Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with wallpaper

Where can I find funky, fascinating wallpaper for my apartment?

chinese_fashion — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:58:00 -0800

Where can I find funky, fascinating wallpaper for my apartment? I just moved into a new apartment, and I'm really excited to deck it out. I'm looking for cool, fascinating wallpaper for one accent wall. I don't mind paying a bit for it - if I have to look at it every single day, I want to love it.

My tastes tend towards the baroque, ornate, somewhat psychedelic even. I've seen stuff here and here that I really liked. This and this also are in line with my tastes, though I don't want the place to bee too much of a kitschy horrorshow. Quirky for the sake of quirky wears thin pretty quick.

I'm discovering that this is much more of a process -- a lot of web images can't really replicate the look and feel of actual samples, so I'm looking for more to choose from.

Do any of you have any suggestions for places to look?

Thanks so much ...

i want i want i want my calendar size...

sandra_s — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:25:27 -0800

What would be the 3 most popular widescreen resolutions to offer wallpaper at? I offer a download-able calendar (fetish pin-up style) each year. For 2010 it was designed/formatted for widescreen monitors.

It exists in 1920 x 1200 resolution. and fits nicely on a 28" monitor. However I realize thats kinda big.

I was thinking of offering it at 1680 x 1050 for 22" widescreen monitors.

Anyone have any suggestions on what sizes they would prefer if they were looking for wallpaper, or what they think is the most popular sizes of widescreen monitors?

Thanks in advance.

P.S. I prefer to offer them in a native size, rather than having users download the big one and letting their OS resize it because this is a really popular download each year of the adult and tends to be a bandwidth hog. That and instead of offering 1 image to cover 12 months, this is 1 image per month.

Cheapest way to make my walls black?

pakoothefakoo — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:05:16 -0800

What is the cheapest way to cover my apartment walls in black? I have a huge apartment, with a lot of surface space which I want to make black for an upcoming 'ween party. The material has to be purchased in New York.

How to create a dot background pattern for a blog / website??

arbor day — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:44:17 -0800

I'm looking to create a very subtle dot background pattern, like the one on this site. I'm pretty familiar with Photoshop and Illustrator and have been able to produce a dot pattern, but the scale is much too big, and when I try to create a smaller pattern using a smaller circle, it simply disappears, or becomes a solid gray once I import it as a background. Does anyone have any idea how to make a pattern like the one on that site? It seems like it should be pretty straightforward, but I haven't been able to figure it out.

Where can I find the Ordnance Survey desktop wallpaper for May 2009?

vogel — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:37:12 -0800

Can you help me find the Ordnance Survey desktop wallpaper for May 2009, please? Preferably 1024x768 size but anything very gratefully accepted. The very splendid UK official mapmakers, the Ordnance Survey, give away desktop wallpaper each month. There's a nice photo of somewhere in the UK with a calendar for the month. I have an almost-comprehensive collection, but like a fool I missed May and, whereas they used to be archived on the site, they've now pulled the archive so if you miss a month you've had it. Copyright problems, I guess.

I found somewhere on the web where people were discussing this and claimed to have archives so I mailed them very politely asking for help. Silence. I'm stuck.

Yes, it is rather OCD-ish of me, but what the h*ll. I like having them, is all. Any bright ideas please? I am pretty sure OS themselves will not be able to help, but I am dropping them a line just in case. But really I think my best hope is someone else who's been as obsessive as me - but more efficient! :)

How to convert a pdf to a wallpaper?

sk381 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:58:32 -0800

Creating a high resolution jpg/bmp image from a pdf file. Basically I'd to convert a pdf file that I have to a 1680X1050 pxl sized image to use as a wallpaper. Can I do this using only Inkscape and GIMP or would I need some additional software as well. If it can be done, how much of a learning curve should I expect? And if someone could also point out the basic flow of steps involved towards implementing this or recommend a good introductory book on graphic design, I'd be very appreciative.

Thanks!

What's the best way to remove wallpaper from plaster walls?

nitsuj — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 06:53:34 -0800

I'll be spending this coming weekend removing possibly several layers of painted-over wallpaper from 70-year-old plaster walls in my new house. Got any tips, tricks, secrets, or advice? So we bought a house -- yeah! -- but the previous owners (and perhaps beyond) lovingly painted over what I'm anticipating to be several layers of old, thick wallpaper. Naturally, I'd like to start fresh and do this correctly, but I need your advice.

