My little stenciling project above the chair rail in the office has officially concluded. Woooo to the hooooo! It only took three 4.5 hour installments spread out over four days (so my hand-claws could turn back into hands between sessions). You can read all about my stenciling process here), but in short: it was well worth all that work and a bag of chips. Behold:
Of course since it’s a subtle tone-on-tone effect, the further away that you get the more – well, subtle – it gets. In person when you stand at the doorway to the office you see pretty feathery texture, but of course in photos it’s somehow MUCH harder to capture. Here’s a shot I snapped during the day (ignore the too-dark chairs, non-permanent lamps, bad leaning frames, too short rug, giant placeholder ottoman, random toy basket, lack of window treatments, etc):
And here’s one at night (again, avoid all the weird we’ll-change-that-later stuff going on). I wish the stencil were more obvious in photos, but in real life, yeah, it’s our favorite thing we’ve done so far. Maybe someday we’ll master the Nikon enough to truly do it justice on film.
Here’s the much requested shot from the dining room, where in person you can still see a soft & pretty tone-on-tone texture (you’d swear it was wallpaper from this distance). But again, in photos it’s nearly impossible to capture. It’s a nice amount of subtle interest beyond the bold teal built-ins and colorful textiles in the dining room. And hopefully when we hang some art and add window treatments in the office it’ll be a good balance between those two rooms.
But let’s get closer again. It’s more fun.
Even closer…
Oh yeah, that’s the stuff.
The writing on the mirrors is our weird to-do list madness. Ignore that too.
But don’t ignore this sweet faced chihuahua who just turned five (five days ago, actually). Burger is always my favorite accessory (tied with the bean of course).
But let’s go back to ignoring stuff. Like the just-for-now chair and too-big ottoman (borrowed from the living room) along with the too small rug. Just figured you guys might appreciate seeing the room from a few different angles (even though the only “finished” things in here are really the light, the desk, and the stencil):
As for the wall color under the chair rail (Moonshine by Benjamin Moore color matched to Olympic no-VOC paint in satin), we’re toying with the idea of going a smidge darker to ground the stenciled upper part and add a tiny tiny bit of dimension (don’t want too much contrast since that might look crazy from the dining room beyond the built-ins). Of course we’ll keep ya posted if we make any changes! The nice thing about stenciling is that any other regular painting project feels like a cake walk by comparison. Haha. I actually wish you guys could all come over and see it in person – it’s so much better than these photos! Who’s down for a quick visit?
Oh but before I go back to staring at the walls with the same expression that I reserve for Eric from True Blood, let’s get into the paint color details, how we did it, and the budget breakdown. As for those paint details, here you go:
- Gray paint for stencil: half tint of Moonshine by Benjamin Moore color matched to Olympic no-VOC paint in a satin finish
- Grellow paint for stencil: Sesame by Benjamin Moore color matched to Olympic no-VOC paint in a semi-gloss finish
Oh and how about a time breakdown? It took 13.5 hours over three evening sessions. Definitely not a quick project, but one that makes you especially proud/excited/relieved/amazed when it’s actually done. As for all of our stenciling tips and techniques, click here for a nice long post all about applying the stencil. Now here’s that budget breakdown for ya:
- Stencil (from here): $54
- Martha Stewart Stencil Adhesive (from Michael’s): $2.99 (with 50% off coupon)
- Foam brushes (from Michael’s): $2.50 (with 50% off coupon)
- Quart of gray paint* for stencil (half tint of Moonshine from Lowe’s): $11
- Grellow paint* for stencil: $0 (leftover from kitchen, but would be $3 for a test pot)
- TOTAL: $70.49
I’ll admit it, it’s definitely not a super cheap-o paint project (which normally run us about $15-30. But to wallpaper the entire room above the chair rail could easily have been five hundred beans or more. And the effect is so amazing that – dare I admit it? – I probably would have paid $150 to get ‘er done. But not a penny more. Haha.
