Scenic Wallpaper restored this beautiful antique Gracie wallpaper in a dining room in the Laurier House in Philadelphia that had dirt and damage from age as well as extensive water damage to one panel after a leak.

The Laurier House, a.k.a. Alta-Vista, was built in 1915. The original owner of the Laurier House was C. Hartman Kuhn, a banker, civic leader and patron of the arts in Philadelphia. The architect, Charles Barton Keen, was known for designing suburban residences and country estates. He was responsible for many grand homes along Philadelphia’s Main Line as well as the Reynolda House, formerly a private home and now a museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Before starting the restoration, we cleaned the wallpaper in the entire room. The paper was very dirty from years of oil heat and from the fireplace in the room.

The panel next to the kitchen was water damaged from a severe leak. While we were able to save the rest of the room, part of this panel was lost. The plaster was carefully repaired, and we installed ground paper that matched the thickness of the existing panels, which our artist then painted the mottled ground to match the existing antique ground. The design was extended and the entire panel restored.

Lost panel after repair, before cleaning and restoration

Once the paper was cleaned and the one panel restored, touch-ups were done around the rest of the room. The client decided to add her own twist on the paper and we added MANY more insects and birds. The original Gracie wallpaper already had an abundance of birds as well as many insects - butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, ladybugs, etc - in many different colors, both flying and perched on the plants and trees, which is quite unusual. The client decided to embrace that and enhance it. It is always nice when a homeowner truly makes the paper their own.

This storied house and wallpaper is now ready for future generations to enjoy!