How to Customize Grasscloth Like an Interior Designer

With Former Spoonflower Ambassador Jewel Marlowe

Grasscloth

Edited: May 17, 2022

Who doesn’t love a big makeover reveal?! Interior designer (and former Spoonflower Ambassador) Jewel Marlowe recently used Grasscloth Wallpaper to update a client’s office and kindly let us tag along (well, visually at least!) for the ride. Hear from Jewel below on how the install went and pick up her hot installation tips and tricks, too!

Photo of a home office with a white faux fur rug on the floor and a round black table in the middle of the room with a black chair next to it and a book with a red spine and white cover, yellow scalloped-edge bowl and a white ceramic vase with several tall branches full of small white flowers on the table. Behind the table are built-in blue cabinets that are taller on the left and right sides and table height in the middle, where a black lamp and two small yellow storage boxes are stacked. The wallpaper has a light brown background and small black branches running vertically up the wall with repeating small white flowers.

This client office makeover features a revolutionary product—customizable Grasscloth Wallpaper! I LOVE the ability to customize the designs of Spoonflower grasscloth for my clients. To think that I can change the color and scale of a design is absolutely powerful.

Jewel Marlowe

Jewel: This client office makeover features a revolutionary product—customizable Grasscloth Wallpaper! I LOVE the ability to customize the designs of Spoonflower grasscloth for my clients. To think that I can change the color and scale of a design is absolutely powerful. Plus, the texture, luster and warm undertones of this product really elevates a room.

My interior design client had the power to select from an endless number of patterns from Spoonflower’s Marketplace, and then change the color or scale! Come check out the results, and let me teach you some of the tricks and tips I learned along the way!

Office Before Customizable Grasscloth

A large plastic sheet covers built-in gray cabinets that are taller on the left and right sides and table height in the middle. A rectangular piece of art hangs over the middle section and has a brown frame, white mat and a small darker design rendered too blurry to discern under the plastic. A person stands in front of the cabinets and next to the right wall, behind a green ladder, and is looking at the cabinets. The white carpet is also covered in plastic and there are two paint cans on the floor on by the left wall.

Looking into a home office from a hallway, a white door frame and gray walls frame the view. Part of a ladder is against the leftside outer wall. A large plastic sheet covers built-in gray cabinets that are taller on the left and right sides and table height in the middle. A rectangular piece of art hangs over the middle section and has a brown frame, white mat and a small darker design rendered too blurry to discern under the plastic. A person stands in front of the cabinets on the highest step of a green ladder and is facing the back wall. The white carpet is also covered in plastic and there is a paint tray full of gray-blue paint in the middle of the floor. The ceiling is partially painted, with gray-blue paint around three recessed lighting fixtures and a fixture holding a large white ring light in place that hangs from the ceiling.

This is a home I’ve been working on since last summer. Since we’re currently waiting for some custom pieces to arrive, we decided to tackle her office. As this room already has great bones and lovely custom cabinetry, it was my job to help this client choose from a Spoonflower grasscloth collection I curated for her. We also painted the ceiling and trim blue to match the cabinets.

Here’s a look at some of the grasscloth swatches I curated from the Spoonflower Marketplace for this project, all of which you can see in more detail in the Jewel’s Spoonflower Picks Collection:

A stack of 10 grasscloth wallpaper swatches are displayed on a white faux fur carpet. They all have a warm creamy tan background, except for one swatch that has a tan background. The designs are a mixture of geometric shapes in gray or white or black, except for one that has gray blue and gold geometric shapes and two that replicate different aspects of trees, one a reddish brown wood grain and another a light birch bark, that are small light gray and black vertical stripes throughout.

Featured design collection

After Customizable Grasscloth

A close up of the installed grasscloth wallpaper, shown on a wall in between two large built-in shelves. The edge of the left shelf is shown and the top of the lower section of shelving connecting to the two larger sections has two bright yellow storage boxes on top of it on the righthand side. The wallpaper has a light brown background and small black branches running vertically up the wall with repeating small white flowers.

Featured design: Wildflower Stems x Taupe Large by coitcreative

Photo of a home office with a white faux fur rug on the floor and a round black table in the middle of the room and a book with a red spine and white cover, yellow scalloped-edge bowl and a white ceramic vase with several tall branches full of small white flowers on the table. Jewel is sitting in a black chair to the right of the table. Behind the table are built-in blue cabinets that are taller on the left and right sides and table height in the middle, where a black lamp and two small yellow storage boxes are stacked. The wallpaper has a light brown background and small black branches running vertically up the wall with repeating small white flowers.

How to Customize Your Wallpaper

I have worked with Spoonflower products for years. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up along the way:

The basics: Spoonflower is a Marketplace where independent artists can upload their designs and we can purchase them.
Search is your friend: There are so many designs that it is helpful to search by keyword or by artist. Once I find an artist that I like, I usually browse their collections and save my favorite collections and designs in my Spoonflower account. These favorites have been my go-to source for many projects.
Don’t be afraid to ask: If I see a design that I like, but am interested in changing its color or scale, I reach out to the artist to see if they are willing to do edits. If their response is “yes,” then I send them my plans.
Give credit where and when you can: If you will be sharing photos of the product on your website, in a newsletter, in an article or on social media, giving credit to the artist (or in the product listing if you sell something made with their design) is encouraged. (Pro tip: Artists usually love seeing what you made with their work!)
The results can be pretty amazing: Here a few of my Spoonflower projects: Upholstered Bunk Bed | Upholstered Head Board | Terrazzo Sofa | Marbled Wallpaper Ceiling.

