Graphic Wall Treatment Before/After

It's done! This little, okay huge, project has been sitting unfinished for the longest time. High spots and funky angles (on the tall wall to the right) had me dragging my feet on wrapping things up, but last weekend I kicked it into high gear and got 'er done.

Pretty sure I said this in the first post about this wall, but John really outdid himself this time! Can I just take a minute to brag on him?! His patience and attention to detail are impeccable. Now, my patience when it came to waiting for the work to be done, is a whole other story. ;) 

Do you remember what things looked like when we moved in? One, big golden blank space...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

You may also remember that our original plan was to leave the wall on the right blank then continue the diamond pattern onto the wall on the left. Well, John was concerned I wouldn't be happy with the transition (around the corner) and I started to get a little concerned that that much pattern might lend itself to being too busy, so the idea of stripes was born.

We simply followed the width of the existing piece and carried it on along the wall. I like how it looks like giant arrows pointing to the crazy cool graphic pattern as the main attraction.

Lots of interesting lines going on, right? Did you notice how the visual line carries from the far left wall on through to the stairs? It's details like this that others may never notice but they truly solidify the overall design in my mind.

I struggled with how to accessorize this space since I wanted your attention to be mainly on the wall. I searched high and low then finally ran across these old luggage racks at an Antique Mall in Austin and I was sold. They give the illusion of a bench but take up much less visual space yet they're still functional if someone needs to lay a purse or bag on them when they've just entered our house.

See how the wall on the right extends all the way to the second floor? Yeah, that was the booger wall that held up completion of this project. Scaffolding sure would have been nice!

And, one last look at the transition and dimension that this treatment brings to our entry. We used 3/4" MDF and I love the depth it adds to the walls.

I think it's safe to say, we're putting our stamp on this house one project at a time!

Linking up to: East Coast Creative

Graphic wall treatment (Before and Progress)

One wall down and one to go! I'll wait here while the impatient people go ahead and scroll through the pictures...go ahead...I'll wait.

Okay, now that you've (most of you anyway) scrolled to see the after shot, I'll fill you in on some of the details. ;) First of all, we used MDF because it's relatively inexpensive and it's paintable. The fact that it cuts clean and doesn't require sanding on the edges is a bonus too.

John used the nail gun to attach the pieces then I went back and filled the holes with DAP. You can find it here. This gives the pieces a smooth look by making the holes 'disappear' when you paint. I primed each piece with Kilz Latex Primer since mdf is porous and soaks up your paint pretty fast. This helped keep costs down since only one coat of paint is required after priming.

Then came the caulk. That's a tedious job, let me tell ya! It's necessary though. You can see in the above image the difference between using it and not. It gives a finished look that makes your project look like pros did it. Make sure you buy caulk that's paintable though!

I painted the pieces to blend with the wall so it became an architectural piece instead of a high contrast piece. With the busy pattern I figured matching the wall was the best option. I did switch to a high gloss finish though so there'd be a tiny bit of differentiation (only noticeable in person). 

Here you can see how it stands off the wall. We decided to go with 3/4" mdf to add a little depth. 

Here's where we started...

Before:

This shot was shortly after moving in and shows the previous owners' paint choices.

After (in progress):

If you're observant, you noticed the painters tape hanging out on the left hand side. That's part of John's measuring guide. We left it up so he can move onto the next side asap. (*wink, wink, honey, if you're reading*) Poor thing, he honestly tried to talk me into just one wall but his stubborn wife wasn't having any of it!

So, as you can see, the plan is to wrap the pattern around the edge and complete one more wall!

If you're wondering why were only covering 2 walls and not all 3, it's because the 3rd wall extends to all the way up to the second floor. I want to leave a place for your eye to rest as it transitions into the dining room. A colorful oversized piece of art would be awesome here...keeping my eye out.

Are you seeing a trend here? I loved our other diamond wall so much that I just had to incorporate something similar into this house. Couldn't do the same thing though, that'd be boring! It's all about keeping things fresh and new.

Feel free to leave John a word of encouragement to keep up the momentum and knock out that second wall sooner than later. ha!

A little something to wet your whistle

I got wood for Christmas! I'm not kidding...

It looks a little like an adult version of Lincoln Logs, but it's not. It's more along the lines of our first "fun" project in the new house. So excited. We've finally reached the point where we're adding personality to our house. High five!

This one's a doozy with lots of math. So glad I married a smart man who remembers how to apply the pythagorean theorem.

Like the title suggests, here's a little something to wet your whistle for what's to come in 2014...

Good bye 2013. Bring it on, 2014!