Mahone’s Wallpaper Shop | Wallpaper Designs and Fabric Online

  Paisley is one of the most recognizable patterns in the world, and one of the least understood. Ask someone what paisley pattern actually is and most people describe a color, a flower, or just "that swirly print." It's none of those. Here's what is paisley, really, where it came from, and what to look for when you buy it. Our paisley wallpaper collection and paisley fabric collection both carry real examples of everything below.   Is Paisley a Flower, a Color, or Something Else Entirely What is a paisley pattern? It's a specific teardrop-shaped motif with a curved tip, technically called a boteh or buta. What color is paisley is a common question, but paisley isn't a color at all, it's a shape, and it shows up in nearly every color you can name. Is paisley a color or a pattern comes down to this: it's entirely a pattern, one that can be printed in blue, red, green, black, or dozens of other combinations. Is paisley a flower is the other question peo...

  Search "wood wallpaper" and you'll find two very different things. Some rolls have a flat, printed pattern that reads as fake from across the room. Others use raised ink to actually mimic the ridges of real grain, and hold up under a hand run across the wall. The difference isn't obvious from a small product photo, so here's what to check before you buy. Our wood wallpaper collection has both types, once you know which to look for.   What Makes Wood Wallpaper Look Real (or Fake) Wood wallpaper and wood wallpapers are made one of two ways. The cheaper method prints a wood grain pattern flat onto vinyl or paper, no texture, just color and shading. It can look convincing in a photo, but up close it reads as a picture of wood, not wood. The better method uses embossing or raised ink to build actual texture into the surface, so the grain lines you feel match the ones you see. This is what separates real hardwood wallpaper from a flat imitation, and it's the d...

  Most people assume ikat fabric is just a busy print, blurred edges, bold colors, done. It isn't. What is ikat, really? It's a technique: the yarn is dyed before the fabric is ever woven, not printed onto finished cloth afterward. That's what is an ikat pattern actually is, and it's also why a real ikat has that slightly soft, blurred edge a print can't fake. Once you know what does ikat mean, buying it well gets a lot easier. Our ikat fabric collection is a good place to start once you know what to look for. What Is an Ikat Pattern, and What Does Ikat Mean What is ikat, in the simplest terms? It's a resist-dye weaving technique. Before a single thread is woven, sections of the yarn are bound and dyed, then bound again for a second color if the design calls for it, then finally woven into cloth. What is an ikat pattern comes entirely from how precisely, or imprecisely, those bound sections line up once woven, which is why the motif always has a touch of softne...