Father’s Day
In honor of Father’s Day, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize my creative designer genetic family history. My dad paid for law school by hanging wallpaper. He was the fourth generation of Ryskamp men to learn the trade. For decades, my grandpa and his brother were professional wallpaper hangers/ decorators and decorative painters for high-end homes in Michigan. This photo, which includes my great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather in front of the Ryskamp Bros. Wallpaper and Paint Shop is proudly displayed in my home.
I have so many memories of my parents going through my grandpa’s stash of left-over paper, deciding which room of our house to use it in. Then, my dad and grandpa (in his worn white workpants) setting up the big table and getting to work! I especially loved the variegated pink paper that covered the slanted walls and rooflines of my attic bedroom. After my grandpa’s death, my cousin framed a square of wallpaper from Grandpa’s house. Every single wall of that house was either papered or custom painted with a special technique, so this little square makes me smile. It reminds me of white workpants and the smell of coffee. I also think it’s appropriate that it is a little square, don’t you?
