Stenciled Entry Wall Makeover

The first moment I saw our new space, I knew I wanted the whole place be painted bright white just to keep everything feeling cohesive and fresh since it’s an open concept design. In that same instance, I also knew that I was going to either wallpaper or stencil the long entry wall just to hide the thoughtlessly placed circuit breaker box, which was a major eyesore. After a couple of days contemplating the idea of hiring someone to apply the wallpaper (as it has been years since I’ve applied my own wallpaper), I opted for stenciling instead, because I felt this would be a lot quicker to get it done in the time frame I was working with. Let’s just say, I was too impatient to wait to find someone reliable and good to do the job without causing me much frustration. Since there really isn’t a designated entryway as I’d hoped for, I decided to create visual separation by stenciling that one big wall, which sets it apart from the rest of the room while making it stand out. I also find the process of applying paint over a pattern on a wall and peeling it off to reveal the design underneath to be most gratifying. I settled on a pattern that I felt would give the look of wallpaper with a feel of sophistication. So I channeled the inner artist in me and went to town – finishing the whole wall in three days with the help of my dear loving hubby and Julie and Julia on repeat playing in the background, keeping me company through the whole process. I now know almost every line in the movie by heart. Love that movie! 

{After}

The hubby and I couldn’t be any happier with the end result. It wasn’t an easy project because at the beginning after stenciling the first square on the wall, it got a bit tricky trying to match up the pattern perfectly. It was exceptionally difficult in the corners. I ended up painting the corners free-hand since the stencil was too big for those sections. Vision and determination made all the hard work pay off in the most dramatic way, even better than I imagined. The combination of shimmering high gloss paint along with the pattern gives the wall surface such a depth, creating the resemblance of a high quality wallpaper. The ultimate bonus: the unsightly circuit breaker box disappears. 

If you are yearning for more than flat painted walls and want big impact on a small budget in the fastest way possible, I highly suggest patterned stencils. The design options are endless.

…some classic options: