Before & After: A Striking, Hand-Drawn DIY Wall is the Star of a Guest Bedroom Makeover
Nancy’s second bedroom was in need of a little oomph, and oomph it received! With a hand-drawn wall treatment, colors and patterns and incredible furniture finds, the space went full force glam.
From Nancy: Before, we used our small second bedroom for storage and to hold our treadmill. It was a complete waste of space, and in NYC that is completely unheard of. It’s a pretty narrow room, but it has good bones with its pre-war moldings and original hardwood floors. It gets great light from the two windows and had lots of potential. When we moved in two years ago we left it as is, since we have plans to make it our nursery one day, but I just couldn’t take it anymore.
I already owned most of the furniture, which I took from my hoard. The only new items I incorporated were the amazing vintage brass daybed my BFF scored for me at an estate sale, and the tassel, marble-topped table my BFF scored for me on Craigslist.
Everything else I scored from Craigslist and thrift stores. I made the Roman shades from a sheet set I purchased a few years ago- using plastic mini blinds. All the art is from a huge collection I have from artist Laura Schiavina, except the framed piece which is from artist Emeline Villedary. It’s probably my favorite element of the whole room, that and the lilac ceiling. It’s totally fun and feminine and everything I wanted. Not to sound cliche but from drab to fab, for real!
I participated in a six-week makeover challenge alongside 200 other guest participant bloggers, hosted and created by blogger Linda, over at Calling it Home. It was a great way to keep me in check, and made me push to finish the space.
I absolutely love the wall DIY I did. It was inspired by Kelly Wearstler’s Graffito, but since this is a rental and we are not allowed to put up wallpaper, I had to get crafty. I used three black sharpie oil paint markers and free handed the pattern on the wall for 10 hours straight. I took three Tylenols because my hands and wrist hurt so badly, but it was so worth the possible carpal tunnel. An inexpensive DIY, with maximum impact.
Nancy’s words of wisdom: Go with your gut. Break the rules. Do what you want. If you have a vision, and even if it’s hard to pull off, go for it. I started the pattern on one wall but after doing half of it, I decided it was too small. I painted over it and started again. Nothing beats determination!
Thank you, Nancy! You can see more on Nancy’s blog Casa Cavaliere.