all happened very unexpectedly. 

Luckily, having rented for the majority of my adult-life, I'd always had an idea of what I wanted and would eventually end up with decor-wise. Whilst it's ever evolving and adapting, the initial ideas were always there - I just had to make it a reality. 

Part of that vision was having a statement wall in the living room; some sort of print or feature that would combine my love of all things scandi with Victorian inspiration. Lucky for me, that's when PhotoWall saved the day. 

For those of you who may not have heard of PhotoWall, they are a premium creative design brand from Sweden - producing a whole range of custom-made print product. From quality framed prints to wallpaper and murals, you can choose from thousands of unique, fashionable designs or even upload your own to create your own feature wall for printing. 

PhotoWall Wallpapering Kit

Picking our wallpaper was tough because there were so many designs I would happily have hosted in our home. It was also made all the more tough but choosing which room to start with first. Do we o the downstairs loo? Or maybe a spare bedroom? Finally, we settled on Botany Banana* and I cannot express just how thrilled I am with it.

Having selected the paper we wanted, the first step was to enter in the measurements of the wall we wanted to decorate on the website. This was super easy as our new build is very square but be sure to add a few extra inches for wastage. A big plus of this, also, is that it arrives as one roll but printed to size for your wall. The roll also has clear labels on exactly where to cut - you just need to line up the panels.

Upon making my purchase also, it was recommended that I get the Wallpaper Kit (pictured above) and I'm so glad we did because it was a really helpful pack. The wallpaper itself also comes with wallpaper paste so you have everything you need to install it yourself at home. 

Here's a guide to installing your own PhotoWall wallpaper or mural...

How to install PhotoWall Wallpaper or Murals 

What you'll need: 

*The PhotoWall Wallpapering Kit which contains a spirit level, pencil, a seam roller, a pasting brush, a wallpaper brush, a trim guide)

*A sponge

*A bucket

*Something to stir the bucket and paste mixture with

*A second pair of hands - definitely a 2 person job unless you're a pro!

Step 1. Prepare the wall by making sure it is clean and smoothed down - this may require sanding down or cleaning. Make sure the surface is smooth and clean; remove any old paint or wallpaper that is coming off or apply filler where necessary. 

Step 2. Make up your wallpaper paste (this may depend on the size of your wall) - fill a clean bucket with 4 litres of lukewarm water and gradually add the paste powder while stirring briskly. Leave the paste to stand for 5 minutes and stir again until the paste is nice and thick. The bag of paste provided by PhotoWall is enough for around 20-22 square meters. 

Step 3. Prepare your wall and paper panels. Start by laying your wallpaper panels out (ideally on a table) to flatten them out. It's really important to make sure the panels are hung straight so it is a good idea to lightly draw vertical markings one panel width (45 cm) in from the corner using a spirit level, a measuring tool and a pencil. Use the markings as a guide to hang the first panel.

Step 4. Hang your first panel of wallpaper. Starting in the top corner of your wall, apply paste directly to the wall using a roller or the pasting brush. Cover the entire panel area with paste, line up the panel with the wall and ceiling and slowly stick it to the wall, avoiding air bubbles as you go. You may also apply paste directly to the paper if you wish for a more effective finish. Repeat this across the wall, pasting enough to cover a panel ahead at a time. Do not overlap the panels. 

Step 5. Smooth down the panels from ceiling to floor. Using your wallpaper brush, smooth down the paper - starting from the middle and smoothing out towards the edges. Any small bubbles and folds will disappear once the wall mural has dried. If there are any spots of paste on the front of the wallpaper, use a damp cloth or sponge to remove them, but avoid rubbing.

Step 6. Trim off excess paper. Using a knife, scissors or scalpel, trim off any excess wallpaper (this is likely at the bottom where the paper meets the floor.

Step 7. Wait 24 hours. Allow the wallpaper to dry off for 24 hours before adding anything further to the wall such as shelves of hanging pictures. If it's been hung correctly, you should have no air bubbles and should have a nice, clean finish. 

For more information and a step-by-step video guide, you can visit PhotoWall's guide page here.

So I'll completely hold my hands up and admit that I didn't feel confident wallpapering by myself. It's not something I've ever done before and, with the wallpaper being so special, I didn't want to mess it up. I did indeed hire a decorator to help us install our wallpaper and they did a fantastic job in just a few, short hours. That said, though, it's certainly given me the confidence to do more decorating myself in the future.

The decorator had never used wallpaper like this before but once I explained how the panels worked, they were really keen to give it a go. I was really reassured to hear afterwards that they felt it was "once of the best quality wallpapers" they had ever worked with and that it was "very easy to apply to the wall and would certainly recommend it to other customers". 

And here you can see the finished article! I am honestly blown away with the result and cannot thank PhotoWall enough for this gorgeous design. The wallpaper itself looks and feels so premium. I really love the design and think it works really well with our current room set up. 

It's worth noting also that the wallpaper itself is 'Premium' meaning it does not fade in sunlight, anti-reflective, made using environmentally-conscious methods, suitable for cleaning products, scrap resistant and has an extra-matte finish. 

If you'd like to place your own order, you can use discount code 'POPCORNANDGLITTER25' at the checkout to get 25% off your order from 29th March until June 2021. 

 

That's it for another home decor post. Having now decorated the living room, I can't wait to get stuck in with other rooms in the house. As hard as lockdown has been, these DIY projects have really helped to keep me occupied and busy. I'm even considering a mural in one of the spare rooms. But tell me, have you been getting stuck in DIY and home improvements during lockdown? What are some of your favourite prints from the PhotoWall website? As always, I love hearing your thoughts so please do leave your comments below. 

If you're interested in seeing more of my home decor, you can follow my Instagram account, @athomeinstamford. 

Until next time, 

*Disclaimer: This wallpaper was gifted to me via PhotoWall for the purposes of review. As always, all opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the brand.