All the things you can do with paper
Inexpensive, fun decor ideas made of paper, wallpaper favorites and a handful of pretty paper accessories
When I picked up an old design book at a used bookstore a few weeks ago, it struck me how rare it is to have a physical copy of something to reference, flip through or stare at for no reason other than curiosity.
I’ve been trying to collect inspiration and ideas on a regular basis, leaning into that childhood hobby of creating collages and curating images on a bulletin board, but I’ve been doing so digitally, on my computer. What I have noticed while building digital collages is that there’s an infinite amount of information and inspiration to pull from online; it makes the process all the more difficult to narrow down an item and create something. You have too much to choose from. When you’re cutting pictures out of a magazine, old book or newspaper, the options are limited. That’s what makes it a cathartic, creative process: you have to work with what you have and you learn to figure it out.
It makes me think of how people joke, when their children complain that they are bored, that they had it even harder growing up. “I had to make my own fun! I didn’t have as many toys as you.” It must be a universal parent-child experience. I remember my mom saying something like that to me. We have this nostalgic concept of the tactile things we did to occupy our time as kids.
One of the great fixtures of my childhood is paper. We had a large box of construction paper in the office and I (still) have stacks of journals I filled out with ideas, half-written stories and hilarious to-do lists. My mom let me take old magazines and cut out photos and quotes that I liked to fix onto a bulletin board in my room.
I love how tactile it is to work with paper and I also like that it’s not intimidating or expensive. In searching for beautiful homes, I’ve noticed how paper is a fixture in those collected, comfortable spaces I like so much. There’s a collage on the wall, photos stuck to the fridge with magnets, stacks of magazines on the floor or books piled up on the bed. At my favorite house in the world, my grandparents’ house, there have always been stacks of papers, little notebooks set beside reading chairs, or piles of newspaper articles saved for others to read. I love it; it makes me feel comfortable. It’s nothing fancy but it is purposeful and it creates a sense of coziness, warmth and personality.
I guess what I’m really saying here is that there’s something pretty about a little bit of clutter. It’s a sign of life!
Today’s theme is paper — in art and decor and as a vessel for creativity. I’ve been delighted by the many ways paper can be used to create something fun: decorations, cards, collages. I like the childlike simplicity of it. Thanks for reading!
PUT PAPER TO USE
10 ways to embellish your home (and life) with paper
Decoupage a wooden tray with a set of botanical prints you cut out of a book.
Pin collections of images, photographs, inspirational phrases to a bulletin board and hang it in your closet to inspire you.
Make a festive paper chain for Easter (and leave it up all spring) with marbled paper strips. Here’s some pretty paper on Etsy and Amazon.
Cut down on your fresh flower budget and make tissue paper flowers instead.
Make a plinth to display favorite objects on a shelf, dresser or countertop. Cover an unfinished wooden block with marbled paper, a wallpaper sample or decorative bookbinding paper.
Get creative with your weekly meal plan: paint a menu on a piece of paper and fix it to the fridge with a magnet.
Impress someone with your origami and future-predicting skills: make a cootie catcher.
Swap your light fixture for this rosy-hued hanging paper lantern.
Order samples of your favorite wallpaper patterns (they usually cost less than $10, even for designer patterns) and frame them in a group on a wall.
Add a pop of color somewhere unexpected and line your dresser or cabinet drawers with wallpaper.
JUST PAPER
Simple, delicate, inspiring designs
Vita wallpaper by Lisa Fine.
A potted hollyhock made of paper by The Green Vase.
A desk setup in the home of Carolina Herrera Baez (daughter of designer Carolina Herrera), scattered with papers. Source unknown.
Magritte’s “Le Pays des Miracles.”
Papier mache sunflowers made by Casa Gusto, a design studio based in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Janet de Botton’s home in the South of France, photographed for Vogue in September 2004 by François Halard.
Toile on the walls
One type of wallpaper, three rooms
One of my bucket list home designs is a bedroom done up in toile (even better if it’s an attic bedroom). I’ve not settled on a color yet — I love red, brown, blue and green toile — but what I do know is that the walls would be covered in toile wallpaper and furniture would be upholstered to match.
Here are three iterations of the classic look that inspire me.
A beautiful, toile-covered bedroom designed by Suzie McAdam.
Imogen Taylor’s pink and red toile bedroom in Kent, UK.
This is my favorite of the inspiration photos. I think it’s because the green is so vibrant and mossy — not pastel — and a bit unexpected.
PRETTY PAPER ACCESSORIES
Three useful items made of paper
Go bold with paper art: a tissue box cover made of marbled paper, a decoupaged letter box with animal silhouettes and a marbled paper lantern (for your spring dinner parties al fresco).
GOOD CHOICE
Paper records: journaling
For all of the merits of decluttering, there is one con that always gets to me: it’s nice to have paper copies of things. I have a stack of journals I’ve written in since my early teen years. My grandparents have printed copies of photos stored carefully in boxes. My grandmother collected the pages of the newspaper that had my stories and preserved them in an archival box.
It’s nice to have a record of big things and little things. If you want to start a journaling habit, this is my favorite notebook, favorite pen and favorite journaling philosophy.
All the best,
Mary Grace