Faux Bois Walls

"papier bois" wallcovering by Nobilis

I was first introduced to Nobilis faux bois wallpaper when I worked as a designer at Burnham Design.  We used it in the family room of this gorgeous Manhattan Beach home:

project by Burnham Design

featured in House Beautiful, December 2007

Then, I recently spotted it in a project designed by Nina Freudenberger, featured in TradHome Magazine (the shelter magazine love child of Traditional Home and Lonny Magazine)...

It's such a versatile wallpaper and looks great in SO MANY applications.

a bathroom?

bedroom?

dining room?

and, of course a living room.

I love how the Nobilis wallpaper feels like a modern interpretation of panelled walls.  It's cozy, and a little rustic.  But all together clean and modern.  The greyscale colorway is my favorite (seen at the top of this post).  The greys are so subtle, like a gorgeous chalky piece of grey driftwood.

Since this French wallpaper is a little pricy, here's how we can achieve faux bois walls on the cheap:

If you have a lot of patience (and a steady hand) you should try Martha Stewart's faux bois painting technique.  Here's Tom demonstrating how to "faux bois" at the Martha Stewart blogging party last year...

Looks easy enough!

Martha Stewart faux bois dresser

Here's what Martha says you'll need:

• a base coat paint (in this case BM White Dove)
• a glaze tint (in this case BM Sienna Laurel)
• Martha Stewart's Faux Bois kit (including the faux bois imprinted rocker), available at The Home Depot
• 9 inch (with a 1/4 inch nap) roller

If you're serious about this project (which in all honesty, does look like a doable technique)...  you should ABSOLUTELY watch the "How To" Video, on the Martha Stewart site.  They make it look eeeeeeasy.  Also, it's really informative and very inspiring.

I'm already thinking about what I can "faux bois" in the future...  a serving tray maybe?  Or, even a desk top?

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