* My older daughter just turned 16, and that means the wallpaper throughout my house is just about sixteen years old, too, since we moved in to this house when my daughter was a baby.  And I’m starting to think that maybe that 1990s design just isn’t cutting it anymore.  But what to do?  Paint?  Well, yes, I’ve been wanting that Tuscan yellow kitchen forever.  Or do I paper it again?  Is wallpaper even in anymore? A little research shows that well, yes, it is!  According to Homedit: Interior Design and Architecture, the trends for 2011 include wallpapering the whole room and not just an accent wall (which, apparently, was the previous trend, which I missed completely), going with subdued tone-on-tone prints, metallics, hand-painted wallpaper, and nature-inspired and earthy looks.  See more examples of these trends at Shelterpop.  And note that it’s not all high-end stuff, either–even Target has gotten in on the hand-painted wallpaper scene.

* You may want to not only coordinate your wallpaper with your window treatments but actually use the very same pattern.  A site named Fabrics and Papers talks about the renaissance in Damask curtain fabrics and papers, and apparently  goes back to (and gets its name from) when Damascus was a center for textiles.  Its patterns are often geometric or botanical, and it reached Europe from its origin in Asia because of Marco Polo.  If you prefer long-lasting classics rather than short-lived trends, then this may be a safe (yet still trendy) way to go.

* If you don’t want to go to the expense of getting new wallpaper and new window treatments, however, get your existing window treatments professionally cleaned and then coordinate your wall coverings to them.  While you’re at it, take the Kudzu Must-Do 52 enewsletter’s advice this week and have the pros give your carpets and upholstery a once-over, too.  Another benefit?  You get rid of lots of allergens this way, and maybe even give yourself some relief if you (or anyone in your household) suffers from an allergy to dust mites.  Oh, goodness, while you’re at it, get the ducts cleaned.  I’m actually having this done tomorrow by a service company I found on Kudzu.  Every time I remind my family of this, they think I’m saying that I’m cleaning the ducks.  Um, hello?  We don’t have ducks.

* Another Must-Do 52 suggestion for this week?  To paint house trim so that carpenter bees won’t bore, which could result in structural damage (photo from the site of Pest Control Raleigh).  Grrr.  This is starting to become an issue for me.  I need to get that wood rot fixed, and Kudzu just keeps giving me more reasons to do so.  Once I get through the ducts (not the ducks), then the wood rot in next.  One thing at a time, right?  Will I ever get through my to-do list?  It sometimes makes me want to sit in a comfy chair and just stare at the wallpaper, 16 years old or not.

Don’t get frustrated.  Get service companies from Kudzu who can help you get your to-do list done and get on with you life.  Get the wallpaper of your dreams (trendy or not).  Clean your carpet, upholstery, window treatments, and yes, even the ducts (not the ducks).  Once that’s done, you’re ready for the wood rot.  Go get ‘em.  I’ll be right there with you.