That Crazy Wallpaper Lady is at it Again!
If you didn’t already know I am crazy for DIY faux wallpaper, see our laundry room, kitchen backsplash
and foyer accent wall. Check out all those and you’ll know my love for budget-friendly FAUX wallpaper is deep. See, I love making our home pretty, but I love it even more when I can create an impressive space without spending lots of money. And now I may be the crazy faux wallpaper lady.
Phase 1: Bathroom remodel on a budget
My latest project was our bathroom. When we moved in, we did several little projects to refresh the bathroom. We’ve lived with those for about four years. You can check out all the before photos here: beautiful bathroom remodel ideas on a budget.
Phase 2: Update and more budget bathroom remodeling
It was time for a refresh and I wanted white, so all the walls got two coats of SW Alabaster. All the wall decor in there now is white, black or neutral, and I like bathrooms pretty neutral. It’s easy to add color with towels and accessories. I painted the vanity again, in a greenish black, but it can definitely come off as a warm dark grey.
From the beginning, I knew I wanted some sort of patterned wall on the back wall with the window to add some interest. I couldn’t decide what to do for a while, so I didn’t do anything. The longer I left the bathroom all white, the more I knew it needed something to add a little interest. I liked the idea of using black, grey, tan or some combination of the three. It was time for a DIY faux wallpaper project!
Finding Inspiration
Lately, I’m really inspired by simple line drawings of flowers and botanicals. I’ve seen them in wallpaper and on wedding invitations. I love the loose, organic style of the drawings, usually done in a black line. That was my starting point for this wall. I sketched out some branches from inspiration photos on a piece of paper. I used it to draw larger scale versions of the illustrations on the wall in pencil. I just did a nice mix of branches, with some going up, down and sideways.
Formula for painting a pattern
Starting in the corner beside the toilet, I began. I figured I’d get progressively better at painting, so I wanted the best branches to be in the most visible positions. I chose to use mostly black, with a few tan branches scattered into the pattern. I think it makes it look even more like actual wallpaper by adding that second color! I used latex paint for the tan, thinned out with water, and black acrylic paint thinned well, also. When you’re painting a more detailed and curved pattern, it is much easier to work with paint that goes on smoothly and water will do the trick.
The pattern goes off the wall and branches and leaves peek around the wall and window
If you do a pattern like this, you’ll want to have it going off the walls on all sides, so it looks more like real wallpaper, instead of something you drew on inside the borders of the wall. There should be partial branches and leaves going off the walls and just peeking onto the walls. The easiest way to neatly do this is to tape off the adjacent walls, baseboard and ceiling so you can carry your brushstroke beyond the wall without spoiling the surrounding surfaces. When it’s dry, just peel it off and voila! A beautiful patterned wall is revealed!
The bathroom looks wider and larger now!
Be brave! Try it!
It can be intimidating to paint on your walls. On some level, I felt like a toddler who got caught coloring on the wall with crayons, but guess what?! These are your walls and you can paint them. If you mess up, just paint over it! No big deal. It’s likely if you wait to find an idea or color combination that really inspires you, you’ll probably love it. Don’t just look in home decor for ideas–check out wedding invitations, clothes, wall art and more. A Beautiful Mess does a great job of sharing lots of wall painting and faux wallpaper ideas.
Several walls I painted in a faux wallpaper pattern were more geometric, and this was, by far, the quickest to complete. Even if it doesn’t involve straight lines, don’t worry–it may actually be easier.
If you do decide to try out painting your own DIY faux wallpaper, I hope you’ll share your photos and either tag me or use the #GreySnailDesigns so I can check it out and tell you how great it is!
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