An Interior Designer Hand-Painted Her DIY “Wallpaper” — It Was Only $100
Wallpaper is an expensive design tool for transforming a space, and the high price tag often deters people from adding a fun print to their walls. This almost happened to interior designer Christie Kristl, until she came up with a stunning budget-friendly solution. “I ended up freehand, hand-painting a floral motif around our ENTIRE bedroom,” she says.
Christie strives to create homes that bring joy and purpose — however that shows up in her clients’ lives. But over the past five years, she and her family have been slowly layering in new details to their own space that combines the character of the Metro-Detroit home with their family’s colorful, eclectic life.
In the midst of her maternity leave, Christie took on the three-week project to incorporate floral patterns in the primary bedroom. She was set on including flowers somewhere in their home, and wound up painting poppies because “Poppy” was their daughter’s nickname for a brief time. But “more realistically, it turned out to be one of the easier flowers to paint,” Christie adds.
It Only Cost $100 to DIY the Floral Pattern
“I only needed one gallon for the flowers and a small sample of paint for the inside bits,” Christie explains. Creating a beadboard wainscot meant that she only had to hand-paint half the walls. But the process of creating the floral motif still took longer. “I had to give myself breaks between painting sessions to stand back and make sure I still liked it,” she says.
Christie used Sherwin-Williams’ Tanager and Sherwin-Williams’ Foxhall Green to create the floral design, and painted the beadboard with Sherwin-Williams’ Dark Auburn. She also used the color Dark Auburn to add minimal detail on the inside of each poppy.
“I still [like it], just in case it wasn’t obvious,” Christie comments. “It turned out pretty cool.”
Her Home Is Designed to Encourage Creativity and Self-Expression
“I grew up in an artistic household that encouraged creativity, and I hope this space sets the same tone for my young daughters,” Christie says. It’s important to remember that your home can be whatever you make — a place to try new things and express yourself.
“More than anything, I hope it encourages them to get a little weird with their own artistry,” she explains.
A Reminder to Take Your Time on Projects
“The most interesting spaces are collected, not speed-run,” Christie comments. Her poppy motif is a testament to her advice, because after the long three-week process, the primary bedroom is a space that reflects her family’s personality, joy, and the balance between beauty and genuine life.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.