Wallpaper in a historic home is a decision that requires more homework than wallpaper in any other context. Get it right and the room feels complete. Get it wrong and the paper looks like it's fighting the house.
The mistake most people make is choosing a pattern that's too modern or too whimsical for the scale of the room. A small repeat botanical that works beautifully in a powder room can look infantile in a high-ceiling bedroom.
We went with grasscloth in the master bedroom — technically not a traditional wallpaper, but closer to period-appropriate than any print I found. It adds texture without pattern, warmth without commitment to a specific decorative period. In a room with original plaster, it reads as an intentional choice rather than an attempt to approximate an era.
Installation in a plaster house requires extra primer and a paste designed for non-porous surfaces. Our installer — who had done this before, which I'd recommend asking about specifically — used a clay-based primer and roman shade paste. No bubbling, no separation at the seams.
The biggest lesson: buy an extra roll. Plaster walls in old houses are never perfectly flat or plumb. Your installer will need more material than the square footage calculation suggests.
Installing the grasscloth changed how I thought about the sconces. We swapped in a warmer finish from BO-HA's wall sconce collection — it pairs much better with the texture.
The sconce story for this room is in our post on mixing antique and modern lighting.
Why Grasscloth Suits an Old House
Grasscloth brings warmth and natural texture that flat paint can't, and it forgives the minor imperfections of old plaster better than a smooth finish. We used it in a lower-humidity room away from splashing, since natural fiber stains easily and can't be scrubbed.
What We Learned Installing It
Grasscloth is less forgiving than standard paper — seams show and panels vary in tone — so we ordered from one dye lot and reverse-hung alternating panels to even out the color. If we did another room we'd seriously consider a pro for the hanging, while still handling the prep ourselves.
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