A building that stands locked through a rough monsoon at a river mouth is a hard test for wallpaper, and in Morjim that describes most resorts, guest houses and let villas. With no air moving for months, humidity from the sea and the Chapora gets into closed rooms, and paper on a weather-facing or ground-floor wall will lift or spot. Use it sparingly: vinyl with anti-fungal adhesive, on a dry inner wall, stopping well above any sign of rising damp. Where a wall is damp, choose PVC panels. Before reopening each season, check the seams. A pattern that does not date and a spare roll kept back make repairs between winters possible.
- Rooms in villas let for the winter: one vinyl feature wall where the headboard stands, provided it is internal and a window is close by for airing.
- Ground-floor rooms near the river mouth: no wallpaper; PVC wall panels cope with damp that builds up in the closed months.
- Upper-floor resort rooms: a plain textured vinyl above headboard height, clear of luggage, inspected before the first guests each season.
Morjim lies on the north side of the Chapora river mouth, in Pernem. Its wide beach is a nesting site for olive ridley turtles, and the village behind it has resorts, beach restaurants and villas, popular with long-stay winter visitors.
Property is mostly seasonal: resorts, villas let through the winter, and guest houses. Many places close for the monsoon, so furnishing must store well and come out again fresh.
Morjim is exposed to both sea and river. Salt, wind and blown sand affect anything outdoors, and the monsoon is rough at the river mouth.
Sea-facing homes
Sea-facing walls take in salt and moisture, and paper lifts at the seams if the wall is not sealed. Use vinyl-coated wallpaper on an anti-fungal primer, and keep it to inner walls or walls that do not face the weather. Check for salt bloom on the plaster first.
Riverside and backwater homes
Walls near water hold damp at the base. Wallpaper should stop above any tide mark of rising damp, and the wall should be treated first. Vinyl papers with anti-fungal adhesive cope with humidity; paper-backed and fabric wallpapers do not.
Visiting Morjim
Morjim is about eighty-five minutes from the showroom, across the Siolim bridge. We measure free of charge and plan Pernem visits for one day, so please book ahead.
Do you travel to Morjim?
Yes. It is about eighty-five minutes from Margao. We visit Morjim, Ashwem, Mandrem and Arambol on the same day, so please book a few days ahead.
What should a seasonal resort store over the monsoon?
Cushions and curtains, washed and fully dry, in a ventilated room. Blinds can be rolled up and left in place.
