Scenic Wallpaper

This Gracie Chinoiserie wallpaper was first installed by John Nalewaja in an apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan in the late 1990’s. Later, the apartment was sold and the paper was removed and stored for almost 10 years. Finally, the paper was reinstalled in a house in the Hamptons. 

The reinstallation was carefully planned and every panel of paper was laid out in advance. The original installation had been full length and the re-install was over a chair rail in a room that was somewhat larger than the first. The doors and windows were in different places and there were now voids in the paper from the windowsills, speaker covers, switchplates and outlets, etc. in the original room. 

In order to make the paper fit the space, John and his assistant used every available scrap of paper, repurposing trimmed terrain from the bottom of the panels and some sky from the tops of panels to fill in empty spaces from the original installation. 

Amazingly, this reinstall was accomplished with only minor artwork. John and his assistant were able to work with this garden scene that had no architecture or people by re-arranging the order of the paper and applying a few judicious appliques so that the seams were minimized and the scene was maximized. The reinstallation was just as beautiful as the original installation. 

This is a great example of how a reinstallation may be different from an original installation, but thoughtful planning and meticulous care ensure that the paper maintains its original beauty and integrity. 

For other examples of reinstallations, see the both the Reinstallations page and the  Antique Wallpapers page.  

See more reinstallations here and on the Antique Wallpapers page.