Batya Stepelman: Wallpaper Maven

The mind behind Denver’s Walltawk—a one-woman wallpaper boutique and design consultancy

“I can’t imagine life without wallpaper,” says Batya Stepelman in her charming, mile-a-minute New York accent, cup of “cawfee” in hand. “I don’t know what that says about me, but there I am.” Since the fall 2015 launch of  WallTawk—her one-woman wallpaper boutique and design consultancy—Stepelman’s mind ticks in terms of color, pattern and dimensions.

The newfound obsession began shortly after she transitioned from corporate law to public relations for independent design companies. “We got a wallpaper client and that’s when I really fell in love,” she says. In search of a flexible workday that complemented her two boys’ school schedules, Stepelman decided to sell her favorite designs—from companies such as Flavor Paper, Hygge & West, MissPrint and Flat Vernacular—out of the comfort of her home. Her family’s beloved 1895 Queen Anne in Denver’s historic Congress Park neighborhood now doubles as a showroom: Customers stop by to sift through stacks of samples, and better yet, see designs in action on the walls of Stepelman’s kitchen, living room, powder room and family room.

Stepelman’s mission is to breathe life into her customers’ homes through gradient mountain scenes (Yunnan by Pierre Frey, pictured above), intricate floral motifs and geometric patterns. After all, she says, “design should be fun.”