Tag Archives | Decorating

Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects

There are so many different wall painting techniques that you’ll never have to settle for a one colored wall again. Using a combination of paint and glazes you can create a range of different textures, from linen to marble. The main tools used for these techniques are quite basic: paint roller, painters tape, painting combs, sponges, brushes, even steel wool – depending on the style and texture you want. Here are some ideas on how you can paint your walls and the basic tools you’ll need.

Fabric: Linen is a great texture to have painted on a wall, just like the walls in pictures (1) & (2). Ways to create this effect include dragging a dry brush over wet paint. You can even have multiple colors by having a base paint, say yellow, let it dry and then paint over it with red – while that is still wet drag a dry brush over it. This creates grooves that show the yellow paint underneath (3).

Frottage: This is a cool and creative looking texture (4) (5). What you need here is a lint free rag. Either paint the wall then sponge the wet paint with a rag, or dip the rag in paint and apply it to the wall (6) (this is called ragging).

Silk & Weaves: Steel wool can be used to create a silk effect (7) while brushes and combs create a weave texture (8).

Marble and Faux Stone Effects: There are a few ways to create a stone like texture. There is sponging (9), using a cloth (10), or using a paint brush. Colorwashing is another way – this is when you use a combination of diluted paint hues to create a stone like effect.

Faux Bois (Fake Wood): Yup, you can even create a wooden looking wall with paint (11) – just by using a painting comb and a wood grain brush.

Decorative Wall Painting Ideas: Other decorative wall painting techniques include creating stripes using painter’s tape (12) or a stripe comb – and stenciling (13).

Looking Up: All of these ideas don’t just have to stay on the walls. Check out the ceiling in picture (14).

For a great guide on how to do most of these faux painting techniques for your home, have a look at this step by step guide by Martha Stewart here.

Martha Stewart has a complete kit that can get you going with most of these painting techniques and ideas – which can be found here. Some of the individual tools, like the linen brush, can be found on Amazon here. But most of these paint designs won’t need much more than some simple household items (sponge, rag). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 & 8/9/10/11/12/13/14

February 27, 2013 in Decor

Design Notes on Kitchen Wallpaper Ideas

Here are some notes on ideas and designs when it comes to using wallpaper in a kitchen.

Overall Look: Wallpaper is great for instantly decorating a kitchen. But one thing to remember is that it can make it a bit harder to create an overall design scheme. Whereas white painted walls create a blank canvas allowing for different colored cabinets, accessories, decor pieces, and flooring styles (Attractive and Easy to Maintain Kitchen Flooring Options). With wallpapers you’ll have to be careful that colors and designs don’t clash with other features in the kitchen (Beautiful Wall Decor Ideas for a Kitchen).

2 Forms of Designs: There are two main choices when it comes to wallpaper styles. There are plain textured designs which are timeless as seen in picture (1). Then there are more decorative stenciled and pattered designs as seen in pictures (2) (3) and (4). Another option is to use an embossed tile patterned wallpaper (some of which can be painted over) (5).

Kitchen Wallpaper Ideas to Create a Focal Point: Have all the walls painted a neutral color and then have a section of the wall wallpapered to create a focal point in the kitchen – just like in picture (6). Another way of doing this is to use wallpaper borders that span across above the countertops or up near the ceiling (7) (8).

Looking Up: Check out the wallpapered ceilings in pictures (9) (10), pretty awesome.

Textured Alternative: Don’t forget there is the great alternative of textured painting. If you didn’t want to paint a wall a single color because you thought it might look a bit flat and dull, you can use different techniques to create textured effects. For example – using a sponge can create a marble look while a brush can create a linen texture (Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects).

Color Ideas: Don’t forget that all the main features in the kitchen from the floors, cabinets, the island, and furniture along with the walls make up the entire color palette of the room (11). To so see how to incorporate the wall colors and wallpaper with the rest of the kitchen, have a look at our post here: A Palette Guide for Kitchen Color Schemes: Decor and Paint Ideas. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11

More Kitchen Ideas Posts:

21 Kitchen Backsplash Ideas and Design Tips || The Ultimate Creative Guide

February 21, 2013 in Kitchen

Beautiful Wall Decor Ideas for a Kitchen

From creating a home command center to making the space feel larger with a mirror, check out these kitchen wall decor ideas we’ve put together:

Wall Hangings: One idea is to decorate the walls with a wrought iron letter of your choice. Or how about going with a framed quote “A meal without wine is called breakfast” or a sign as seen in picture (1).

Family and Friends: For a more family and personalized feel, create a 3-6 framed photograph layout on the wall (2).

Tuscany: If you have a Tuscan kitchen, hanging up pottery, ceramic, or even copper pots and pans are some decorations that keep in line with the Tuscan style (Tuscan Kitchen Decor Ideas Mood Board).

Organization and Management: How about creating a home HQ aka a kitchen command center (3). Hang up a chalkboard, or better yet cover a wall with chalkboard paint (4). For more ideas on how to create a command center check out our post here: Ideas for Setting up a Family Command Center in the Kitchen .

Small to Large: One quick trick to make the basement feel larger is to hang up a framed mirror (5).

The Art of Textures: If you want to liven up a flat painted wall, some textured wall ideas include using: textured painting techniques – sponge or a brush to create a marble or linen look (Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects), wallpaper (Design Notes on Kitchen Wallpaper Ideas), or wall tiles (6).

Storage as Wall Decor: Keeping things well organized can add to the decor of the kitchen (7). Here are some examples of things to group and display on shelves: wicker storage baskets, displaying pasta or other ingredients in mason jars, vintage bottles (8), plants, or books. How about hanging up a fruit basket or a wine rack?

Lighting: Don’t forget to light up the walls (9). If you have something hanging up then see if you can have a light pointed to it, to create a focal point in the room. Ceiling track lights can have their lights angled differently. Or how about creating an elegant glow in the kitchen by using cabinet lights – whether that is done using under cabinet lights or display lighting (Kitchen Lighting Ideas Mood Board and Inspiration). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

February 21, 2013 in Kitchen

Decorating The Windows With These Kitchen Curtain Ideas

Here are some different curtains styles you can use in the kitchen.

Divide: Break up the window space. Have a half curtain on the bottom of the window for privacy, and keep the top open or have decorative valances. A valance adds some shade but is more of a decorative feature.

Layering: Use a combination of white blinds and curtains to have more control of the sun light coming through and privacy.

Styles: If you want a more modern style then look for straight curtains with no added decorative parts (like the yellow and white ones above – think IKEA curtains). Traditional curtains are more decorative, drape like, with tie backs and valances (French Kitchen Décor and Designs Mood Board).

An important thing to keep in mind when looking at these kitchen curtain ideas is that the color and style you choose will impact the overall color palette of the room. So you’ll want to make sure they don’t clash with the color and design of the cabinets, walls, floors, etc. Have a look here for different kitchen color ideas and schemes: A Palette Guide for Kitchen Color Schemes: Decor and Paint Ideas. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10