And true to form, we we still have about ten million things on the ol’ to-do list in here (one project at a time = sanity, glorious sanity). So we’ll definitely be tackling these things over time:
- adding window treatments
- painting and reupholstering our desk chairs
- hanging art on the walls (no, the oddly small leaning frames aren’t for keeps)
- finding a more permanent armchair, ottoman, rug, etc (there are lots of placeholders goin’ on)
- replacing the lamps (or reupholstering the shades, not sure yet – but we’ll keep you posted)
Anyone else do any stenciling lately? Or make any home office updates in general? Do you have a special expression that you reserve for Eric (or some other celebrity)? Oh yeah, let’s talk about that. Who’s your famous man (or lady) crush? Any Jake Gyllenhaal ladies here? Matt Damon? Team Edward? Team Angie? When I met John he totally had a Britney Spears calendar… and she was wearing leather bodysuits with sneakers. Le yikes.
Psst – You can read all about my stenciling process & the paint colors that I used here (there’s even an application video).
Update – Wanna know where we got something in our house or what paint color we used? Just click on this button:
Stephanie M. says
Love, love, LOVE the stenciling! It’s quite possibly my favorite project ya’ll have done to date! You did an Ah-mazing job…seriously.
As for celeb crushes, some people find my choice odd. I am madly in love with Peyton Manning. There’s something about a man in charge. Oh and let’s be honest…all the True Blood fellas are super hot but I’m a Jason Stackhouse gal myself. Wooooo…
seriouslysassymama says
I would love to stencil the master bath, but alas, we rent. I will dream and collect patterns till we buy our next home! I think the room looks great!
Laura says
Gorgeous!
Old-school celebrity crush – Paul Newman, he was so classically handsome when he was young! Embarrassing celebrity crush – Viggo Mortenson. (Anyone? Anyone??) Normal celebrity crush – Ryan Gosling! (Darn you, Notebook!)
Kim says
Ooh, yeah I totally could go for Viggo Mortensen! He’s a very roughly handsome guy (does that make sense?!). And also would love love love to meet John Cusack! He went from boyish cute charm to tall, dark and handsome! His whole family is great actually – could totally picture cracking up with Joan Cusack and having a great talk with Ann. Boy, I need a life!
ESBlondie says
Wow, It looks amazing! I agree, this is one of my favorite projects you’ve done on the new house. Bravo!!
megan hadley says
Wow this looks fantastic, really ‘expensive’ looking. I love your close up shots too, especially the ones of the laptop on the desk, and Burger on the chair, they look like they’re straight out of a luxurious interiors magazine of catalogue :-)
Also have to say how much I love your blog, I read every day but hardly ever comment. I’m in England, and every day around 3pm I’m sneakily checking for your latest post – it defibitely helps get through that long stretch in the office from lunch til hometime!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks for the sweet words Megan!
xo,
s
Chrissie says
Haha I totally used to stay up late to get the first post of the day – they arrive about 10.30pm here in Perth. Sadly, now that I start work at 6am I’m usually already asleep – sadface!
Mollie says
the stencil is awesome! i would totally just sit in my desk chair with a stupid smirk admiring my work throughout the day if i were you.
so i know you’re trying to keep it simple (and this would be a big project), but have you ever considered simple paneling below the chair rail to envelop the room? i dunno, i just think it could make everything look warm and comforting and distinctively office-y? an adaptation of this perhaps? http://pinterest.com/pin/237166690/. it’ll look amazing whatever you do though!
aaand i’m a john mayer girl. i dont care what they say about him or what kind of uncomfortable faces he makes while on the guitar…im his girl. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah for a while I was on the wainscoting train, but I worried with the desk there, there’s just 6″ of wall under the chair rail sitting flush behind it, so it might look weird? I dunno. We’ll have to see where we end up. Oh and I saw John Mayer in NYC once a long time ago (maybe seven years) and he was either super drunk or high- it was one of those unbelievable moments where you’re alone on the street and there stumbles John Mayer and you say “is this for real?” because you wonder if you’re imaging it. Haha. He was with a super hot girl though!
xo,
s
Mollie says
oh yeah…that was probably me. it’s funny, because that night he would not SHUT UP about how much he loved home improvement blogs. if only he knew who HE was passing.
haha…slow morning at work for moi, clearly.
Jen says
The walls are gorgeous! I was sure that putting something on top would just be a total waste, but as usual you guys know more than me, and the framed mirror looks awesome.
Suzanne says
Would you consider a Flip vid to show us the desk and the stencil? Photos can be so under-whelming. The stencil is great, really great; but I have a feeling it’s knock-your-socks-off in real life, and I’d love to see that.
YoungHouseLove says
Alas, I’ve already tried that! It was just very hard to see – harder than the pics actually. Haha. I was so sad because I thought “Aha! A loophole! I’ll take an HD video!” – but it was just sort of blurry and pixelated as I panned slowly around the room. Oh man, but it really is amazing in person. Maybe the next time Katie Bower comes to visit I’ll beg her to take real photos with her good cam/lens and it’ll come across like it does in real life!
xo,
s
Brigid says
Loving the finished product! Makes the claw hands totally worth it :)
Jake Gyleenhaal is my end-all, be-all in celebrity crushes. Seriously, in love.
Jen says
The stencil looks fantastic! You did a great job. I’m considering doing something like this in our master bedroom/bathroom – haven’t decided if we want to add some architectural detail to split the walls, do it just on one wall behind our bed, do it just in the bathroom, etc. but I definitely want to do something to liven it up. Right now it’s just a box. It’s down a ways on the list of remodeling projects though so it probably won’t happen until next spring.
As for celebrity crushes… Gerard Butler — love the accent and Ryan Reynolds.
Jessica says
Looks great! Are your walls textured at all or completely smooth? The walls in our house were done with Kal-Kote which is a heavy texture that is supposed to be more durable than plaster, but makes doing things like wallpapering very difficult. I assume stenciling is out for us too, which is a bummer because this looks great! I have no plans to sand the texture off either because my parents attempted it once on their own walls and the only thing that worked were bricks.
YoungHouseLove says
They were all smooth!
xo,
s
Emma says
Smashing! I love stencils. They’re quite forgiving and much easier to undo than wallpaper.
CarrieK says
Mmmmmmmm, Eric. Oh yeah, the stencil looks great too!
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
Gorgeous!!! I love how it turned out youngsters!!! Great job. I’m sure you are happy it’s finished and your hands can go back to normal now. ;)
KristenH says
The walls look awesome! I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a subtle stencil like that in our front living room, but I’ve been really nervous to tackle such a large project like that… but I think your finished product has finally given me the courage to do it! It looks great!
Lindsay says
Crushes? Anderson Cooper and Neil Patrick Harris.
Katrina says
I LOVE this! You should definitely give yourself a huge pat on the back once your hands straighten themselves out.
BTW, My husband had a Britney Spears doll! He claims that it was a gag gift. He brought it to display in his cubicle at his first job, claiming it was a conversation starter…I’m still skeptical.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that might take the cake over the calendar!
xo,
s
Melanie @ Mailbox Journey says
It looks amazing! Love the pops of blue with the globe & books.
hyzen says
Oh my goodness, I love it! You have me trying to think of places in my house I could stencil–even the long hours and claw hands don’t put me off much, although they should, because I do NOT have that kind of time at the moment!
Lyndsey says
I loooove the stenciling! It looks awesome. Also, I really like your desk chairs as is! As for below the chair rail, I was actually thinking how awesome it would look if you added some vertical wood to make fake wainscoting and maybe painted it white. But– I’m probably biased because I’m just loving that look right now. Regardless, great work!
YoungHouseLove says
I was definitely so into that idea before the desk but now I’m not sure if that’ll look weird behind it since there’s just 6″ of wall behind it and the desk sits nice and flush against it now. Hmm, we’ll have to see where we end up…
xo,
s
Lauren says
I’m new to your blog (as of a couple weeks) and loving it! I totally look forward to your posts every day and really enjoy your writing style. This latest project is so unique, and the end result looks awesome.
Random question: I love the white pencil holder next to the globe in one of your photos. I checked the source list page but it’s not listed. Do you recall where you got it?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
That was from Target a while back! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
Lindsay says
The stenciled walls look great! I really want to paint curtains in my son’s bedroom with a stencil. Do you have any experience in painting curtains?? I’ve seen it done on pinterest, and really hope it’ll turn out.
YoungHouseLove says
I’ve seen it done a lot in the blogosphere! Always looks awesome. Good luck!
xo,
s
Kim says
Looks AWESOME Sherry! Bravo to you for getting er done! And yes, I completely agree with you for sticking with stenciling and not going the wallpaper route. We did wallpaper in our living and dining rooms 9 years ago when we first moved in – AND I HATE IT!!! I picked a very busy repeating pattern (first mistake) and we have 12 foot ceilings – le yikes is right! My husband told me I couldn’t change it for at least 5 years, but we’re waaayyyy over that now and hopefully we can strip it (oh boy, can’t wait on that project) and paint, paint, paint! I love the idea of a stencil thanks to you and might incorporate that somewhere in our house – thanks for the inspiration!
