So I had a little bit of a brilliant thought the other day when I was trying to figure out what I was going to do about some sort of Valentine’s Day decorating for my fantel.
The wall behind the fantel always kind of bugs me. It was all stark and white and the previous owners had put some filler on some of the holes and it just looked sad. I always try to find something big like a piece of fabric or my big picket fence pieces as a back drop.
This time though, I had a little eureka moment. I could just paint it!
So, if you’re new around here, then right about now you’re probably thinking “Why doesn’t she just paint the walls a color that she likes?” Well, I could, but that would really be a big silly waste of time seeing as how all the ceilings need to come out and be raised up and replaced, and also the walls all really need to be torn out and re-drywalled. It’s all in pretty sad shape. So temporary quick-fixes are the name of the game around here until we can get around to do a full reno on every room.
Anyway…
5 minutes later… bam!
This is what things look like on a Saturday night around here. I had Chris tape out a square for me using the level because he has the patience for that sort of thing and I don’t. I slapped on two coats of Martha Stewart’s Heath. The same color I used for the back of my shelf in the living room.
When it was all done, not only did I have a nice back drop to frame whatever seasonal delights I’ll be putting up there, but I realized that that’s also probably where some molding would be if we had a real mantel here.
It’s not a trompe l’oeil or anything. You don’t actually think there’s any molding there, but it kind of hints at the idea and adds a bit of a richness to a sad-looking wall none-the-less.
I’ve been up to my elbows in beadboard painting this weekend, but maybe next weekend I’m thinking I may add a few more squares of paint to some other walls. It’s a really quick project you can do on commercial breaks when you’re watching your favorite show and it has such a big impact on a room. I love my new trick!
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.