It wasn't horribly offensive, but it wasn't jiving with the rest of the house. It was a little dark and I just couldn't bring myself to just paint and forget it since it was such a big space.
Instead, I decided to do something a little fancier. I found a pin on Pinterest that caught my eye and I decided to go for it. Unlike the normal chevron pattern, it was broken up a bit, which I really liked. I also decided that since the wall was most highly visible from the kitchen, I would use the bottom cabinet color to paint the wall. That way, it kept the room kind of cohesive, but also meant that I didn't have to buy more paint! (You all know how I love practically free projects!)
First, I painted the wall white. I knew that I wanted the lines to be white, so I gave it two good coats to get it to cover. Then, I found the center of the wall and used a level to place my first line. I continued the process until I had all of my vertical lines placed like so.
Then, you measure from your baseboard to your ceiling and divide it so that you will get the width of the chevrons correct. Remember to keep in mind the size of the tape when doing this. We used Home Depot blue painters tape at 1.4 in. to create good bold lines. After you have your magic wall-dividing number, measure down each of your vertical tape stripes that you've already created and mark it. When all was said and done, we ended up making 7.75 inches down from the ceiling to the floor, making a mark on the tape at every additional 7.75 in.
Once that's been done, you start taping....again. If you're working with a partner, make sure you decide if you are placing the tape centered, under, or over the lines that are marked, just for uniformity. We decided on under and got to work.
Hi Beth!
This part needs to be semi accurate. Just be sure that the tape isn't folded under in any areas and that it adheres completely so you don't have any paint running under it when you give it the first coat. I would also recommend having a ladder or two on hand (and turning off your fan so it doesn't attack you!).
When this step is completed, you should end up with something like this.
It's a bit dizzying, yes, but the cool part about this next step is what you can do with it. I had already found a pattern I really liked, but if you just want chevrons, you can cut out the select lines you don't want to give endless horizontal stripes. You can customize the tape so that you can make it your own. Over all, I think it's kind of neat.
My pattern involved cutting out the vertical line in every other chevron in a column. I grabbed an exacto knife and a piece of stiff paper that I had cut to the angle of my chevrons and started cutting.
When I was finished, this.
Had turned to this.
It's very difficult to explain the template until you see it. It did take about an hour and a half to finish just the taping part, so if you are unsure as to what pattern you want at first, I would sketch it out. on paper to save yourself some time. If you are working on a smaller wall, or you want a larger pattern, it will take less time. I even painted one of the chevrons so you can see just how that shape repeats and how its size compares to the wall itself.
Next thing to do? Paint. My grey/blue ended up needing two coats, but when it was all finished, it looked like this.
Time for the fun part. The reveal! What made it that much more fun (because let's face it, tearing down tape or stencils to show the final product is always super satisfying, like popping bubble wrap), was the fact that our friends Casey and Daniel had come over and got to take part.
We had a tape-pullin' party. By about 10pm last night, though, it was all finished.
Boom! Just what we needed! It has a lot of texture and pattern that just feels right to have in such a high traffic area. The lines turned out much better than I had expected (there are maybe two touch ups that need to happen), so I am over all quite pleased. It also looks great in the front room.
As well as the living room/addition.
It doesn't seem to excite the pup that much, though. Oh well, Leels is pretty hard to please anyway.
When this step is completed, you should end up with something like this.
It's a bit dizzying, yes, but the cool part about this next step is what you can do with it. I had already found a pattern I really liked, but if you just want chevrons, you can cut out the select lines you don't want to give endless horizontal stripes. You can customize the tape so that you can make it your own. Over all, I think it's kind of neat.
My pattern involved cutting out the vertical line in every other chevron in a column. I grabbed an exacto knife and a piece of stiff paper that I had cut to the angle of my chevrons and started cutting.
Had turned to this.
It's very difficult to explain the template until you see it. It did take about an hour and a half to finish just the taping part, so if you are unsure as to what pattern you want at first, I would sketch it out. on paper to save yourself some time. If you are working on a smaller wall, or you want a larger pattern, it will take less time. I even painted one of the chevrons so you can see just how that shape repeats and how its size compares to the wall itself.
Next thing to do? Paint. My grey/blue ended up needing two coats, but when it was all finished, it looked like this.
Phone photos. Never as good as a real camera!
Time for the fun part. The reveal! What made it that much more fun (because let's face it, tearing down tape or stencils to show the final product is always super satisfying, like popping bubble wrap), was the fact that our friends Casey and Daniel had come over and got to take part.
Boom! Just what we needed! It has a lot of texture and pattern that just feels right to have in such a high traffic area. The lines turned out much better than I had expected (there are maybe two touch ups that need to happen), so I am over all quite pleased. It also looks great in the front room.
Mom and I are very impressed with this project as well as all of your work. You are so fortunate to have surrounded yourself with such wonderful friends and to have such a beautiful home to play with. We love you both!
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