DIY Painted Brick Wall

For months I have been wanting to buy this brick pattern wallpaper from Sherwin Williams

But I have put it off time and time again for multiple reasons. Mostly because there were more pressing things to spend money on. But something came over me this past Monday, and i didn’t want to sit on my idea any longer. So I stopped by the hardware store to pick up the thinnest painters tape they had. Which turned out to be this .70″ roll

Why did I care for it to be thin, you ask? Because I wanted to use this tape to create “grout lines” for a faux brick- painted accent wall! Luckily the color of the wall in question was already painted a very very light grey- it looks white unless you hold something truly white next to it. And double luckily, I had a can of glossy, bright white paint to use for my “bricks”. So the only thing I had to buy for my project was the tape (1.5 rolls to be exact).

And then, I just started measuring and taping away. The bricks were measured at 3″ high rows, and 6″ widths. I started taping all the rows first, making a stripe pattern and then went back through and measured and taped all the small vertical lines.

It took a solid 3 hours of time to tape the wall with this much detail. But it was well worth it.

And by sheer luck, the wall was perfectly dimensioned so that there were the exact amount of rows to go to the ceiling without having any “half bricks” as well as complete bricks at both the left and right edges of the wall. I wouldn’t have cared if it hadn’t worked out this way, but the fact that it did sure made my day!

Once the wall was fully taped, I took a small foam roller and painted the entire thing white. I have found that foam rollers work better when you are painting a pattern with tape. For some reason it bleeds through the tape less.

I was a little afraid of the final reveal. Would the lines be noticeable with 2 colors so similar? Would it even end up looking like brick? As usual, I couldn’t wait too long before taking the tape off, and once I did…

I’m always happy I tried!
-Keepin it Glamorous!
Lexie

What’s so great about interior design?

I could list a hundred reasons why interior design is important, starting with all the intricate facets, thoughtful details, each giving a glimpse of beauty and relief and joy. But today I am going to focus on one of the most practical aspects of interior design: BUDGET.

One of the biggest obstacles in interior design is budget (or lack there of). Many people think having a well designed space can ONLY come with an expensive price tag. But I’m here to tell you that the exact opposite is true! In fact, if you have a cohesive design plan (as opposed to buying pieces one at a time whenever you feel some extra change burning a hole in your pocket) you will actually spend LESS money and have Much MUCH more to show for it!

My process of design includes the following steps which I will explain in detail.
1. Comprehensive Design Plan and Concept
2. Potential High End cost
3. Color coordination
4. Budget Hunting (over time) and projects
5. Happy, comfortable and justified in saving on some items and then splurging on others.
6. Finished, Beautiful, Cohesive Interior

comprehensive Design Plan:
Lots of people think picking a wall color is all that needs to be considered in designing a room (let’s say a nursery as an example). So, they pick a color, Pink, and before baby comes buy baby items, register for things, and when they get everything together it is ALL Pink! And now baby comes home to an overwhelming amount of pink. And many, many different shades of pink to boot.

Let me emphasize, color is not bad! And pink is not bad either. But “Pink” is not a comprehensive design. “Pink” is simply a color, and color is only 1 aspect of a multi-faceted approach to design.

In creating a design plan, GO BIG! I mean it! Find the best of the best to achieve a desired look no matter what the cost of each item. It does not matter how you attempt to piece things together for your design plan. Draw a scaled floor plan, or if you feel unequipped you can glue and paste magazine pictures into a collage or make a Pinterest board. But the idea is the same, design your room with each desired piece of furniture, each curtain, every shelf, picture frame and pillow case. Don’t just pick wall colors, but decide what wall will be painted and in what color, pattern, mural, etc. in creating a design plan consider all of the following aspects:

-Overall Theme
-Color
-Patterns (fabrics for curtains, pillows, bedding, wallpaper, etc)
-Storage
-Lighting
-Personal Accents
-Flooring (wood, carpet, tile, rugs) use what you have, change it, or add to it.

Potential High End Cost
Now that you have dreamed up your dream space, calculate what the cost would be to achieve it based on the actual items you picked out. And don’t forget to BREATHE when you see the $5000 price tag!
Knowing the high end cost actually helps you find the best places to save money, as well as the things you are comfortable splurging on. This leads straight into the next step.

Budget Hunting and Projects
Now that you have your room designed in your mind and on paper, the fun really begins. One of my favorite things is looking at furniture posts on craigslist and offerUp. Sometimes the exact item you are looking for (say an ikea cubed book shelf) is being sold for half the store price, just down the block! One of my very bet finds was the exact $300 Zgallerie coffee table that I had my eye on, from a consignment shop for only $79!
Similarly, the $299 Land of Nod bedside table you have picked out, will start to look oddly similar to the $69 Target side table you see on you weekly target trip.
And sometimes, you will spot a piece of furniture sitting on the curb with a “Free” sign taped to it, and you think to yourself, “hmmm… A little Kelly green paint and I think I’ve found my $500 Anthropolgie bench!”
Not to mention, there are a plethora of great online discount furniture and design stores to help you save on big ticket items. Home decorators collection and Overstock.com are my favorites! And always check the sale section if your favorite designer stores like West Elm and Zgallerie BEFORE checking the full priced section!
My point is this: when you know what you are TRULY looking for, the pieces that you’re after, you will be shocked how easily they appear to you and with a lesser price tag!
As for the projects. Once you do one DIY, you will be hooked and feeling able to tackle bigger and bigger projects. Upholstering the seat of a dining chair may soon turn into making your own upholstered ottoman.
On a personal note, having a design plan has always helped me justify my purchases to my husband. There have been “a few” occasions where he has said, ” Since WHEN, did you decide you needed (enter item here) 2 floor lamps…?” And I am legitimately able to pull up my design plan and show him that I have actually been on the lookout for floor lamps, and the ones I originally wanted were 3x the cost!!