I've a ton of different guides on the Internet, many with bits of conflicting information; I'm looking for your anecdotal advice! What methods worked the best for you? What's the One Thing I should definitely do? How bad is this really going to be?

Thanks!

Wall-art

god particle — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:04:55 -0800

How were the images in this room put on the wall? I'd really like to set up my room in a similar way but I have no idea how the images were put onto the wall in such a nice way.

Cool wallpaper / wall treatment ideas for a small entryway?

activitystory — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:19:32 -0800

Our new house has a very small entry way with way ugly wallpaper. Since it's such small, easily-overlooked area, we'd like to do something fun and unexpected to the walls. Wanna help? We were thinking of getting some interesting (read: funny, confusing, vintage, irreverent, trippy, subversive, puzzle-based) wallpaper along the lines of those available at from Flavor Paper or the designs you see a lot of things cut from on Etsy. What other interesting wallpaper vendors/designers do you know of? Since its such a small area, price isn't much of an issue (I say that now...).

House is a mid-20s bungalow version; the entry way is about 4' x 3', with a glass-paned interior door and a partially glass exterior door. We have mostly mid-centuryish furnishings, save for a late-70s onslaught in the kitchen.

Bonus question: any other cool wall treatment ideas for such a space?

Style note:we are not interested in any sort of faux-finish painting.

Why Wallpaper?

Sublimity — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:15:34 -0800

Why do hotels use so much wallpaper? Hotels sure do seem to have a lot of wallpapered walls. Why? I recognize that it's part of the decor and so an aesthetic choice--I'm thinking more about the durability and function.

All I know about wallpaper is that it's fussy to install and hell to remove. I imagine that picture hooks and minor electrical work leave ugly scars. Despite these drawbacks, every hotel I've ever been in (generally the middlebrow, business-parky types) has acres of the stuff.

Presumably that means there are functional attributes that make wallpaper preferable to, say, painted or textured walls that would fit in equally well in the decorating schemes. Easier to clean? Less inclined to wear?

Can I link from desktop wallpaper?

Joleta — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:37:17 -0800

Is there any way I can create desktop wallpaper that has a link to a specific web site? Our company is launching a new human resources online system. We're going to push new wallpaper with a logo and tag line about the new system to all our Windows XP desktops. I was asked if we can include a link to the HR system login page. I've never seen this done within desktop wallpaper, but I don't want to just say "no" without checking. I do the graphics for all our corporate desktop wallpapers, but I'm not a programmer.

Google calendar on desktop?

Aanidaani — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:45:48 -0800

I would like to overlay my Google Calendar on my desktop wallpaper in Vista. I'd like it to be translucent so that I can still see my wallpaper, but visible enough that it is easy to read. Is there a (preferably free) program that will let me do this? I tried using Samurize but it didn't really work. Does anyone know of a solution for this problem? Are there any other programs like Samurize that will display a Google Calendar on the desktop?

Non-soggy wallpapering outdoors in a soggy climate?

carbide — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:53:25 -0800

I'm looking to make outdoor wallpaper for a temporary-but-not-super-short-term installation. Anything from flypostering advice to more pricey suggestions would be very much appreciated, adhesive to printing to paper. Oh yeah, and it's for Ireland in the autumn/winter. We're working on making an outdoor installation, to last as close as possible to 6 weeks - it needn't be pristine at all but the print should not run, and it does need to be somehow removable, and we can't do it repeatedly as we won't be on site.

The surfaces will vary, but assume brick/render/concrete/stone...in Ireland, midlands, in November. The surfaces will be in an archway open to the elements on both sides, and it will be raining and the rain isn't considerate enough to just come vertically.

A1 or A0 sheets or a roll would be good. It's a big area so tiny sheets would be incredibly frustrating.

With flypostering, what kind of printing, paper and adhesive makes for the best results? What lasts, what doesn't work?

How are posters removed, and is there a way to do it without damaging the surface?

Is there a commercial method that would work well for this? We definitely don't have a limitless budget but it's not exactly running off photocopier scams either, so it would be good to know of options.

