Place of Zen

Close your eyes and take a deep breathe. Feel the weight of the world slowly lift off of your shoulders as you exhale. This trend is about creating a space that gives serenity and calm in our busy day to day life.

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Nursery Makeover

Sarah Dorsey

Dorsey Designs

dorseydesigns.com

sarahmdorseydesigns

Sarah Dorsey is the author and founder of Dorsey Designs - a blog focusing on Interior Design and DIY projects. She is currently renovating her 80s post and beam home with her husband. One room at a time, they are transforming their home from dated to modern and a space that works for their family. They have a passion for DIY and believe that any project is possible with a little time, patience and creativity.

Sarah has an undergraduate degree in fine arts and a graduate degree in interior design. She has written for various online publications such as, Houzz and eHow and is the author of the book, Big Style in Small Spaces. She has also been published in several magazines, including Better Homes and Gardens, DIY Magazine, HGTV and Redbook.

Design Planning

Room Prep

Final Transformation

Redesign Videos

Tutorial

Gather your supplies, Frog Tape .75" Multi Surface tape, Ruler (12" or 18"), Scissors, Level - handheld around 8", 1/8" fine detail round brush, Plate for paint (either disposable or place foil on plate), Small cup of water, Wall Paint - contrasting color to primary wall color, Frog Tape Drop Cloth Pad
Determine desired wall(s) for pattern and decide on layout. I selected a loose layout instead of a structured grid. Alternate horizontal and vertical groupings of three 10" lines.
Prepare to cut the Frog Tape .75" Multi Surface tape by taping the first inch of a ruler to the edge of a table. The ruler should hang off the table so that you can easily measure and cut the tape.
Cut the end of the tape off so there is a straight line, place the end of tape next to the ruler at the 1" mark, hold the tape parallel to the ruler and extend the tape to 11". Cut at a straight line at 11". Repeat two more times. I also repeated this process with groupings of 5" and 2" to place on edges of the wall to give the appearance that the pattern extends beyond.Note: it's easiest to create several groupings of three at a time and then place on the wall.
Prepare to place the pattern on the wall. Working in groupings of three, alternate vertical and horizontal groups spacing randomly. For each strip, eyeball level and place the tip of one end of tape on the wall. Before securing the entire strip of tape, check with the 8" level and adjust as needed. Repeat for all three strips of tape.
Repeat groupings of three, step back as you go to look at the overall composition and determine placement. Frog Tape Multi Surface tape is easy to reposition, so don't worry about getting it perfect on the first try.
Continue to work around the wall until you are happy with the placement.
Get ready to paint the outline. Start by placing drop cloth on the floor. Gather paint brush, plate, cup of water, and paint.
Place a small amount of paint on the plate and dip brush, so just the tip is covered. Note: If your paint is thick, dip paint brush in water to make paint easier to apply. You want the brush to glide smoothly, but you don't want the paint to drip.
Run the paint brush along the edge of the tape, with half the stroke on the tape and half the stroke on the wall. Tip: drag the heal of your hand along the wall to steady your stroke and re dip in paint as needed. This will leave a crisp line on the inside to provide structure and a hand painted look of the outside. Repeat until all tape is traced.
Wait until the paint has fully dried and remove all tape. Enjoy your new patterned walls!