We got chu’ renters of the world! I often feel like this category of living goes malnourished from the design world. While you make up almost 50% of the home category, not a lot of product/TV shows/editorial are focused on you. So, we’re gonna do it. Whether you’re dormin it or snow birdin’ it, we got you, and it’s here that we’ll be making introductions between all of these worlds.

Tempaper’s removable wallpaper makes us squeal like schoolchildren. It’s exactly the kind of design innovation we love to find! To see if Tempaper lived up to its rep, we called on my favorite 25-year-old renter and Real Genevieve fashion contributor Olivia Carrino, whose West Village apartment proved to be an imperfect – and therefore ideal – test subject. The results were nothing short of transformational.

But buyers beware: Though the juice is worth the squeeze, Tempaper is not for the faint-of-heart or the short-of-time. So grab a friend, pop a bottle of vino, spin your favorite vinyl, and settle in for a night of paper-stickin’.

 

You can find the step-by-step instructions here, but below are my tips and tricks:

Bring a friend or two. This is NOT a solitary job so recruit someone who is willing to put in a little elbow grease. You know that friend who’d help you move? That’s the kind you call for this job (we here at Real Genevieve are not above a little bribery with cocktails and/or delicious snacks).

Prep your walls. Basically, wipe your walls, clean up your shit, or it won’t stick.

Remember – particularly those in older buildings – nothing is straight. Account for that in your paper selection by choosing a pattern with a more organic repeat or a solid color. Stripes are best for new constructions or spaces with perfectly level walls.

Air bubbles happen. Be ready for them with a ruler (plastic), safety pin, and utility knife. If it’s truly just air beneath that bubble, use the edge of the ruler to burnish (i.e. push it out of the nearest edge) or use the safety pin to pop a small hole in the paper and squeeze out the air.

Got a speck of something stuck? Use the utility knife to cut a small slit or X above it, remove the intruder, and then carefully push the paper back into place. The great thing about vinyl is that it’s pretty forgiving; it heals with pokes and prods.

“As a twenty-something living in New York, I am on a budget, but that doesn’t mean I skimp on design. Like the clothes I wear, my apartment exemplifies who I am. I like to pick up little treasures from all the places I visit and incorporate them throughout the space. I also search high and low for exactly what I want. If I have an idea, I make it come to fruition – the key is not settling, but taking your time to find exactly what it is you need.” (I love this girl.)