When I visited Amy Helfand last month, I noticed that every room had a very distinctive paint job at the top of the walls. Rather than run the colorful wall paint right up to the edge where wall meets ceiling (referred to as "cutting in"), Amy and her husband had decided to think outside of the box because their walls were NOT straight and trying to get a clean line was going to be impossible. This is a great little trick that adds a touch of style and whimsy, while hiding bad walls. Check it out.
The pics below are from the bedroom (top two) and the hallway (bottom), and you can see how differently they painted the tops of the walls.
I have a friend who also stopped painting before she got to the ceiling and left it as a rough straight line. The effect is really, really different. The curvy, wave tops attract more notice and add a strong sense of decor to the room. Of course, you can do this much more neatly than Amy did, but it's interesting that you really don't NEED to. Her loose borders don't read as messy as much as they read as whimsical. AND obviously when you're painting a whole house, saving a little bit of time goes a long way!
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nifty
this IS fun and "so what? I like it' haha..! great embroidery on cases as well!..happy room!
I dig this style! A blog I read featured something like this back in January and it's just adorable: http://melissaesplin.com/home/2010/01/the-nesting-pens-scalloped-border/
Love this! What a great way to add a 'modern' border to a room. Fun find.
Novel idea... but I believe it add more emphasis to the element you want to obscure, the uneven walls.
Neat. My new motto: what? There's just one right way?
That headboard is AMAZING!! Does anyone know where I can find it??
i wish i had thought of this when i was painting my last place; it would have saved a lot of trouble.
i instantly fell in l.o.v.e. with that headboard. any tips on where to find something equally as gorgeous?
leeshlosh - I was in love with the headboard too, and I just found it online at casamidy.com. It's the Hacienda :)
Her headboard is the "Hacienda" by Casa Midy: http://www.casamidy.com/furniture/beds.html
the unevenness of that paint would make me crazy. though I am pleased that other people like it...
That headboard is great.
Oh no, I don't like that at all. Sorry. If it were more uniform...nope, I still don't think I'd like it...
I like the scalloped effect, fun! The more jagged one I don't like so much, maybe if it was more dramatic, it just looks unfinished and sloppy...
decorative gimmicks do not equal style
Blerg no! I'm happy they're happy, but to me it would feel like the room wasn't finished.
I like the scalloped one better than the jagged as well. I think it works as a concept in the right room. Cute.
Love that color blue...and that book looks so comfortable!!
www.kitchendetailsanddesign.com
What a great idea...BUBYE blue painters tape!! Im totally digging her pillow cases too.
Something tells me that this isn't much of a time or effort saver - it clearly took just as much if not more effort to get a clean squiggly line around the top of the room as it would to get a straight line.
If you like it, that's fine - but to me it feels much like a twee wallpaper border where a classic and elegant crownmoulding ought to be.
that cartoony look really takes away from the elegant headboard
I must agree with bepsf - welcome back by the way!
; )
My 90-year-old Craftsman cottage's plaster walls are very uneven. I left a 4-inch border at the top of the walls painted the same color as the ceiling. This eliminated the problem of the uneven meeting of ceiling and walls -- poor man's crown molding. I didn't use painter's tape but hand cut it against a pencil line I'd made with a level.
Thanks Edgardo - Hawaii was fabulous!
To each his own, I could see this treatment in a little girls room or childs bath as it is whimsical. Ditto on the embroidery and headboard...very tasty indeed. If it were my room, I would either paint the ceiling the same color or add some crown molding. But it does make us think about the problems we face sometimes with less than perfect rooms we have to deal with. Thanks for being brave enough to share with us.
What a great idea. A very clever way of not having to use masking tape. Its always impossible to get a really nice crisp line, especially in an old home.
My English home was built in the 1600's I have used the painted crown molding effect in many of the rooms. Also stencilled panels take the eye away from wonky ceiling lines. Lovely blue colour.
I like it. But it doesn't look like her bed matches the rest of the space. Bed is awesome and looks soooo comfy, while the rest of the stuff is.... just STUFF.
But like the idea of the paint trim.
I did this inside all the cupboards in my last apartment...was fast way not to touch the ceilings that were stucco and made me smile each time I looked inside... really cool to see it done in a whole room, I like the look alot...
But in a rented apartment... it would drive the landlord crazy... hehehe, lol...
I personally always painted and changed things the way I wanted too... I know most are afraid to do so, I say I live here and pay more than it's worth rent wise... so I am going to make it colour etc for me... I have never had to paint it back to white... landlords have always asked me to leave it the way it is... and leave paint deck chips of the colours on the kitchen counter for the new tenant...if they want to do touch ups.
My last apartment was totally, trim included... Benjamin Moores, Shaker Beige, and all the doors, just the doors were Onyx (black)... and I bet today it still is, everyone loved the combination... when we bought our own condo almost 2 years ago, as we walked thought it the first time my husband wispered in my ear...shaker beige and onyx...I smiled at him and said to the agent...were making an offer, start the paper work, we have picked the paint already...
honestly - all those years of 'cutting in' - why didn't I think of this??
@ Annieo
I have the poor man's crown molding too! It's in my living room through the kitchen. I figured it would save me time repainting when I move out (I rent). I think it looks kind of cool. I wouldn't ever consider the treatment here though. Looks unfinished to me.
Most of my clients live in 85 year old homes, none of which have straight walls anymore, so this is a fabulous idea. Thank you!
Popcorn ceiling nightmares no more!
I think this looks more faux-easy than it really is. I like it, but to get that clean scalloped line at the top, I guess that she probably took the time to go over her edges with a paintbrush, making sure everything was two coats. And painted a large part of the upper wall with ceiling white beforehand.
I bet making mistakes with this method takes just as much time to touch up as a traditional line. I would love to save time as much as the next person, but painting a straight line in a corner is something you can get good at. And that will save you time.