Wow, love the color, think the stencil will be fun! BUT, I'm not a neutral nellie, I love color and pattern, so take it for what its worth. What about a transparent glaze, making the effect subtle?

This post was edited by mabeldingeldine on Fri, Jul 12, 13 at 15:52

I think this will look great. Hopefully a stencil expert will chime in. My only concern is how to do the corners.

Thanks, mabeldingeldine! Our kitchen is the next darkest shade, Montego Bay. I had actually considered glossy stripes at one point. The issue I'm having now is with so much of one color so close to me, the severe astigmatism I have is making the wall texture have a disorienting 3D effect (like those optical illusion books). Who would have guessed the busy 2 types of wall paper that were there before actually had a benefit? So I love the idea, but I think I need to find another room for the glaze idea. I painted the ceiling the lightest shade on the color card, so that's an option.

Ellendi, the company that makes this stencil provides a free top stencil for the ceiling line (how cool is that!) and has how-to videos that advise to just bend the stencil at the corner and use a brush to do the design in that area. They also suggest a lightly loaded foam roller for the majority of the painting. That's part of the reason this is sticking in my head...it actually looks doable!

It's lovely . . . but that is going to be quite a project. Would you consider wallpaper instead?

Love the color!

I think your stencil will look cool, and I'm a solid wall-color gal!

If you already seen it I will attach a link to my recently stenciled dining room. It's from cutting edge stencils. The stencils were great. The technique they show on the corners I found difficult. I ended up doing it my own way.

A piece of advise is to expect it to take 3 times longer than you think it will.

ok linking it didn't work so here is the pic.

This post was edited by debrak2008 on Fri, Jul 12, 13 at 22:33

I have an aversion to wall paper. I can never get it off a wall, so I'm not to eager to put it on one. I can always repaint though! Plus that's a small space to paper in, probably the reason the old paper looked so crappy (well, that plus incompetence, two patterns plus a border, and the dozens of tiny patches).

Debrak2008, your room pushed me over the edge into stencil world! This pattern is also from cutting edge stencils. If this goes well, I'd love to try some other stencils in other rooms. Probably just single walls though, not whole rooms.

Any thoughts on color? Not sure if I should go lighter, maybe use the same color blue that's on the ceiling, or darker, with either the kitchen wall color (one shade darker) or the darkest color on that color card.

Debrak, your dining room stenciling is just so lovely. I'll bet you smile each time you see it! I have stenciled, but only borders never anything as involved and lovely as yours!

,I will be anxiously looking for updated posts on this. I think a platinum gray would look super with that beautiful shade of blue.

Are you thinking of doing just one wall? That would be less likely to become overpowering in a small space, but I might try it a little differently and go a less expected route. What about doing a band of paisley around the room (don't even have to mess with the ceiling line or the floor then). You could do the darker color from your kitchen and edge it with a border of the lighter -- or visa versa -- or add a band of a completely different color -- purple, orange, -- how bold do you want to go?

Debra, that is GORGEOUS. I adore wallpaper but I love the fact that I'd be able to customize the colors of a stencil exactly.

How long did it take you to do? My powder room and entryway have wallpaper from the PO that is OK, but next yr I want something more me, and I am planning on stenciling.

Williams, that is a lovely bathroom and the stencil will bring it to the next level. YES! I am not sure about the color, either-- how subtle do you want it?

Thank you. My dining room took several weekends. Its a slow process.

I do like the pattern you chose.

I'm not really sure what to tell you about the colors. I got what seemed like hundreds of color chips. Repeatedly taped them to the walls and checked them against my living room furniture etc. I settled on the two colors. Then still wasn't sure so did the whole process over again. Still came back to those two colors so went for it.

This might sound crazy but it you do stencil it could you temporarily remove the toilet? It would give you so much more room to move. Go in the bathroom now and pretend you are stenciling in different areas. How are you going to get behind the tank and low on the wall, etc.

I'm thinking about just the one wall opposite the toilet as an accent wall. I'm hoping since it's only about 45 sf I could do it in a day. It's a Toto toilet, so I think I should be able to remove it relatively easily if needed, though

Stripes would be interesting. It's really messing with my head trying to picture that though. It would be pretty cool though, I could put small orange stripes on either side. The magazine rack came with orange attachments, so I decided that's my accent color to work in a few places.

I don't mind going a little bold if it fits in. I haven't picked any decor yet. I do have a piece of frosted glass cut for the backsplash that isn't installed yet, and I was going to get a frosted shelf to match it.

I've never tried anything other than plain paint, which already taxes my decor abilities. I'm a bit lost with coordinating the stencil pattern. Grey would look nice as suggested, but I'm not sure it goes with the rest of the room.

I like the idea of the same shade as the ceiling, plus, it might make it a little more forgiving in the corners and at the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling. I love the colors for the room and your kitchen!

In a room that small, I think that large paisley could be overwhelming, but I question whether an accent wall with a large pattern will work well in a small room or if it will look like you gave up and didn't finish, especially if it is tone on tone and the base coat the same all the way around. I'm not saying it won't work, but I'd want to test the idea if it were my time and effort -- maybe run a very quick sheet of poster board or two where you aren't worried about perfection and try them on the wall.

As far as color, I think I would like the ceiling's lighter shade for a full wall. If you did a band and wanted to edge with orange, I would go with the darker color. The lighter shade in a band edged with more of a peaches and cream color could have a softer look.

