This “wacky wallpaper house” in Minnesota will assault your eyes with patterns galore

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#Homes & Tours#Minnesota#real estate#retro/vintage#wallpaper
Oh look, here's another good example!
Oh look, here’s a good example!

Did you know there was a time when the fanciest way to decorate a room was to match your fabric to your wallpaper?

To this day, I can’t figure out where my mom got all the bedspreads and curtains that perfectly matched our bedroom wallpaper. Did they come from the same store? Did she just happen to stumble up on wallpaper patterns so AMAZING that fabric manufacturers stole them and created all manner of products with the same pattern? I don’t know (I should probably ask my mom). But this home for sale in Minnesota in the paradigm of that matching wallpaper and fabric movement…

Brace yourselves: A pattern explosion is coming.

Here is the entry way. It almost lures you into a false sense of nor"meh"lcy.
Here is the entry way. It almost lures you into a false sense of nor”meh”lcy.
But the next thing you see is THIS, and you're "whoa... wtfnow?"
But the next thing you see is THIS, and you’re “whoa… wtfnow?”
It's hard to have wallpaper in a kitchen... unless you put it on the ceiling!
It’s hard to have wallpaper in a kitchen… unless you put it on the ceiling!
But OF COURSE the dining room has the same wallpaper as the kitchen. What is one without the other?
But OF COURSE the dining room has the same wallpaper as the kitchen. What is one without the other?
Don't think FOR A SECOND that the chairs in the den won't match the wallpaper in the kitchen and the dining room. Because THEY DO.
Don’t think FOR A SECOND that the chairs in the den won’t match the wallpaper in the kitchen and the dining room. Because THEY DO.
Here's a perfect example of matching wallpaper and bedding.
Here’s a perfect example of matching wallpaper, window treatments, and bedding.
Hey, you can also mix it up -- match the wallpaper to the draperies and the bedskirt!
Hey, you can also mix it up — match the wallpaper to the draperies and the bedskirt!
Bathrooms were not immune to this treatment either.
Bathrooms were not immune to this treatment either.
So were offices. (Side note: I truly do love that coffee table.)
So were offices. (Side note: I truly do love that coffee table.)
Even the laundry room! LEAVE NO WALL UN-PAPERED!
Even the laundry room! LEAVE NO WALL UN-PAPERED!

About the Author: Megan Finley Horowitz

@meggyfin @meggyfin

I'm a 40-year-old potty-mouthed writer with late-diagnosed ADHD and a shit-ton of anxiety. I live in my hometown of Los Angeles with a husband, a daughter I never planned on having, and a senior rescue dog. Anything else you need to know can be gleaned from my instagram and my TikTok.

Comments on This “wacky wallpaper house” in Minnesota will assault your eyes with patterns galore

  1. This is all kinds of amazing. We just stripped off five layers of wallpaper in our bedroom, never occurred to me that the easier option could have been to match one of the many patterns to the bedspread.

  4. I don’t have much to say, still dizzy!

    I would think that living there would be like living inside a kaleidoscope frozen in time.

    How did anybody sleep there? Seriously! It looks like a torture chamber from Alice in Wonderland.

    I must go lie down now.

  6. OMG, I love wallpapered ceilings, but when combined with matching wallpaper on the walls, the optical illusion of it made me feel like I was just getting off one of those roller coasters at the fair. You gotta commend someone who commits so well though….. This was a great post!

  7. Me having so many thoughts: I hate it. I love it. I want to live there. Like, that wallpaper looks seamlessly installed. I’ve never seen wallpapered ceilings. How did they get wallpaper and fabrics that matched so perfectly? Wow these people really commit to a colour palette. Wow. Wow. Wow.

    • I’m not sure if the question was rhetorical but the companies that design the patterns for home decor design them for both wallpaper and fabrics at the same time so that they can be used together. It is possible to find a home decor fabric at your local fabric store, note the name of the company and name of the pattern, then go to the paint store to find the wallpaper. The selections may be limited at the fabric shops if you live in a rural area. It may be easier to go to an upholstery shop or a place that sells custom draperies and wallpaper together, because there is a larger selection, but there will be a premium price. However, if you go to a custom shop, you can also get professional installation. Hanging a pattern like the one in the dining room on the walls is a challenging DYI project – I’ve done it, but I’m not experienced enough to tackle a ceiling! This house was clearly a custom design and installation and those folks spared no expense. I couldn’t begin to guess what that cost, but the patterns they used were not cheap and they even had a custom shower curtain made!

  8. I am not a wallpaper fan in general but in our recent house hunting travels I have seen a lot of retro wallpaper and I’m starting to dig it. This house is great! Some of the rooms hurt my retinas a little but I’m sure they’d adjust after awhile.

    • We moved into our house,9 yrs ago,It was built in 1900.We are the third owners.Three rooms,I know have the wallpaper, from the original owner/builder, of the houses’ 2 daughters,who remained here their entire lives.Although I don’t believe it to be 116 yrs old, It is at least 30 + in years. The wallpaper,is seamless,and has become,”an actual part of the walls.” I could definitely paint over it, and probably apply a newer version of wall covering over it too. But,Still haven’t gotten that far,after 9 years, so I’ve gotten used to it-other people love it!

  10. I love it! I would do that-today, just with all the” new and improved”,types of wallpaper/wall coverings ,that are available- remove- able,temporary,washable,paint able,murals,all customized to your desirable look,and needs.It would make life a whole lot easier for me!

  11. I am kind of in love with that kitchen. Modern all white kitchens are not my style. But crisp white cabinets/appliances/ counters with dark floral blue ceiling……amazing. All I’d do is change out the light fixture (white or dark blue? I’m not sure) and done.

  13. My inner 6-year-old is in love with every.single.room. (And adult me is having a hard time disagreeing. Screw ‘tasteful’ & ‘restrained’ — I want to live in CrazyTown USA! Population, ME!)

  16. The first bedroom is reminding of the Gilmore Girls episode about the weird bed and breakfast Rory & Lorelai stayed in (“Mom, the flowers on the wallpaper are not growing or reproducing”)

  17. I just wonder if they told a decorator to do it, and then came home & went, “Ummm…well….I guess we’ve committed to it, for now”, and then never got around to taking down the ceiling paper, at least, & then it just became ‘background’ to them. The amt of work it would’ve taken to get it on the ceiling, and straight/matched up with the wall patterns, would’ve been enormous.

    • I doubt that’s the result of a professional decorator gone wild by themself. Judging by the picture of the older gentleman + the decor styles, I would guess its more likely a case of “MeeMaw kept her house in the same pristine condition as the day she bought it, although her kids chipped in for a new kitchen floor & new cabinets for her birthday one year”

  19. Upon further reflection, I think Meemaw did this when Paw was away on a fishin’ trip and when Paw saw he fled, Meemaw couldn’t bear to bear without him in that house so no really lives there and it stands as monument to what happens when the wallpaper store has a sale.

  21. This must have been a wallpaper / fabric salesman’s show house, don’tcha think?
    “Honey, I’m bringing a wealthy client over to show them how it’s really done. Get the snacks and drinks ready.”
    It really is something!!!

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