I came across this project from a comment left in my recent post Brags! What DIY Project Are You Most Proud Of? It came from Julia from the blog Chris Loves Julia. They were looking to change up their living room for a more sophisticated yet casual look and Julia fell in love with some dramatic wainscoting images and got the bug to re-create it at home.
It took them just a few hours over two days to put it up and then one day to paint it. They used Kwal Paints in Crave with a matte finish to achieve the look. They were surprised about how easy the whole project was. I think we could all learn from them that sometimes a project that may seem really daunting just might surprise you. The change and result is chic, dramatic and gorgeous. Thanks for the inspiration Chris and Julia!
To see more on this project check out Chris Loves Julia.
Images: (Chris Loves Julia)
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This is one of those things I love for someone else's house.
cool! (I will happily take that rug they traded out!!)
I love this. I liked the before, but the after is very sophisticated, and still looks comfortable.
wow, nice!
Beyond awesome!
I cannot stop clicking back and forth between the before and after. I love this soo much
Love! I might have to copy this!
Gorgeous
yup, I want the rug too.
I agree on the before and after both being lovely, but the after is a tad more sophisticated and elegant. Great job!
The after looks great. The rug in the before is nice.
The before was good but the after is amazing! Nicely done!
The effect is very nice.
Having looked at their entire house tour, I was gobsmacked by how this couple took an ordinary tract home and made it into something sensational - including this living room that I would expect to see in a high-end home or apartment. Fabulous!
i love the wall, the color the new rug so much. I feel like the gallery wall of pictures competes with the wainscoting wall too much. i wonder if one large pic or a more messy version of a gallery wall would look better--it;s just too much geometry for me. but otherwise, fantabulous!
Incredible!
Fab!
Holy wow!
OoooooowOw.
where can i find that wonderful rope bridge print from the "before" pic??
Very nice and I like the rug in the after way better!
Love it! So nice to see a before and after shot with the same angle and frame so it helps put it perspective. Great transformation!
From DYI magazine to House Beautiful. Good job!
@annasan it's from ikea
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30173216/
thanks!!! : )
Gorgeous. I think I'm going to post the only 'downside' comment here though - I have to say that the thought of dusting that wainscoting makes me cringe! I think it's worth it though.
I really disliked the purple wall -- the color change alone is so much more sophisticated and elan. Love it.
the before was flat,very flat. the after is great. amazing how a black wall adds some type of energy? that and the natural colors of the rug really add depth,warmth.
This is lovely! You did a good job. Gotta say, I am loving the charcoal black look more and more.
Oh dear..I'm in the minority..I did like the before but I perfer brighter colors.
Hmmm, I would like the after if there were art over the couch. Right now it looks slightly unfinished (or underdressed).
The before looks like a nice but boring "after" on an HGTV show. The real after is great!
I like both, but the after is really dramatic and cool!
I love the after! but now they need to upgrade the furniture to live up to the luxury of the walls
Thanks everybody. What an honor to be featured here. The room isn't "done" yet--we are still couch, curtain, side/coffee table shopping and I love the suggestion of switching out the grid of frames for one big piece of artwork!!
The "before" looks like an Ikea catalog or college living room (you know, in your friend's college apartment who is more into design than everyone else) - the after looks straight out of a more sophisticated home magazine. Great upgrade!
My god, they've done an amazing job on what was a VERY boring home. (click the link, do the home tour!) I only wonder with all these ideas, and obviously all this good taste, did they buy a plain old subdivision house? I can only imagine what they could do if they started with a building with some character!
LOVE this...the colour is so great!!!
I think it i gorgeous! I particularly like the color, especially when contrasted with the sisal/sea grass carpet.
One thing though -- it's not wainscoting, it's panelling.
"Hence wainscot or wainscotting became a panelling style applied to the lower 90 to 150 cm (3 to 5 ft) of an interior wall, below the dado rail or chair rail and above the baseboard or skirting board."
I like this a lot, and what I like is that it's actually pretty versatile. If you decide to go lighter or just choose a different color, it will have a whole different but equally cool feeling with just paint.
Nice job!
Holy cow. That is beautiful and dramatic and everything that a good DIY project should be.
I didn't think it was so bad before. The after is too dark for my taste.
Its a very dramatic transformation,but I prefer the 'before' as well.I just prefer lighter colors I guess.
This is great! I love the after color and just updating to this color would have been an improvement. The paneling effect, though, takes it from just an improvement to a real design. Really, really great.
I'm a little burned out on personal home improvement blogs but hers is really cute!
I love this. I will research the color but on my screen it a appears to be a very deep teal not black. I wonder if a slight glazing would decrease the "dust" issue. But I wouldn't like shine
What do you think of this for a ceiling? I have a long living-dining room and would like the book-lined dining end to be more defined and intimate. Thoughts? I would likely keep the ceiling all the same light color.
Wow - very sophisticated looking! Well done!
I can't decide. The "before" is clean and contemproary, things I admire. And although I like the paneling of the "after", I don't care for the dark matte color. Maybe in a differetn color, it would win for me...
Nice! I wish I had enough natural light in my place to pull this off! I have 2 semi-dark walls and it feels like a cave. Lovely room!
seekkerr -- it's a popular technique: this sort of panelling applied to the ceiling would make it a coffered ceiling. Could be a good way to add texture and architectural interest to a room; like everything, whether it "works" depends on the context.
Nothing I despise more in the Before n After photos than two different angles of the room. For all we know, these are two different rooms!
Love the dark wainscoting, however. Bravo.
I feel ya. The first and third photos are the same angle.
does anyone know where that lamp is from or called?
Before was way better.
IKEA
Arliz, that's the Big Dipper Arc floor lamp from CB2
I love the dark color, but I wonder if one wall would have been enough? Looks simple and chic!
thanks !!! @Julia
Fabulous!
This is such an amazing and brave transformation. The room suddenly has 100x more soul to it and feels much more grounded and luxurious. I really love what you have done, the rug also makes it feel more 'organic' than overly styled which is a great touch...hummm i'm now thinking black....!
I kind of like the "before." The after is a little Batman, but hey, not my house!
ashley erin mayer
Great transformation! I also liked the before look, but adding those wooden planks just makes it so much better. I also love the contrast between the white couch, cabinets and lamp and the black walls. Those wooden planks would be very easy to adhere with a product such as Bondera. Thank you for the inspiration!
Awesome transformation :)
Looks very nice both before and after, but the transformation took it from the 2000s into the 2010s, and looks far more up-to-date. Very good job!
Great job!
May I ask where you got the rug in the before picture? I tried to order this rug from AllModern and the one they sent did not match the photos online.
It's from Rugs USA, barbidahll