Chasing Paper Will Help You Transform Baby’s Nursery on a Budget
The Bump presents #MomBoss, a series dedicated to showing off all-star moms. We catch up with mompreneurs behind products we love, influencers who get real about motherhood and SAHMs who can multitask in their sleep.
Ever find yourself completely overwhelmed by the dream nurseries you come across on Pinterest? You’d love to transform your baby’s space into a jungle safari or celestial escape, but the truth is, your budget is holding your vision back. Lucky for you, Chasing Paper is the cost-efficient option that will help you take your child’s four walls (and any room in your home) to the next step.
Chasing Paper is beautiful, well-designed removable wallpaper that will stick to nearly any surface. It makes small projects affordable and big jobs a breeze. The company is the brainchild of Elizabeth Rees, who spent her twenties traveling from home to home, and constantly having to deal with the hassle of redecorating her space. We stole Rees away to get the lowdown on the best home decor tips, nursery inspiration and how she’s been handling her recent transition into motherhood.
Chasing Paper is all about accessible design that makes an impact in your home, big or small. From our signature peel-and-stick fabric removable wallpaper to our beautifully curated art prints, we produce artist-forward designs that we hope will create meaningful design moments in people’s homes.
I’m a third generation in my family’s printing company, and for a long time, I never thought I wanted to be part of the printing business! In my twenties and early thirties, I was fortunate to cultivate my entrepreneurial spirit through work and travel, and this eventually led me to New York. At the time, my father—the president of our core printing business in Milwaukee—asked me to join remotely in a sales capacity. Even though I grew up around it, I learned a lot more about our family’s printing capabilities and legacy. That’s when the concept of Chasing Paper began to take shape.
Like many others, I moved around a lot in my twenties, and always wanted to find an affordable way to make each space my own. I saw a void in a very traditional market of wallpaper, in that it wasn’t a space that was innovating in any way. At the time, there were only two options: traditional wallpaper, which can be very expensive, or cheap vinyl wallpaper, which wouldn’t last more than a few months. I floated the concept with my family and other fellow entrepreneurs in my community, who all reinforced this void! From there, we launched with our innovative peel-and-stick removable wallpaper, and since then, have partnered with numerous artists and companies like West Elm, Crate+Kids, Pottery Barn and more.
Yes! Of course, I have the wallpaper in my home! I tried to use it in as many spots as I could without it overwhelming the space. We used it in our foyer, bathroom, laundry room and nursery.
You recently added a new title to your resume—Mom. What’s that been like for you? My life and purpose has certainly changed, but so many lessons of being an entrepreneur have been mirrored in motherhood. My team has been amazing and really helped me let go of a lot of things on my plate, so I’m able to enjoy and be present in this time with Uma.
Yes! Uma’s nursery features Jen Peter’s Spotted removable wallpaper, which is a subtle pattern in a feminine neutral.
I’m still finding my feet a bit, and have given myself the summer to just kind of do whatever I feel I need to before having a more formal routine in the fall. I’m so lucky to have a wonderful team that has helped me feel like I can take a step back, but still be in the loop. I have accepted that I might not be able to work as much as I did before, but also that it’s okay to have time away from her, in order to continue to build the business that I have such passion for.
That I really love my work. Chasing Paper truly is my first baby. I thought maybe when Uma was born I wouldn’t want to go back to work, or it would be really hard and I would feel an immense amount of guilt. On the days I go to the studio, while I miss her, I come back to her feeling refreshed and energized. I also now have a totally new purpose to succeed. I want to be a great example to Uma to do what you love in life.
Any advice for moms-to-be anxiously awaiting their child’s arrival? I think advice is so hard to dispense because everyone has such a personal journey into motherhood, but I think knowing that is helpful.There is no right way to be a parent. You have to do what’s right for your family.
We love our Snoo. Uma is 8 weeks and snoozes for 8 to 11 hours a night, and I think a combination of Uma’s cool personality and the modern science of the Snoo has made our household a lot happier.
Published August 2019
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