ACCENT WALL

I had been exploring the idea of an accent wall in my office for some time, scouring online posts and Pinterest for some of the creative solutions others had come up with for their own homes.  I came across the look of a wall with all-over bold stencils done with tone-on-tone paint and kept coming back to it.  It was beautiful and subtle at the same time.  Something I could live with for a long time.

I wasn't disappointed.  In fact, I am in love with the final result.  When you come down the stairs it catches your attention.  A true statement wall.

First, I had to choose the color.  I have come to love the color green....all shades actually; this particular shade is called dusty miller.  I purchased a gallon of flat and a complimentary metallic paint for the stencil.   They came from two different companies, (flat from Glidden, metallic from Ralph Lauren) but the "paint chips" looked like a good match.   A female Home Depot Rep was my second opinion. :)

Timing allowed me to tell the contractors not to texture that wall since I knew from previous experience that stenciling a textured wall is tough and the results are less than perfect.

I found the stencil at Royal Designs Studio.  I wanted a large pattern, simple in design, but bold in how it would transform the wall.  This Moroccan style stencil was just the ticket!

They have an extensive selection of stencils, and tools.  They also have some awesome videos and blogs on tips and tricks.  I was glad I took the time to watch one since it helped me with the technique of loading the roller with paint and "off-loading" before I applied the paint to the stencil.  I learned they key is having very little paint on the roller.    It worked like a charm.

My husband painted the wall with the flat paint, and I did the stenciling. I did it over the course of several days, in between other projects.  The total amount of time I would estimate at about 4 hours.

That includes cleaning the stencil and touching up any "bleed through" (which was very minor) after the fact.  I also found the blue tape sometimes pulled the flat paint off the wall.  Kind of curious that it did so, but easily remedied with a small brush and a cup of the flat paint.

As with any wall, there were a few challenging spots along the way.  Based upon the repeat pattern, those areas which required only a "partial" stencil were awkward to tape and press and roll all at the same time.   But all-in-all, it went well...better than I expected actually.

I can't wait to see what my office looks like with the furniture in its place and some artwork on my beautiful new accent wall!  We can see the light at the end of the tunnel now....the contractors are just about finished, which leaves us with the floor and trim work before we can begin "moving in".