Any and all advice would be great, and I can clarify anything I've left out.

Changing the wallpaper in OSX

zardoz — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 06:29:31 -0800

On Mac OS X Leopard, what's the most painless way to change my wallpaper? I have a suspicion that even my grandma could teach me this one, but this recent Mac "switcher" finds this one of the small annoyances of OSX. In Windows, with any picture brought up in the viewer, I can right click and "set as wallpaper", boom, done. I don't see this option with OSX's Preview, and it seems the only way to change it is through the System Preferences, which is kind of an annoying process.

So tell me, how can I change the wallpaper in the fastest possible time? And Grandma, if you answer first, I'll mow your lawn this weekend.

How can I learn from Tyler Brulé?

parmanparman — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:12:16 -0800

I want to learn more about how Tyler Brulé got Wallpaper and then Monocle going. I read the great dialog on City of Sound about the design of Monocle online. But I am really interested in Brulé's move into publishing business and being a hands-on editor and taste-maker. Are there books, documentaries, or interview with him or his conspirators that explain how he made it in business? I am especially interested in the pivotal first year of Wallpaper and the first year after Time Warner bought him out.

Can you paint over wallpaper glue/backing? And can you "seal" the paint?

adipocere — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:09:10 -0800

Can you paint over wallpaper glue/backing? And can you "seal" the paint? In the ongoing game of "I'll help you fix up your bathroom if you'll help me fix up mine" between a friend and I, wall surfaces have finally come to the fore.

I'm taking down ugly beige wallpaper older than I am, in a badly-added bathroom, and it's clear that the wallpaper was applied with some level of enthusiasm. The paper comes off, nice and easy (I could probably pull off all of the paper in about five minutes), but only about two-thirds of it (the top layer) - leaving a lightly furry thin layer of paper (backing?) plus what appears to be a walloping amount of glue. A steamer (granted, it was a crappy Steam Buddy) did not speed things along. Warm, soapy water did not go any faster. Nor did using hot water with fabric softener. It's about a minute to do a square inch. The prospect of trying to scrape all of this off (time-consuming, I'm guessing a couple of days) without taking off the surface of the drywall (which is not even greenboard!) has made me wonder if I can't simply paint over the fur/glue. I'd have to mud in a couple of areas (the seams), but otherwise, are there compelling reasons not to do mud, then a coat or two of primer, then paint? Some sites say it isn't an issue, others act as if death itself is on the line. Is it just one of those "this is going to take ridiculous amounts of time, and is one of the reason why, when you search on AskMe for previous related questions, you get about five times as many hits relating to desktop wallpaper images for computers?" kinds of jobs?

In this thread, it seems as if all of the glue and backing were already gone, and in this thread, it seems as if they're planning to take off the whole wall - which is way beyond my skill level.

My friend's bathroom has a different issue - he has painted his and he has a four year old boy. One of the reasons the military does not employ four year old boys as snipers is, aside from the naptimes, that they have really lousy aim. Consequently, the wall nearest the toilet has taken a somewhat *wince* yellowish haze. He does not actually hit it directly, from what I can tell, he just creates a fine urine mist. Can you somehow seal paint with a thin coat of something transparent, so it can be wiped down easily? I know the problem will get better at some point as the child grows up, but the question remains - can you "seal" paint in bathrooms for these purposes, and are there good points as to why you should not do so?

How do I find cool screen savers that are safe for download?

Flying Saucer — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:04:50 -0800

Help me find a cool screen saver that won't infect my computer. On MySpace, I frequently see a banner ad from Popular Screensavers. It shows a ringed planet with a small moon orbiting it. The screen saver is animated and it looks very cool.

I clicked on the ad and went to the Popular Screensavers homepage and immediately was suspicious. Everything's free, but you have to download special software and give other information that made me uncomfortable. Sure enough, a quick Google search produced several warnings and complaints that the company hides all kinds of sinister things in its software. I'm not sure I've got their name right but I'm afraid to even go back to their page with all its pop-ups.

And I WANT that cool planetary screen saver!

Does anyone know where to find similar freeware, shareware -- heck, I'll even PAY for it at this point -- that's safe and doesn't look like the cover of a Dungeons & Dragons manual from 1981? (I already have plenty of those.)

