Wallpaper Vs. Stencil

Sometimes my taste or desire for a a project does not match my budget. This was the case in this dining room remodel. I was determined to keep things low cost as we had just gone through an expensive kitchen renovation.

Time: 2 DaysCost: $95Difficulty: Advanced

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That awful sponge paint technique on top was an attempt to mask the horsehair plaster walls that wavy and bumpy.

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The room served as my makeshift kitchen during the renovation.

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I pulled this photo off Pinterest. Gorgeous, right? I found the wallpaper finally but it was way too expensive for this girl. So, I started searching for a stencil. I decided less black and more white was he way to go. I purchased a large stencil online for $50 and a quart of black paint from my local paint store. I first prepped the walls with two coats of white paint.

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I used a small hot dog sponge roller to apply the black. I learned quickly that less is more in this application. The project took two days. There was much stopping and starting in between. Corners are not perfect in my 200 year old home so making things look level and straight took patience. I used a strong green accent color in the room.

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The black and white background with green accents pair well with fall colors...

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and the vibrant colors of Spring....

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to the reds and greens of Christmas and some different chairs.

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Compared to the several hundred dollars the wallpaper was going to cost me this was an inexpensive alternative and it accomplished the drama I was after in this room.

Materials used for this project:

• Stencil  (Royal Design Studio)
• 1 gallon white paint  (Home Depot)
• 1 quart black paint  (Home Depot)
• 1 hot dog roller; sponge  (Home Depot)