Unexpected Inspiration for a Sewing Room Renovation Part 1.

Can wallpaper light a spark for a new creative space? 

I've been thinking about my sewing space and wanting to make a change for some time. I currently use two spaces in my home to sew, one for personal sewing and another where I teach students. I've been thinking about a way to combine those spaces, but the daunting task seemed overwhelming so I procrastinated.

I routinely get collaboration requests from a range of companies. Each time, I thoughtfully consider the offers and accept or decline based on fit. I recently received it a collaboration request from Photowall a swedish wallpaper company. They offered to provide me with wallpaper of my choice in any space I wanted. In exchange, get to share the experience and discount code (thanksimadethem2020) with my readers.

I explored their website and looked at all the amazing wallpapers they offer and was definitely intrigued. There were so many bold vibrant and interesting designs that I knew I wanted to collaborate. Their H-torsion design really spoke to me.

Photo credit: Photowall

The wavy designs and color combinations reminded me of loose strands of thread, embroidery floss or yarn. l knew it would be perfect for a sewing space, but not just any sewing space, a renovated garage sewing space.

The beginning state of my garage, with most of the contents removed, left much to be desired, but held much promise.

In the planning of my new space, there were a few considerations I needed to factor in to make it workable space and keep hubby happy.

1. It needed to be insulated with added heating and cooling
2. It needed to have an attractive flooring
3. It needed to maintain the garage door functionality for when we eventually sell
4. It needed to continue to store the chest freezer, hubby's tool chest and water heater
5. It needed to be able to be a garage again 
6. It needed to be pretty 

With all those considerations we hired a local contractor to do the bulk of the work. The wallpaper installation needed to be one of the first parts of the process, so I placed my order. It was very easy to plug in my wall measurements plus a few extra inches to be sure. I love the option to customize the design with alternate colors and orientation of the design. I chose to flip my design so the image begins to the right and increases toward the left. 

The shipping was fast with DHL and I had my order within days. The paper arrived in sequential numbered rolls to take the stress out of the installation.  There is a placement line on the top of each sheet making matching the paper to the top of the wall very easy. There was a simple instruction sheet and Youtube video to take the guesswork out of it.

After understanding what was involved, my husband and I felt comfortable installing the paper ourselves. When I showed my contractor the paper, he quoted a reasonable add-on rate to do it himself. 

The paper works best on a smooth surface. Because the garage wall was not, he spent some time removing the texture and leveling the wall before beginning.

The entire process took him a day on his own. He was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the paper, the vibrancy of the design and ease of installation. I love the bold pop it gives my space.

As the rest of the renovation went along, I would smile amid the chaos looking at this wall.

Each section of paper gives a different perspective from whatever machine I am working from. 

This is the look for which I was hoping when I started.

I am still pulling the rest of the room together. I will share the complete room in part 2 coming soon after QuiltCon. In the meantime, have a look at Photowall and get inspired! You can save 25% off their entire selection of  wallpapers with the promotional code:thanksimadethem2020. I hope you find designs for all your creative spaces. Use the code as often as you like until March 10.



Happy Sewing,
Bianca