Bedroom Makeover: Paint and Stenciling

I'm so happy to share the first phase of the bedroom transformation - the walls!

Choosing the colors
I had a few constraints to consider with this room: First, I wanted to keep it somewhat light/neutral. I take most of my product photos in this room so I didn't want the new paint to cast weird light/shadow/reflections on my shooting setup. Second, the colors had to work with the existing wood trim and the teal carpeting. Cool tones would work best in here. I had an idea to do a two toned effect - two walls in the darker shade and two walls in the lighter shade with a stenciled accent wall. I chose Behr Marquee Distant Star and Cameo White in an eggshell finish. Distant Star is a pretty bluish medium gray and Cameo White is a nice clean white. I was pleased with the quality of the paint - it went on thick and saturated and didn't leave any brush/roller marks behind.



Choosing the pattern
I really wanted a patterned accent wall and of course my mind went immediately to wallpaper. There are so many great options out there right now! But as I started thinking about it more, I got really excited about painting a stenciled pattern instead. Stenciling would allow me to choose my own color combinations instead of being stuck with what wallpapers were available. I could really make it my own with painting technique and finishes.

After a bit of googling, I came across Royal Design Studio. They have tons of great stencil patterns/designs to choose from and they kindly offered to send me one to try out for this project! After much deliberation, I chose the African Wave. It's graphic and has a modern simplicity that I really liked that would look great with mid-century style furniture.

Nothing like a hard day's work! Notice Baci not helping at all.

Stenciling
The folks at Royal Design Studio send detailed instructions with the stencils so there's really no guesswork involved. There are registration marks on the stencil to help you line up the pattern as you go (so helpful). I had brushes similar to this set of brushes (mine had 6 instead of 3) and found the medium sized ones worked the best. I also used spray adhesive on the back of the stencil, but it didn't help that much with my wall texture. Blue painter's tape was perfect for holding it in place while I painted.

Technique
I wanted a subtle fade to the pattern - more saturated on the top and lighter on the bottom. To achieve this look, I made sure the top two rows were very solid. From there I gradually used less and less paint until I got about two thirds of the way down. Then I mixed a bit of the gray in with the white and did two more rows. Then added a bit more gray and worked with a very dry brush for the last two rows.



This wall was about one day's work (I took a lot of breaks). I touched up the corners and any small areas the next day. All in all, a relatively quick project for the big impact that it gives to the room. I'm so happy with how it turned out!



Stay tuned for more bedroom makeover projects as I work towards the big reveal!

Disclosure: Behr provided the paint and Royal Design Studio provided a stencil to review for this project. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands who keep this blog going!

Aether Cone: Music To Your Ears (& Eyes)

As a creative professional who works from home there are a few things in my studio that I rely on to help me to stay focused as I work through my daily to-do lists. Right after coffee, music is a saving grace. Scoring, folding, and packaging a big stack of greeting cards can get monotonous, but not when I’m singing along with the Beach Boys. So when the people from Aether reached out to see if I’d be interested in trying out their new innovative music player I responded with a big fat, “um, YES!”



First off, it’s beautiful. It comes in black + copper or white + silver and honestly looks great just sitting on a table. Second, it’s a really cool interface. It works with Rdio, so there’s a ton of programing to choose from: music, radio shows, podcasts. You can talk to it to make a request, control it from an app on your phone, or simply spin the dial and let it select something similar or different, based on your previous listening history. It does the thinking for you! Everything works wirelessly, so you can take it anywhere as long as it’s charged up and connected to a wireless network. Neat, right? It’s a long way from my iphone-on-a-speaker-dock that I was rocking before. I actually had to walk up to it to change the song. Psh.



I’m really enjoying the Aether Cone as a new fixture in my studio. The sound quality is very good, song choice is right at my fingertips, and it looks like a million bucks. You can read more about it on their website.

Disclosure: Aether sent me a cone for review. All opinions, words, and images are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep Vitamini Handmade going!

Book Review: The Plant Recipe Book

As a landscape designer with no yard space to speak of, small container gardens are the only way I can get my plant design fix at home. They're easy to switch-out with the seasons and can add a splash of color, texture, and life to a small front porch or tabletop. Naturally, I was thrilled when Artisan sent me a copy of The Plant Recipe Book: 100 Living Arrangements for Any Home in Any Season to check out.



San Francisco garden designer and author Baylor Chapman provides detailed instructions for how to create these beautiful arrangements yourself.  Each "recipe" comes with descriptive text about the featured plants (size, scientific name, recommended cultivars), container and materials list, detailed steps outlining how to assemble the arrangement, and care instructions.



Succulents, air plants, ferns, carnivorous plants, mushrooms, and orchids; there's something for everyone. The horticulturalist in me loves that the scientific names for all of the plants are provided and there is information about soil and amendments. The designer in me loves the unique compositions and the beautiful photographs.



I'm feeling inspired to start making some new arrangements in unconventional containers. I really need to get my hands on some water lettuce!



This is just a small sampling of the projects in this book. It's a great source of plant-y inspiration and would also make a wonderful gift. Check it out on Amazon.

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of The Plant Recipe Book for review. All opinions, words, and images are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep Vitamini Handmade going!