Ericka says
So funny that some of the other commenters mentioned Ryan Gosling. I was just telling my hubby the other day that there is something about him…
Anywho, the stenciling looks awesome! I just wanted to say I agree with a couple of others that mentioned that it would look even awesomer (is that even a word?) with a darker color under the chair rail!
Suzanne Supplee says
You did a perfect job. Seriously! Of course, you may never grip a pencil again, but who cares when the walls are so pretty! Hmmmm…curious to see what you will do with the lower half of the wall, though. It’s so pretty and soft as it is, but a slightly bolder color might be fun, too. One more question: Have you guys done any fall decorating? Would love to see if you have! xo
YoungHouseLove says
We haven’t done any fall stuff yet, but definitely have plans to take on some Halloween projects and some fall/Thanksgiving stuff in general!
xo,
s
Beth J says
That looks like a TON of work. I really appreciate the tutorials because I’ve been dying to try stenciling (but have been afraid it wouldn’t be worth the extensive effort). Do you wish you’d gone for a touch more contrast?
YoungHouseLove says
In person it’s perfect! Any more contrast and I think it would be too busy since it’s visible from the kitchen, laundry room, and dining room- I just wanted it to be some nice tone on tone texture.
xo,
s
Nicole says
Awesome job, looks amazing. You must have the patience of a saint, something severely lacking here!!
Liz says
Love it! I had thought in the initial pictures that a bit darker (just a tad) below the chair rail would be nice. But maybe it’s different in person. I’ll be interested to see what you decide. Out of curiosity, where’d you end up putting the chair you recently reupholstered? I’ve always imagined it in that spot in the corner of the office, for some reason.
YoungHouseLove says
I actually have the rocker in the corner of the office now (since the white armchair is back in the cozy nook in the corner of the kitchen). Not sure how I feel though since it’s dark in tone like the wood on top of the desk (the white filing cab on the other side made me year for something lighter for balance). Who knows where that’ll end up! Haha.
xo,
s
Jill says
Wow, just wow. I LOVE the stencil…I have carpal tunnel and I think I’d be willing to sacrifice extra painful claw hands for it, I love it that much. Great job! I think those chairs need to be either the color of the inside of the built ins or the color of the light fixture…but I covet thy office :)
Haley says
I love the finished product! Impressive Sherry!
anne says
looks great! and I love those lamps, maybe just in another room? your desk looks so amazing too, love the plank tops
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, not sure if they’ll go back or get adapted/moved! We’ll keep ya posted!
xo,
s
Meaghan says
sooo pretty. I can totally appreciate all that work too! I stenciled the top of my dresser and it took forever….
Meaghan says
Bradley Cooper fan, hands down. I can’t get enough.
I love your stencil and would LOVE to come meet it (and you!) in person :) Great accomplishment!
Manda says
Since you asked, I am deeply, madly in love with Matt Damon and probably will be even when he’s 80 and wrinkly.
Thought John would laugh at a t-shirt I saw on Pinterest the other day, it said “Team That-Guy-Who-Almost-Hit-Bella-With-A-Car”.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh- John would love that. Haha.
xo,
s
Nicole says
Looks supper fab! I can’t wait to see the rest of the room come together. Maybe it’s because of the purpley lamp shades you had in there at one point, but I would see some kind of subtle (or not so subtle) diy ombre lampshades going on:
http://www.designsponge.com/2010/06/diy-project-dip-dye-lamp-pillow.html
http://melissaesplin.com/2011/08/lamp-problem-fixed/
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that could definitely be fun!
xo,
s
Katie says
This is by far my favourite thing you have done to your new house. Brilliant and makes me want to whip out the stencil.
Mary@The Good Life says
Oh wow, it looks so great. 13.5 hrs! Yikes! But you’re right, cheaper and easier to remove than wallpaper. My celeb guy that I get googly eyed over? hmm… definitely the funny guys- jason sudekis, john krasinski… Ryan Gosling does it for me. My all time fav is Ewan McGregor. That accent is just crazy sexy.
