Fun Vintage Wallpaper Designs
Vintage wallpapers are fascinating even for those of us who will probably never buy one. Looking through collection of vintage wallpaper designs like those at Hannah’s Treasures is a bit like browsing a used book shop or antique store: one has to wonder what happened in the rooms these designs once adorned and whether anyone still has the originals up. It is also a great visual tour de force of modern graphic design history, as they are often sorted by period or style, and a fun window into vintage graphic design.
“While we tuck away some rolls in our own private cache, most of the paper that we find we gladly make available to other vintage wallpaper enthusiasts like you,” say the owners of this fun vintage wallpaper store. “All of our papers are authentic, old stock wallpaper rolls printed between the 1930s and 1970s.”
There are retailers like Design Your Wall that have carefully organized their collection of vintage wallpaper by style and type, from murals to wall coverings including metallic, metal, silk and other kinds.
“Our Retro Wallpaper collection features many patterns that were found at antique wallpaper shows, many of which are only available on Designyourwall.com! You are sure to find all the retro wallcoverings or vintage patterns you need to give you home improvement project a sense of authenticity.”
Other sellers like Rosie’s Vintage have sorted their sets by period and room to include bathrooms, kitchens and one-of-a-kinds to geometric patterns, stripes, and groupings from the 20s, 60s and 70s. While you may shiver at the thought up getting a vintage wallpaper that reminds you of your grandparents’ house you also have to remember that, once upon a time, many of these were incredibly cool and innovative designs.
“We have a large collection of authentic vintage wallpaper. It dates from the early 1900’s through the 1970’s and includes 1940’s vintage wallpaper florals, bathroom, and novelties, 1950’s kitchen, childrens and Trimz borders, 1960’s retro flower power patterns and 1970’s vinyls, mylars and flocked wallpaper. Most patterns are paper-backed and will need an adhesive paste to apply. They are antique original wallpapers, no reproductions.”
Vintage wallpaper designs can sometimes be sourced at antique malls, too. It’s not exactly known for being easy to work with — it’s nothing like modern peel and stick wallpaper — but whether or not you actually intend to buy some and install it, it’s fun to look at.
Top image via Monica Roddy/Flickr CC by 2.0
