The Big Beige Wall Saga

For my birthday, I really wanted to do something fun in my family room. Ever since we got the beige couches and changed from the green, it's just been too brown. However, it's really tough to do something in there because it has to coordinate with the coke kitchen and almost all the walls connect to one another. So, I decided to do an accent wall. This accent wall.

I've been seeing lots of cool wallpaper on two of my favorite design shows - Secrets From a Stylist and Divine Design - and really wanted that pop here. So, I went to a really fun store with Steph. Then went with my mom (thanks to Dad for watching the kids) to this store to hopefully find the fun I wanted without the cost of the designer store. I fell in love with this green wallpaper and this red wallpaper. However, with the big patterns and wasted paper, cost of professional hanging (because I was terrified of the 15 ft ceilings), and the size of the wall, I really couldn't justify it. But aren't these papers beautiful?!

Then I thought I could just hang some awesome damask (pronounced this way for all of you have listened to me struggle with the pronunciation of this word) vinyl on the wall. However, after a call to Mel my friend and vinyl expert, I was afraid the girls would just peel off the vinyl where they could reach it and I'd get upset at them. If I had just had an accent of vinyl instead of a LOT, I would've gone with the vinyl. However, I really wanted some all over pattern in order to keep the big piece of art. So, away went that idea.

This led me to think all the only option I had left was to paint the wall an accent color. BORING. I already have accent walls. Then I found this awesome stencil store online. I found many patterns I loved, but was nervous to try a true all-over pattern for my first stenciling foray, so I decided to order this stencil. But, I still can't decide how many to put on the wall: tight pattern, loose pattern, sporadic pattern, ordered pattern. Here are some of my mock-ups; done very quickly so don't judge. What do you think? Loose or tight? Could I go sporadic without messing up the aesthetic with the picture??

In the meantime, my birthday came and went and I used my birthday money to purchase a new rug for the upstairs. It has a lot more red in it and very little green and looks amazing with the couches and chair. (The other not-so-old rug was not holding up to my rigorous vacuuming and was coming undone on the edges. We got the new one from Kohl's, put the old one downstairs and I bid farewell to ALL allergy inducing wool rugs in my house - phew. I think the rugs all look better in their new homes and I feel better.)

Because of the rug, I now know my paint needs to be green. The girls and I went to the store and picked up tons of paint chips. I got lots of help and found my favorite hue. Now it's just down to the combinations. Jason and I got some samples, painted them on poster boards and have been living with them for a while. We're pretty sure we're going to do the second one in on the left - the only dark pattern on light background. That combination seems to look good in any light that hits the room.Now, it's just on to the actual work of painting and stenciling. Wish me luck - oh, and help me make some decisions!