Photo of a home office with a white faux fur rug on the floor and a round black table in the middle of the room with a black chair to the right of it and a book with a red spine and white cover, yellow scalloped-edge bowl and a white ceramic vase with several tall branches full of small white flowers on the table. Behind the table are built-in blue cabinets that are taller on the left and right sides and table height in the middle, where a black lamp and two small yellow storage boxes are stacked. The wallpaper has a light brown background and small black branches running vertically up the wall with repeating small white flowers.

What to Expect from Natural Woven Grasscloth

This product is 100% handcrafted sisal and, as such, has a natural sheen.
Grasscloth wallpaper has seams, which highlight the beauty of the product. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you can see seams, unique variations and striations once its installed—these features make grasscloth truly special.
The base color for Spoonflower grasscloth is not a pure white, but a “natural white.” This means it has a warm background color. While it’s ALWAYS important to sample your design, it’s especially important with this grasscloth.
If your samples turn out warmer than you were hoping, you can reach out to the designer to see if they can add a cooler background color. A design’s colors can be adjusted, it just requires an extra step. If custom grasscloth is your goal, this extra step is worth it!
This grasscloth is recommended for lower traffic areas such as bedrooms, dining rooms, offices, etc. It is not recommended for bathrooms or higher traffic areas like hallways.
I usually install my own wallpaper in my home, but even I would hire a professional for this job. Grasscloth is trickier than other types of wallpaper and patterned grasscloth takes skill.

Photo of the righthand side of a home office with a white faux fur rug on the floor and a round black table in the middle of the room with a black chair to the right. Small white flowers on tall branches from a vase not shown on the table extend toward the middle of the photo from the lefthand side. Behind the table are built-in blue cabinets that are taller on the left and right sides and table height in the middle, where a black lamp, a white spiky textured ceramic vase containing red flowers with large green leaves and two small yellow storage boxes are stacked, left to right. On the wall above is a large piece of artwork with a burgundy-and-cream abstract geometric design. The wallpaper has a light brown background and small black branches running vertically up the wall with repeating small white flowers.

Looking into a home office from a hallway, a white door frame and gray walls frame the view. The room has a white faux fur rug and a round black table in the middle. The table has two small red-spined books in the middle, with a larger book white cover to their right and a white ceramic vase with several tall branches full of small white flowers on the table to their back left. The table has two black chairs to the right, the chair closest to the camera has a yellow jacket draped over its back. Behind the table are built-in blue cabinets taller on the left and right sides and table height in the middle, where a black lamp, a small spiky ceramic vase with red flowers with large green leaves and two small yellow storage boxes are stacked on top of one another, left to right. On the wall above is a large piece of artwork with a burgundy-and-cream abstract geometric design. The wallpaper has a light brown background and small black branches running vertically up the wall with repeating small white flowers. On the top of the taller lefthand cabinet is a small yellow ceramic bowl, a stack of orange and red books laid down horizontally and three red books standing up vertically. The ceiling is painted blue gray and a white circular ring light hangs from the ceiling.

Extra Grasscloth Details

Looking for a few extra Spoonflower grasscloth wallpaper details? Here are a few more:

- Wallpaper dimensions: Roll (installed) 24″ wide x 27” long (61 cm wide x 1000 cm long)
- Class A fire rated
- Double cut
- Hand trimming required (mention this to your installer BEFORE they give you your installation quote!)

Photo of a home office’s lefthand side with a white faux fur rug and a round black table in the middle that has a black chair on either side. The chair on the left has a bright yellow jacket draped over its back. The table has two small red-spined books in the middle, with a larger book splayed open to their right and a white ceramic vase with several tall branches full of small white flowers on the table to their back left. On the top of the taller lefthand cabinet is a small yellow ceramic bowl, a stack of orange and red books laid down horizontally and three red books standing up vertically. Behind the table are built-in blue cabinets taller on the left and right sides and table height in the middle, where a black lamp, a white spiky textured ceramic vase containing red flowers with large green leaves and two small yellow storage boxes are stacked, left to right. On the wall above is a large piece of artwork with a burgundy-and-cream abstract geometric design. The wallpaper has a light brown background and small black branches running vertically up the wall with repeating small white flowers. The lefthand wall has a large 3-horizontal pane window, the frame of which is painted blue gray.

I usually install my own wallpaper in my home, but even I would hire a professional for this job. Grasscloth is trickier than other types of wallpaper and patterned grasscloth takes skill.

Jewel Marlowe

How to Care for Your Spoonflower Grasscloth Wallpaper

Did you know that natural wallcoverings are low maintenance? Here are some quick cleaning tips:

Brush with a soft surface feather duster
Never use cleaning agents to remove a stain
If necessary, use the foam from a gentle household dishwashing liquid and rub softly with a soft white cloth

Want more grasscloth before and after posts?

Click to see the inspo

Jewel Marlowe

Jeweled Interiors

Jewel Marlowe is a northern Virginia (greater Washington, DC) based interior designer with a passion for color and soulfully glamorous interiors. Her favorite spaces are those that look gathered and collected over time, with an eclectic mix of styles. When not at work, she loves spending time with her husband and four children.

A candle, feather with ink and a stack of books.

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How to Customize Grasscloth Like an Interior Designer

Office Before Customizable Grasscloth

After Customizable Grasscloth

How to Customize Your Wallpaper

What to Expect from Natural Woven Grasscloth

Extra Grasscloth Details

How to Care for Your Spoonflower Grasscloth Wallpaper

Want more grasscloth before and after posts?

Jewel Marlowe

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