The thought of actually applying black paint to a wall (or walls) in your home can be a terrifying thought for most. Will it drive down the resale value? Will it make my room look smaller? Is it too harsh of a color? These are all valid questions and reservations to have when it comes to black paint, but creating a room with a feature wall in the darkest of hues can make all the difference.
No, seriously.
And having more than one feature wall in a room can totally work as well.
Recently, I offered my painting and decorating services at my church home in Yuma, AZ. We just moved into this building back in August and so a number of the rooms remain a blank canvas of sorts. This designated prayer room looked nice and was fully functional, but it was missing that "wow" factor. The stark walls and contemporary furniture needed some warmth and balance. This room just needed some new paint, a few rustic elements, and a little added decor to pull it all together.
The budget? $250. For a large room like this, a small budget definitely presented a challenge but I firmly believe that decorating (or re-decorating) a space doesn’t have to be expensive. That simple is better. And paint? Paint can do wonders. Since the furniture was already in place, here's what went down with the rest of this makeover:
First I scoured the church’s paint supply and found just enough of the colors I needed for my project; one gallon of Valspar’s Kettle Black (Eggshell), one gallon of Valspar Cattle Drive (with a 25% reduction/Semi-gloss), and two gallons of SW Dovetail Grey (with a 25% reduction/Semi-gloss).
Next, I planned out the design of this space based off the amount of paint I had in each color as well as the actual shape of the room. By pairing the modern, masculine furniture with a rustic feature wall, and some fresh paint in warm, cool, and neutral colors, I knew it would look pretty cool. Plus, I love the added warmth wood brings into a room, don't you? Luckily our church property housed an old, rustic, semi-warped fence with a whole bunch of character. It was as simple as going out back and gathering up some wood (love when that happens). Even better? I didn’t have to sand 'em and I didn’t have to stain 'em either. Twenty years in the hot AZ sun added enough character to these boards, so up they went. As is. *Oh, yeah!*
Now, here comes the fun part: the transformation.
Putting all of these components together, planning out the space, and adding some simple elements such as throw pillows (Kirkland's), lamps (Hobby Lobby), and a few knick-knacks , here's how it all turned out.
Kind of fun, right? That black wall will soon house a monitor so this part of the room can double as a conference center for church administration. As for the Dovetail wall, I'm thinking some sweet b & w pics on large canvases will do the trick. And while we're talking about accents, please note: decor doesn't have to be expensive…or perfect! This chalkboard piece (pictured below) was found at Hobby Lobby. Although the dimensions were perfect for the steel table it would rest upon, the color of the border was not. It was red. Like, RED-RED! Red definitely wasn’t in the design plans but three small acrylic paint bottles--in varying shades of brown (at $1.37 each)--would make it all better. I simply painted the border to look like wood in a total of ten minutes. Acrylic dries super fast so this centerpiece got a makeover in no time flat.
So can a black wall and some old, warped wood add overall warmth and create an inviting space (especially in a room without windows or any natural light)? I’ll let you decide. ;)