Saving then Splurging
Once you have started budget hunting and realizing how much money you have saved, you can feel comfortable and confident buying the items for your space that were a part of the original design and that you want to remain a part of the design and even become the focal point of your design. A $1200 couch seems much more affordable when you bought 2 side chairs at consignment instead of $600 a piece. Plus, some big purchases are in fact an investment- when it is something you want to have for a long time, high quality goes a long way.
You may also decide to “mini-splurge” by buying a $40 designer throw pillow that adds the perfect accent! And let’s face it; sometimes the thrifty light fixture just doesn’t measure up to the designer one you want, and it probably never will no matter how much you could potentially save… So splurge!

Finished Space
I have seen a lot of beautiful spaces that were designed on a budget. And I have seen many many spaces designed without a design plan at all. The “no plan” spaces end up discombobulated and spending money on items that go on to be replaced in a year because they never fit right to begin with.
But as sure as I am that the sun will rise in the morning, I am sure that having a design plan WILL save you money, and WILL give you the beautiful space of your dreams.

Putting Plans into Action
I have so many examples of designing and saving money but I’m going to use my daughters’ nursery as an example. As you may remember my design plan from long ago check it out.
And here are the results:

Savings:
Toddler bed: given to us by a friend $0
Crib: craigslist $100.
Crib sheets: Target $10 each
Tissue garland: hand made $5
Name letters: hand made: $20 to spell Haddy and Tylyn
Antique Dresser: from my mom $0
Ikea shelves in closet $80
Ikea Color block rug $29
Ikea faux sheepskin $9
Duvet cover fabric $10
Pink Target chair $15
Side table: found in apt hallway for free. Inspired by this land of Nod $299 bedside table.

I bought some paint and a basket and have a $20 version of my own!

Splurges
All of my splurges are really just mini splurges.
Gold polka dots “urban wall” decals $30
Land of Nod throw pillows $40 total
Howdy Cow $40 (it’s decor and a toy!)

Ikea HACK Gold Utility Cart

Let me begin by saying I can not take credit for this amazing and cheap Ikea hack! I saw it elsewhere and had to take advantage of it: Simple and so so inexpensive it’s a must for everyone!

I have never paid any attention to this little nugget at ikea. Never even blinked an eye at it. Never even checked the price tag- nor would I have cared that it was $29.99 (and we live in Oregon ie. ZERO tax).

But after I saw what it could become with a little but of gold spray paint I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I made it my mission, dragged my 1 year old and 2 year old to Ikea, ALONE. And it was honestly a pretty hassle free/ tantrum free trip. Once we returned home, the girls took a nap and I embarked on the simplest spray paint project of my life. Obviously it came disassembled so I layed the metal frame pieces out on a drop cloth, sprayed them gold, let them dry, turned them over and sprayed the other side, let them dry and finished with very simple assembly!

Did that stark “utility cart” change to glamorous stunner in a matter of minutes?! Why yes, Yes it did!

Now, I spruced it up for fall and added some orange accessories. Being September still, I didn’t want to go full on Halloween yet, but these cute baby pumpkins are doing a good job for now! Making it fall festive has excited me to keep this cart decorated for all the seasons! Already can’t wait to decorate it for Christmas!

On the top shelf I placed an orange potted flower from Ikea with a fresh white pot that I can use all year long. The “Key” plate is a knock off of a Kate Spade dish (retail $60) that I made myself with a $1.99 plate from Target and some paint pens. Note: you have to bake the dish at 175 degrees for 30 minutes to set the paint).
The vase has orange potpourri sticks, also from ikea, and the paper wreath was a fall craft project that my toddler and I did together- the leaves were cut from pages of a book I didn’t care to tear apart and glued to a paper plate with the middle cut out. The fun spotted orange napkins are also an Ikea find.
Last, the gold tray is actually a wood letter sized tray from Target (not a serving tray) It had nice metal brackets on the corners and I sprayed it gold as well to better coordinate with the cart.

On the middle shelf I set my black and white striped mugs and bowls, also from ikea, atop a silver charger. Then there is another Kate spade knock off tray for mail. Practical and cute. I made this one the same way as the key tray.

The bottom shelf needed to be kid friendly- so in reality I put little plastic cups down there for them to play with. It also helps them from touching the breakables on the other shelf! I put this adorable boot candle from Target and of course a gold charger and black and white striped place mat to pull it all together.

But, for the sake of “prettier pictures” I staged the bottom shelf with this awesome “pumpkin shaped” Nate Berkus pot from Target. It was on clearance from $20 down to $5! It typically resides on my coffee table ottoman. And of course the cute tiny pumpkins are just adorable on the shelf as well as kid friendly!

Keepin it Glamorous a little at a time!