It seems that the best screen savers I see nowadays, particularly dealing with astronomy, tend to be for Macs. I've got a PC. Please don't write "Buy a Mac." A lack of positive answers will imply that well enough.

Thanks for your help.

OSX Leopard: How to show the current wallpaper in finder?

XSteveMurphy — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:35:43 -0800

How can I get my iMac running Leopard to show the current wallpaper in Finder? I'm using Leopard's built-in wallpaper-switching function to randomly display a wallpaper from my collection of over 1,000, but when I get one I don't like, it gives me no way to easily find the file and delete it. For those of you looking to shuffle wallpapers in Windows, I recommend John's Background Switcher.

Desktop decoration

Kronos_to_Earth — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:42:53 -0800

Paul Lehr is my favorite SF cover artist. I found some files to use as wallpaper ( I think this is fair use...) but have had little luck. Are there any good (online) sources for his work?

Need to find the photog that took this picture.

Botunda — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:13:47 -0800

Who is the photographer or studio that took the Mac OS X desktop wallpaper titled "Mojave?" Here is the image that I am talking about. Anyone know who shot it?

Thanks

A wallpaper changer that works

aerotive — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:49:45 -0800

I'm looking for recommendations for a wallpaper changer or desktop photo viewer that's compatible with Vista. It must be able to change photos at least every 10 seconds or so, resize large photos properly, work with locally stored images, and be able to fill the screen. I formerly used Google's Desktop Photo Gadget for this but the version that's compatible with Vista doesn't resize photos properly. With versions 4 and earlier photos bigger than the system resolution were reduced in size so the whole picture was viewable. The current version crops instead.

Vista comes with a photo gadget but it can't be resized. Note that I'm not looking for a screensaver that has these functions.

I've downloaded and tried about a dozen free/trialware programs and they're either crap and don't work, can't change photos faster than 1-minute intervals, or only work with RSS/web feeds & photos, etc.

I'd prefer something free but I'd be willing to pay for something solid.

Pimp my walls

Lyn Never — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:56:45 -0800

The original wallpaper in my house was applied directly to the drywall. I'm guessing this is/was a pretty popular builder's trick, at least in the 80s (and oh, the horror of the peach and navy wallpapers), but even with careful scoring and steaming I am losing the very outer epidermis of the drywall paper in a lot of places. It's leaving me with a pretty scabby-looking surface, and my original plan to prime and paint isn't going to be enough, I don't think. I hate wall texture, but obviously something thick needs to go down at some point in the process to hide the flaws.

What, exactly, should that process be? Mud the walls, gently texture, prime and paint, or something like that? What technologies should I apply to each point in the process? I really want to do this myself, even the navy-with-little-apples vaulted ceiling in the kitchen, and I would like to do it relatively right. I don't want to paint over the wallpaper, I know how wrong that ends up looking.

Two of the rooms slated for re-do are bathrooms, do I need to do anything special in there, since they tend to get more humidity?

Need creative advice for a retail window display

cameron.case — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 08:32:29 -0800

I need suggestions and creative inspiration for a wallpaper/backdrop for a retail window display. What's being showcased is a mini motorcycle, complete with a mannequin clad in motorcycle gear. The motorcycle and gear are black and white with gold trim. The retail window is 6 1/2 ft tall by 9 ft wide.

Ideally, I'd like the backdrop to convey a sense of motion without being disharmonious - but perhaps you metafites have better ideas. Thank you in advance.

Does (paper) wallpaper go bad?

nadise — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:28:23 -0800

Does unused wallpaper expire? Mr. Nadise and I bought some wallpaper for a bathroom about six years ago, and we haven't quite gotten around to installing it yet -- yes, we're Master Procrastinators.

Assuming the wallpaper's not dreadfully out of style by now... is it still fine to use, or do we have to suck it up and toss it out after all this time? Anything special we should look for to determine whether or not it's ok? Does it matter if the original cellophane packaging has been on or off all along?

Where can I find high-quality desktop wallpaper-suitable images of modern art?

paul_smatatoes — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:26:36 -0800

Where can I find high-quality desktop wallpaper-suitable images of modern art? I'm mostly thinking of work from the last decade, but even the last 50 years would be good. Also: free would be nice.