I did a project off of Pinterest! It was like the OPPOSITE of stenciling for four days. Easy peasy. But its cute and fun and I thought of my YHL inspirations.
http://www.scottnmary.com/2011/09/30/wreathtastic-craft-corner/
Happy Monday!
YoungHouseLove says
That turned out so cute!
xo,
s
Jen says
Oh I am so smitten! It’s just perfect, I adore that two tone look you did, pure genius!
We just stenciled a wall in our future dressing room, so I totally get the hand cramping and time consuming side of it. But in the end, it was one of our fav projects completed as well! So rewarding!
http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/08/we-did-it-and-how-to-stencil-wall.html
xoxo,
Jen
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! You did an amazing job!!! Love it!
xo,
s
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
That really is gorgeous, Jen. Interesting that your stencil works “opposite” of how I would expect — it looks like you stenciled on the darker color (although I get why that wouldn’t work — the stencil would fall apart…). But I guess it’s important to consider which part is “negative” on the stencil so you don’t end up with the wrong base color (if that makes sense).
Jamie@NoPlaceLikeVermontHome says
This is one of my all-time favorite projects that you have done- LOVE it! My husband and I have been considering wall-papering our guest room in a similar pattern, but something like this would be a great alternative and less of a pain to eventually re-do!
Amelia says
Beautiful job Sherry! Do you think that doing the entire wall would be too much? I’m asking because I’ve yet to touch our master bedroom and this might be just the look but I’m not sure if 4 full walls would be over kill. Thoughts?
As for celebs…Gavin Rossdale wins for me hands down. Gwen is one lucky lady:)
Have a great day.
YoungHouseLove says
I definitely think if your hand could survive it would look awesome!!!
xo,
s
Amelia says
Thanks for the reply. With 2 kids & a 3rd on the way..my hand would be the least of my worries when it comes to getting this done:) I’m thinking it will be a good project for when the “nesting” urg hits.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- good luck with it!! It might just be the perfect nesting project (especially if you use no-VOC paint)!
xo,
s
KC says
Truly amazing. You inspired me to try my first stenciling project on the seat of an old child’s rocker (for my 2yo’s birthday). My attempt was nowhere near perfection, but it’s the thought that counts…right??
YoungHouseLove says
That’s okay, our attempt didn’t hit the perfection mark either but we still love it just the same!
-John
Katy M says
“before I go back to staring at the walls with the same expression that I reserve for Eric from True Blood” — HAHA! I know this expression so well.
Andrea B says
I love it! Seriously. This is one of my favorite projects of yours, by far.
rachel eloise says
A.) I’m cuckoo-for-cocoa-puffs over Eric…have you seen the actor in Generation Kill? Also yummy.
B.) This stencil job is so beautiful! Last week I was checking out the stencil site and decided that I’d be using the circle ones for the nursery. But now I’m inspired to also do our dining room if I find a good Asian/Japanese stencil. Thank you for the inspiration!
leah says
He’s so good in Generation Kill too! Love that show.
leah says
Love the stenciling! It turned out great!
“Oh but before I go back to staring at the walls with the same expression that I reserve for Eric from True Blood” – Yes! I know what you mean :) Eric + Sookie 4eva. I’m also Team Edward and Gerard Butler. Rawr.
allison says
Nice, but very feminine (doesn’t seem office-ish for a male/female duo)…and maybe it’s the camera, but it comes off very pastel looking…
Rachel Tatem says
That looks GREAT! I wouldn’t have thought about doing a stencil but it looks great!
Amy in Pittsburgh says
Sherry, the stenciling looks FABULOUS. You did a beautiful job.
And happy birthday, Burger! Sending a virtual Greenie your way.
Kay says
I knew this would be a great project – it looks lovely. I especially love how the base paint grounds the rooms but then you add these touches (painting the bookcase backs, adding the stencil)in unique ways to make each room its own but yet they still remain cohesive-score!
Krystal says
The stencil looks fantastic! I want to do a gloss on flat stencil sometime in the distant future, and I will definitely be using your tips when the time comes. As for my celeb male crush…Darren Criss. I loved him first as a musical Harry Potter, and he’s stolen my heart again as Blaine on Glee (I will admit to being oddly jealous of Kurt sometimes.) I also have a thing for Channing Tatum, no explanation necessary. And before I go, I harbor a strange obsession/girl crush on Zooey Deschanel. She’s just 1000 different kinds of awesome in an awkward sort of way.