60 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JULY 2019
INSIDE JOB
REFRESH YOUR HOUSE:
By ARLENE GROSS
If you’re looking for a fairly easy and
inexpensive way to redecorate your
house, consider sprucing up your
walls. Adding a fresh coat of paint or
some eye-catching, textured wallpaper
is a sure-fire way to brighten up
any room.
You can achieve a whole new look by
painting walls white and moldings
black, says Wendy Lepkoff, owner
of Bethpage-based Wendy Interiors,
Inc. For a more modern look, Lepkoff
suggests pairing gray walls with
white moldings or wallpapering one
wall and painting the rest of a room’s
walls a color that’s prominent in that
wallpaper.
“If there’s existing carpet or an area
rug or wood flooring, that should be
taken into account when selecting the
wallpaper,” advises Lepkoff.
Accent walls — wallpapering just
one or two walls in a room — are
trending today and white ceilings
are no longer de rigeur, says Lepkoff,
adding that off-white, cream
and shades of gray are popular
options. Popular in bedrooms and
dens, accent walls are typically
created behind beds or sofas.
“Sometimes, a beautiful look with a
high ceiling is to paint it one shade
lighter than the walls,” she says.
VERSATILITY OF
WALLPAPER
Ranging from basic vinyl to embellished
with velvet overlay or beaded
crystals, wallpaper comes in many
varieties, notes Bari Seidon, an interior
designer at Floor Decor & Design
of Syosset and Rockville Centre.
“Wallpaper is a definite upgrade
to any wall,” says Seidon. “It can be
textured, it can just be patterned, but
you get the best bang for your buck
with wallpaper.”
The most common use of wallpaper
these days is in the powder room.
“Guests use your powder room and
there’s not much to look at in a bathroom,
so you’re giving them interest,”
Seidon explains.
As with wallpapering powder rooms,
dining rooms often are wallpapered
since, Seidon says, “you entertain in
the dining room and it’s giving your
friends something to look at.”
Boldly painted door
brings out the colors
of the wallpaper
Damask
wallpaper adds a
feminine touch
Deep colors and damask wallpaper help remake a guest room into a reading room. (Photo by Philip Ennis Photography, courtesy of Wendy Interiors)
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