Marvel Madness

This is one of those projects—-the kind I get so excited about I can hardly wait to reveal it to you guys. The type of project where I’ve been given complete creative liberty and the green light to do whatever I want.

Yes, you read that right…WHATEVER I WANT!

Projects like these are rare (and I understand why), but when they happen, I just can’t contain my excitement.

Plus, I LOVE kids rooms and am totally in my element when working with a theme.

It. Is. The. Most. Fun.

Like, ever.

Ok, enough babbling already. Here we go. This is where we started, friends:

“E” loves Avengers and his mama wanted to give him a room that screamed ‘em from the ceiling to the floor. Of course I was happy to oblige and wanted to do something a little different…like wall mural type of different.

In the process of searching, my inspiration came into focus after locating this amazing wallpaper mural from Rebel Walls.

Now, this isn’t for everybody but I so dig the city vibe it gives off. Not only that, but this can in fact grow with this kiddo well into his teens, which means my client is getting the biggest bang (pow, splat, and kerplunk) for her buck. Get it?! LOL!

As always, it starts with a vision board and this one was packed full of color.

So even though this kiddo has yet to hit double digits, the items presented and purchased in this room will give him years of joy. And those he grows out of (namely throw pillows and a few art pieces), can be replaced by something else.

Those of you who follow me on Instagram might have seen me having way too much fun on a semi-recent trip to the Pottery Barn Oulet up in Phoenix. I scored a number of pieces for this room there and the rest were located online.

Okay, so let’s get to the details of this space. Here’s how it went down.

The first thing that had to be addressed was the wallpaper. Here in AZ we mostly have textured walls. Textured walls and wallpaper (for the most part) do not mix which means this wall had to be skim coated and then wallpapered. Thanks to Ramon Navaratte and his crew, this got done in no time at all.

I can’t stand it. Ready for the “after” pics followed by all the details?

I mean, I can’t even. I just love how this room came together…and all that color balanced with those neutrals. It’s just F-U-N!

Let’s chat about the paint first.

This room doesn’t get a lot of natural light because the curtains are usually drawn tight (hey—that rhymed!), so I wanted to make sure the wall color I was using was light and bright. I opted for Sherwin William’s Crushed Ice. With just a hint of grey, it really did brighten up the room and allowed that wall mural to pop. We took that dingy 90’s yellow and reworked it!

Now this is where the fun began. After buying striped grey bedding and basic grey draperies, color was brought in everywhere else. From the rug, to the throw pillows, to the shelving, and everything inbetween. Superheroes are all about color and I wanted to give “E” tons of it.

This included a one of a kind, custom lampshade. I almost gave up hope on this one until I posted a plea to my Instagram followers and they came through. Clutch! I got the name of a pro tagger/artist who was amazing to work with and tagged this lampshade just for “E.”

Color was also introduced by means of framed artwork via Etsy. I always get most of my pieces from the fabulous creators on that site and this job was no different. Superhero sayings, a monogram, along with a few other prints, and the shelves were decked out.

Furniture was another issue that needed to be addressed and placement for this space was a bit of a challenge. It actually kept me up at night because I didn’t want to place the bed length-wise up against the windows because it always makes the draperies wonky. I didn’t want to place it up against the wallpaper as tyo help preserve it and not rub against it either. I also didn’t want to keep it as it was originally because that wasn’t ideal either. Long story short? The TV was moved across the room, the bed rearranged, and the dresser tucked away in the closet. The result? A more open space, additional room, and an area that works.

Let’s compare the before and after just one more time:

THE DETAILS:

Paint: SW Crushed Ice

Paint Labor: A Fresh Coat Yuma

Duvet Cover/Shams/Insert: Amazon

Avenger Sheet Set: Amazon

Green Coverlet: Pillowfort-Target

Throw Pillows: Amazon, IKEA, Pottery Barn Outlet, Zazzle

Nightstand: Wayfair

Rug: Wayfair

Shelving: Pottery Barn Outlet

Artwork and Frames: Target, Etsy. Amazon, Michaels

Lamp: Wayfair

Custom Lampshade: Dleys-Las Vegas

Clock: Amazon

Main St. Sign: Homegoods

Draperies: Pottery Barn Outlet

Drapery Rod: Amazon

Cubby Unit and Bins: Target

Toy Storage: Target

Wallpaper/Wall Mural: Rebel Walls

Love, J

Superhero Skyline...

I love a good superhero room and it’s been a really long time since I’ve had the opportunity to do one. So, I was pumped when asked to implement a cityscape skyline for two little boys’ shared room.

Now, there are a number of options when it comes to doing these. However, I wanted to keep it simple so the boys could grow with their room—and after talking to the homeowner—she agreed. The only addition we might make? Possibly adding windows.

But here is where we started…

And here is the end result:

Baseboards will eventually be added just as the wall will be patched where the doorknob went through it. In the meantime though, here are the details on how to achieve the same thing in your kiddo’s room.

1. Surf Pinterest: Like I said before, there are a ton of options when it comes to creating this mural. Do your homework and decide which look you like best.

2. Color Selection: I opted for Sherwin William’s Dovetail and Valspar’s Dark Kettle Black. This is the color combo I used on my son’s room a few years back and I really like how well they work together. You could opt for blue tones though—totally up to you. The cool thing is these wall murals are completely customizable (is that even a word? I think it is but I’m not positive. I’m going with it though). Even better? I purchased three sample sizes of paint and that was all I needed for this whole project. Pretty cool when projects are so inexpensive. Like, less than $20!

3. Tool Time: Grab your trusty level (at least a two footer), detail brushes (angled ones work best), some trim brushes (2”, short handle), a pencil and then get to work. I started by creating these geometric shapes off of the picture I had saved to my phone. Using the level to draw different angles is really easy and super fun. Start at the top (if opting for a silhouette), and then work your way to the bottom.

4. Sticky Stuff: Once you have all the sections taped and ready to go, it’s time to paint. Start with the silhouette skyscrapers first. Add two coats. Allow enough time to dry. Remove tape and then begin working on the bottom section of the mural. Follow the same steps as you did before.

Also? Expect to use 2-3 coats of the black.

6. Detail Work: Once the walls are dry and the tape has been removed, touch-up’s will more than likely be necessary. Grab one of your small angled brushes and fix the areas in need of tending to. Make sure not to get too much paint on your small brushes to avoid globs and drips.

7. More Details? Once the fixes have all taken place, it’s up to you how custom you want to make this wall. Windows take a decent amount of work and are a bit tedious but also look amazing. If your son is like mine, the Batman call signal is a necessity. A bit harder to do but simply surf Pinterest and complete the same steps I’ve outlined here.

8. Enjoy. This really is such a fun mural and makes a big impact for hardly any money.

**Total time? Expect 1-1 1/2 days with taping and drying time, 5-6 hours without taping.

Love,

J