DIY: Abstract Painted Walls

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Remember when I was contemplating some fun wall treatments for our powder bath? I thought about wallpapering, doing a faux bois or hand-blocking a pattern, but I wasn't super excited about any of those...

I've always loved Kelly Wearstler's staircase with it's hand-painted pattern, but I was worried something  this loose would be weird in such a small bathroom. 

When I saw this image, I really liked the idea of using oval or circular shapes.

Then I was looking at Domesticate's Spoonflower offerings, and this fabric pattern jumped out at me. 

I got excited because I knew I could get this pattern up in only a couple hours, so right away I pulled out my mint paint and a 1" square tipped artists brush, took down the art I had hung before, and was ready to go. 

The basic idea is super easy. In general, I did one large shape for every small or medium sized shape. There's no right or wrong way to do it - really it's just like doodling on the wall. It took about two or three hours to cover all the walls and the ceiling.

The mint paint I had was gloss, which I think looks really pretty against the satin walls. Gives a little dimension.

One important trick is the dip your brush only every three shapes or so, so there is some variation in the color opacity. This way it looks a little more like water color.

Since the ceiling of the bathroom is dropped and slanted, I went ahead and painted everything.

     

Once the paint had dried, I hung a bunch of vintage landscapes on the wall. I like how the super traditional paintings look on the funky walls.

Most of these paintings were ones I picked up at flea markets when we lived in Brussels for two or three Euros each. They aren't masterpieces, but I love them.

I need to take a photo during the day, but I'm so happy with the way the powder bath looks from the hallway with the door open. It really looks like wallpaper.

I know - it's kind of intense, but I'm loving it! Plus, it would be super easy to paint out or change if I get sick of the look.

Can't beat a project that makes a big statement, costs nothing and only takes a couple hours!