apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This is spectacular in execution and style. I love it!

awesome! I have a weakness for anything etsuko!

Incredible!

This is a method set designers often use to re-create a complicated backdrop (such as ancient Egyptian wall paintings for Aida). Well done!

I'm a bit worried the color and the design are going to look dated soon, but with your creativity I suppose that's not really an issue. Wanna come paint at my house??

Wow, I love this.

wow. buffalo is groovy.

So, um, skulls have found their way into the nursery. Yay?

I thought that about the skulls, too, but I don't think it's a showstopper.

Is WVSmith related to Curtis?

Yay for WNY.

Joan A -

No, not related, but in case you care, Curtis LOVES this. Only these days would such a pattern on a wall be actually easy to match things to, by the way.

I really love it when people silence their inner nay-saying wimp and listen carefully to their bolder inner voice that knows what they really want, and helps them figure out how to make it happen.

Gosh, why NOT skulls in a nursery? This is cheeky and spirited, but not inappropriate. In a couple of years, whether the pattern becomes dated or not, you'll probably redecorate the room to reflect a toddler's taste and interests. I can't wait to see who s/he becomes, given this funky welcome to the world.

So freakin awesome! I'm in the midst of my own attempt to get a slightly more complicated pattern onto the wall -- i had considered the projector thing, but was actually considering making a "stencil" out of contact paper. (the idea being that i could blow up a photocopy of the print, trace it onto contact paper with an xacto knife, peel off the backing and tape the stencil to the wall, and then just use a regular paint roller to paint over it -- peel away stencil and you've got sharp lines!) Will let you all know how it turns out!

Btw quick question VWSmith -- did you have to use multiple coats on your hand painted design? it looks like the "in process" photo looks a little uneven, although the end result came out perfect!

Ladybugs, skulls, and deer oh my! I love this contest!

visualingual--We debated the skulls but realized it was done in a way that incorporated it into the fun, natural spirit of the whole design. And you're right, in a couple of years it will be redone to our toddlers' tastes.

mh330--We did one coat of the painted design, wiped away the chalk lines, then did a 2nd coat to clean up edges and fill in the spotty parts. Also, I'm curious on how your stencil would work. Keep us posted!

I had to think about the skulls for a second. Then I realized that this is really about the parents so, rock and roll! I just bought my future niece (my first, excited to be an uncle) a tiny pair of black pull-on booties with pink skulls and crossbones from Psychobaby.

The kids will want and most likely get their own thing when they are old enough to focus on things other than eating, pooping and crying.

Bravo! HUGE transformation.

This is freakish and way too much fun and would never have popped into my drab little brain. Great job.

LOVE.

This is amazing!! I wish I had your patience!

Genius.

WINNER!

it looks nice & would be a fun look for anything but a child's room. i don't know, i guess skulls just don't seem so innocent. i know they were trendy for a time, but it doesn't sit right w/ me.

simply amazing! and i totally love that fabric.. i've admired it many times at the fabric store :)

The sculls are creepy and I would have gone a shade lighter with the paint. But what a transformation. Please consider scraping the popcorn ceiling and replacing the fan.

Wish I could grow up in that room!

Art, I immediately thought of Psychobaby too.

Personally I'd rather see skulls than baby ducks, but that's just me. I think this is really super cool.

I really don't understand why the skulls are such a big deal to people!

I've at least liked all the projects I've seen before, but this is the first that I've really fallen for, and not just because it's big and eye-catching. It was well thought out and beautifully executed, the concept--a gender-neutral shared nursery--shines through in the finished project, and the finished product is stunning! I could look at that for days and feel happy!

Wow. What an amazing, funkadelic, gender-bending work of art. The kids will love it (babies respond to color) and it is so well-executed.

Skulls? Of course. Pirates of the Great Lakes. Why not? Good job.

seriously...so much patience and thought and wow...

also, to EVERYONE with the issue with the skulls or shade of paint -- it was they're project and obviously if they shared it they love it -- this is just something to see SO that if you really like the IDEA of it you can replicate with ANYTHING you'd like....let's say without skulls in any color.

the idea is fantastic!

Spectacular.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

marcspice said what I was gonna say...

really like it! my husband and i are moving into our first home and finally have a chance to do something fun with our walls. this is going to be the first time for both of us having our own place and we are getting many great ideas from this apartmenttherapy! good to learn about this method of painting patterns on the wall. curious how mh330 stencil method turns out.

mh330 - keep us posted on how it turned out. thanks

Fantastic! I'd love to see photos of the completed nursery, too!

I love, love, love it. I design, and have several designs with skulls in them that sell very well, however I didn't want my son to have one for his room, I know, I'm weird when it comes to skulls). However I did gift my sister some corduroys from Paris for her newborn with a skull applique that we all loved. Go figure Your design rocks!! It's all personal.

my jaw literally fell open when i saw this. it's executed beautifully.

the cost of the amount of alchoholic beverages required to complete such an intricate project alone must have been well over $100.
very cool--i wish i had the patience.

This is so awesome! At first I thought the pattern was from Tord Boontje but then I saw the ladybug and skull. I think it's very cool for the nursery!

amazing job.

I doubt kids think skulls are scary and creepy until we point to them and say, ooh, look at that scary creepy skull. It's just a cultural fear we all accept.

That is awesome. Well done.

That is absolutely awesome!

Wow. I would have totally lost my mind trying to do that! It looks great.
And I don't think the skulls are "creepy" at all. And a baby really isn't going to think they're creepy.

Fun project, and nicely done. The best part is your choice of pattern. Wow!

Love it! I think the skulls are great, but they aren't even the first things I noticed. Gee, pretty. Lucky baby. I'm going to hunt down my own projector.

love, love, love it.

this is really awesome!
and re:skulls - I don't think most babies know what skulls are, so don't worry.

Wow. Love the idea, and the end result is amazing. Wish I hadn't missed the voting.

Amazing! I am excited to try this in my powder room. Do you know how much two double-rolls of wallpaper are?? I could save a ton o'cash. Thanks for sharing, and congratulations!!!

man - I love it..can you come and paint a wall in my place? ...too sweet, especially with the skulls......now this is worth copying....