Small powder rooms can be challenging because of the scale, but that also makes then fun and satisfying projects when you figure out how to get what you want. Have fun and do post photos when you are done (yeah -- good luck getting that photo!). LOL

I am soon to do my own powder room - using dark slate blue on walls with alarge damask stencil in 2 shades lighter and metalic. What if you used the color from your hall in a high sheen- I would suggest a patterned control- as in splotchy with care or the lower half or stripes- I've heard it is time consuming and needs MUCH measuring - with a splotchy no measure needed. ;)

Well, I'm thinking maybe I just picked the wrong pattern for the room. Maybe if I reconsider it would be easier to figure out.

I don't know why I do these things to myself.

If just doing one wall I would do the one opposite of the door. I like the idea of a silver color on your paint. Not too metallic, but more uniform and leaning towards a gray.

The silvery color also made me think about using the lighter color with some glazing medium so that you get a bit of sheerness and shimmer to the design. We do these things because we take a simple thought and give it a million possibilities -- which is both the beauty and the beast of a project.

So, did you bite the bullet? I am dying to see the results and hear of your experience. I am also considering stenciling my small powder room to give it some much needed pizzazz and glamour. It sounds like either the best or the worst idea in the world and I want to know which!

I'm curious too!

This thread inspired me to do a stencil in my kitchen. I am over budget and don't want to do a backsplash right away, but I thought a stencil might be fun, and add a little interest.

I started last week, and I found it to be fun and easier than I expected. However, my stencil isn't for a while wall, and I don't have to worry about lining up the stencil for the repeat. I did practice on a wall that will be behind cabinets, then practiced some more an the wall behind the fridge. It will no doubt make me smile every time I pull the fridge out to clean!

I used a color a little darker than the wall color (which is a tan - BM Putnam Ivory), so the effect is more subtle than bold.

I wouldn't have considered it had my cabinets not been 2 weeks late. If I like it as much with the cabinets in place as I do on the bare wall, it will be a fortuitous delay!

Here is a link that might be useful: tree branch stencil

Annkh - would you mind showing a pic? And any words of warning/wisdom to offer.

I was looking at more of an all over look like a damask, but I am now thinking that something more random may be a good way to start so it isn't quite as crucial to get everything lined up perfect.

I'll see what I can get this evening.

The instructions at Cutting Edge were excellent. The biggest takeaway message is to not use too much paint! And find a hidden spot (or sheet of cardboard) to practice.

I love the two in the link below - floor to ceiling birch trees. I might have to do this in the family room (which is an outdoor theme).

Here is a link that might be useful: birch stencils

OK, I have photos. The blue tape marks where the counters and cabinets will be. There was a stud right where the range hood will vent to the outside, so we cut out the stud and put in a header. We don't want to cut the hole for the vent until the cabinets are in place, to make sure we get it in the right place. So try to ignore the big hole in the wall! The wires hanging down are for the undercabinet lights.

This is the fridge side. Most of the stencil will be hidden behind the fridge (this was a practice wall), but the end of it will peek out. This one is a different color; I liked the other color better, so used that for most of the leaves scattered around.

Very nice!

Ooooh, lovely! I took a little break, and my gears are still grinding. I agree with the best/worst idea theory! I think those leaves fall under "best" for sure, like a breeze blowing though the kitchen.

So here's my current thought process. PB is not loading for me, so I put everything together in the pic below.

I'm thinking maybe over the toilet a grouping of fun shaped ~5x7 mirrors I saw at Michaels yesterday. New stencil idea for the wall facing the sink, see below, probably done in the ceiling color. I favor stenciling that wall so it reflects in the mirror, adding some interest on both sides of the room. Crazy?

I also have another frosted glass shelf for the wall facing the door, I'm thinking it should go 1/3 of the way down the wall? Suggestions? The shelves tie in to the not yet installed piece of frosted glass for behind the sink. I didn't want it to look out of place.

Not sure where the butterflies are going yet. I'm thinking either all three in a row across from the door, or just two there and one above the vanity next to the door so it reflects in the mirror too.

Does that all sound about right? I don't want to go crazy, but it needs a few finishing touches to look put together. I just don't know how to do that.

I understand the idea of reflecting in the mirror...but I think your problem wall is crying out for attention.

Ok, let's think this through then. If I stencil the problem wall next to the toilet, what do I do with the wall on the left of the door? I'm pretty sure I can't stencil them both without it looking odd. But I need to figure something out. Having such a huge expanse of color is really disorienting when it does that 3D thing.

Are you opposed to art? That is a great color to play some metal, ceramic, print -- lots of kinds of art you could use.

I wasn't able to copy a pic but am linking to the pics of a show home that inspired me to put stenciling on my agenda.

The slideshow for interior views has pictures of a dining area, powder room, and ensuite with wallpaper/stencil. The powder room looked deeper in real life and had a texture. Lovely.

I am going to see if I can paste in a few more links of rooms with a flat base and gloss top coat stencil. Lovely.

http://pinterest.com/pin/11118330303420180/
http://pinterest.com/pin/11118330303388022/
http://pinterest.com/pin/11118330302459479/
http://pinterest.com/pin/11118330303394624/

I think this might work in your small space. It would be low contrast color but beautiful texture.

Here is a link that might be useful: Interior views

Lascatx, I'd be open to some art. The butterflies are my best attempt, I'm open to suggestions!

Cheryleb, thanks for those links! That's a really nice look. It would probably work with the eggshell finish I have too.

It's just frustrating because I know it needs something, but I don't have the "eye" to know what that something is.