into the woods- DIY wall murals

For the past couple months I have been contemplating what to do with the living room walls.  Since we live on the second floor of a cape cod style home, the angles of the room resemble an attic space. Ceiling lines are juxtaposed with windows and closet doors. I knew that I wanted to use a pale hue so as not to draw any more attention to the myriad of angles.  My first idea was to use a very pale cool grey complimented by a bold turquoise wall in the dominant corner of the room.  I had the paint swatches taped to the wall for weeks, still not able to commit.

I was also not yet ready to commit to dropping 30+ dollars on a gallon of paint that I may not be happy with in the end.  I am a sucker for doing things on the cheap and on the fly.  I often resort to perusing the "miss-tinted" section of the local hardware store, hoping to find a 5 buck gallon of paint to do the job.  On a recent trip to the Benjamin Moore store (a great place to find high-quality miss-tint paints), I came across a gallon of off-white eggshell interior paint that would allow me to mix in some of the darker grey I had used in the entryway in order to achieve that pale hue I desired.

Once I had committed to the gray color I hand mixed (closest match: Martha Stewarts' Heavy Goose MSL261) by painting the main wall, I decided to take it a step further. While saving some of the original white color to make room to mix, my idea for the living room changed.  I decided to use the white to do a subtle and simple tree mural on the main wall. I have always loved the way communities whitewash trees on city streets.  That look paired with my love of birch trees brought me to the following solution. 

Before

   With a small hand brush I quickly drafted the trees to build the overall pattern and then filled them in leaving a crisp edge.  After I was done, I used the gray color to clean up any rough edges and was satisfied with our new woodsy nook.  The window looks out into the wooded backyard so it offers a perfect blend! 

 After

 

A painted floor lamp and handmade palm leaf pillow add whimsical touches. The decorative pillows were made from some Africa wax prints I bought during my last trip to Togo. Coming soon..for sale.

where the wild things are...our lil' beast at home in his new domain

For more inspiration and  designer tips check out these examples below ....

 

warm neutral tones play up a nice herringbone pattern found on design sponge  Use painters tape  and a measure to lay out the pattern and go large scale so that the overall feel is not too distracting.

 Get wild with a non-uniform design...scattered lines represent this visual masterpiece found in a Metropolitan Home bedroom.

 I love the colors and expression of overlaying stencils and paint washes to mimic the patterns found in a cozy pair of muk-luks.

Incorporate wall units in a way that highlights the background design.

 Eric and Ammo went bold and organic showing the merge of both in this room highlighted on apartment therapy

 When in doubt ..go large and soft and use anything as a stencil from a plate to a bucket.

 

Who said paint pens were just for letters, Kelli used these to hand pattern a hallway.

Think art installation.  Sometimes wall art doesn't need to be bound by frame and nail.  Get a little funky and bold like  Brazilian artist Titi Freak did in his exhibition Vida Apaixonada.

Don't be afraid to be abstract.  If you are of the elegant sort, look to a soft blue link pattern with Restoration Hardware hues.  If you prefer the bold minimalist order, go wild on the wall and keep it simple on the floor by pairing simple furnishings and leaving the accent behind.