You know how it is - sometimes a pattern is just YOU. It calls your name and try as you might to stick your fingers in your ears and do the "humina, humina, humina" trick, you can't drown it out. An LA designer who goes by the name of "An Almost 40 Year Old Intern" on her blog had this happen with the David Hicks classic wallpaper pattern, Hexagon. Armed with one weekend (during Carmeggedon, no less), $30, a very nice friend and plenty of guts and perseverance, she got the look for less.
Check it out...
I was so happily surprised when I checked out the pics in her email to us - the end result looks wonderful! The handcrafted take on the classic pattern adds a certain warmth and tactile quality to the geometric pattern that really works, and the colorway shift makes it distinct and well suited to the space.
The "almost 40 year old intern" writes: My friend was able to help me create these great stencils for each color by scanning my original Hicks wallpaper sample into her computer, enlarging the design to the size I wanted and printing it on heavyweight paper (a perk of her job is having access to a printer that can print this large of a sheet... it saved me money and a trip to Fed Ex office!).
It took 10 hours for us to do it, which was a bit longer than I anticipated it would take, but the finished product looks amazing! I LOVE how my bedroom wall turned out and my partner in crime for doing it was the perfect person to help. Anyone can do this! All you need is a really good friend that has a great "can do" spirit and that you can collaborate with (strong emphasis on teamwork!!!). We bounced ideas off each other throughout the process and it worked perfectly.
For the full play by play of the project check out her blog post: Adventures of An Almost 40 year Old Intern
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Comments (30)
Looks fabulous! I love seeing all that gold up on the walls, and an iconic pattern too, bravo!
tedious but worth it. looks fabulous!
That looks amazing! love it
Terrific work, ladies! The hues and the geometry complement your headboard surprisingly well. Kind of reminds me of a honeycomb :) Altogether smashing!
etsy has some very cool modern wall stencils to do something similar.
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?q=modern+wall+stencil&order=most_relevant&ship_to=US&view_type=gallery
i can't wait to do that myself!
Man, I wish I had bought that bedding when I had the chance. Dang it.
Amazing work!! You have far to much patience :D Where's the bedding from? I've seen it before, would be perfect in my knew master bedroom!
So darling. The orchid pushes it over the edge!
Weird, I just made this pattern in Illustrator this morning while reading a tutorial on making repeat patterns!
Wonderful !! Might I suggest putting the final touch of raising the curtain rod up to the ceiling ? Even though the current height matches the door, I think it would look less "piece-y". It now looks a little light-weight against the rest of the room. But that's just my opinion. A beautiful room, love the repetition of similar pattern in the wall, headboard, and bedspread. Congratulations !
thanks so much for the great comments! artfemme11 you are absolutely right i did raise those curtains up to the ceiling about a week after i finished the poject and it looks much better! bedding is from west elm and for info on the paint colors used and to dowload the image of the stencil we created you can go here http://www.almost40yearoldintern.com/2011/07/id-like-to-thank.html !
really beautiful. I like that the handpainting gives the pattern a little extra bit of movement.
Great job!
Funny thing, I was browsing a past issue of Style At Home last night and I saw this very wallpaper. I believe it costs $264 or something like that per roll.
Nice enough, but I really miss the black from the original. Congrats on the project, though.
What a job well done! I don't have that kind of patience OR skill.
Sad to see David Hicks with the ever-present cigarettes that killed him.
very nice! looks like a lot of work, and i can feel a sore neck just looking at it. but the finished result is great!
i am also curious about the headboard... is that vintage or dare i hope it is something currently available???
Love love love love love. And just reading how you label yourself, I know I'm going to be checking your blog/site. GREAT job.
You know, there's a copy of your lingerie chest up on Craigs List. After seeing this i'm thinking I just might have to go and buy it...
Though not my style, I think it looks great. You did a great job. I am having a lamp attack. I think I need that lamp in the second picture....
Robertspeg -
I'll wrestle you for that lamp! Wait, I have one almost like it!
Love the whole room - we always think we'd do something like that, but it takes guts, patience and planning to actually do it! Congrats!!
Wow! Looks great...that must be one really good friend to help you do all that! Lucky you...
That is the sexiest 40's Hollywood picture. The Wallpaper behind him would be worth trying to copy also. Would make a fantastic dining room wall. Your room turned out great. Congratulations
I did the same thing to my bathroom in my last apartment. I changed the colors around to a bronze and pearl against a cream background, and enlarged the print by a LOT (each hexagon measured about 2 feet). Took me 40 hours to tape it off and only a few to paint--Lordy, the math actually lined up and I was able to go all the way around the four walls. Certainly work, but man was it an awesome juxtaposition to the clawfoot tub and pedestal sink!!!! Miss that bathroom, I do indeed. Fab job! Fab pattern!
absolutely divine! going to steal this one!
You know how it is - sometimes a pattern is just YOU. It calls your name and try as you might to stick your fingers in your ears and do the "humina, humina, humina" trick, you can't drown it out.
Given that this pattern is most famous for its appearance in Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining', I'd be very worried about someone feeling that it's irresistibly calling to them!
That said, it's beautifully done. The gold is an inspired choice.
This wallpaper calls to me to. It is fabulous darling. You are so lucky to have a friend help you. I would have run out of patience 1/4 of the way through.
Anybody else recognize this was the carpet pattern of the corridors in the Overlook Hotel in the film The Shining?
Decorate with caution, muahahaha.
God this is spectacular. Thanks for posting it.
W. O. W. Amazing result.
I love love love this! Can you please tell me where you got that headboard? I've been trying to find it everywhere online and I can't. Thanks!