Andrew and I have been working on our family room and dining room makeovers. Today, I am ready to share with you the dining room reveal. (*Be sure to read through to the end of this post for a BIG giveaway from Royal Design Studio - the website where we bought our stencil!)
Here is a before picture of the dining room:
It was a sage green color with stripes above the chair rail in different sheens of paint. The stripes were very subtle.
And the after:
How did we get from green stripes to blue stencil? First we chose our colors and the stencil:
Lightest to darkest (all Benjamin Moore): Blue Allure 771, I’ve Got the Blues 774, & Bermuda Blue 2061-30
(Royal Design Studio’s Chez Ali stencil)
Next, we painted above and below the chair rail. We decided not to tape prior to painting because we knew we were going to come back and repaint the trim anyway.
After a few days – to allow the base coat to fully dry – we were ready to start the stencil. Our supplies included:
-the stencil
-tape
-stencil level
-paint
-a 4” foam brush roller
The instructions recommend ending your stencil in the least conspicuous location in the room. They say that with an all-over repeat pattern, it is almost impossible to end with an exact match of the stencil. So, we came up with this plan:
-Start over the window you see when walking into the dining room.
-Alternate right and left sides (to give the paint a few minutes to dry each time).
-End over the door way where you walk into to room (only about 8” of wall space).
After one evening of working, we had completed the first wall:
It was not the quickest process in the world, and we briefly contemplated only stenciling the one wall, but we stuck to our original plan and continued on!
I wish I had taken more ‘in-progress’ pictures, but I think I was too focused to stop and pick up the camera. You can see in this picture the stencil level (bottom left of the stencil) we used each time to make sure that we were staying level.
You can also see that the stencil does not go all the way to the ceiling. Royal Design Studio sends with their stencils an extra top stencil to be able to go back and stencil the top row. (The stencils are made this way so that when you’re stenciling near the ceiling, the big stencil is not flopping over and hitting you in the head.) After we completed each wall, Andrew would go back and stencil the top row. You can see here one wall where he had done the top row and the other where he hadn’t gotten to it yet.
After stenciling for another afternoon and evening, we were finally done! (We’re talking about 12 hours total!)
We were done with the stenciling at least. Our to-do list still included:
-repaint the trim
-hang pictures
-lay down a new rug
So, we took about a week to recover 
, and then continued on with the project.
We found the perfect Suzani rug online at RugsUSA.com to coordinate with the room:
(I now see that the rug is no longer available. I’m glad we found it when we did!)
With the new rug, crisp and clean white trim, and pictures back on the wall, we are loving our new dining room!
Here are a few detail photos:
I love how the stencil echoes the shape of the detailing on our corner cabinet.
You can see here where we matched up the stencil. It would be almost impossible to have it match perfectly – but we came pretty close.
One more time, before:
And after:
It’s bold and it’s beautiful, and we love it! We still have a few things we want to do for the room – new window treatments, a few new accessories, and maybe some new artwork – but for now, we are enjoying the result of all of our hard work.
So, here is the good news for you:
I’ve team up with Royal Design Studio to giveaway to one lucky reader the stencil of her choice ($50 or less) + free shipping!
How to enter:
1. Head on over to Royal Design Studio, and select a stencil you would like to use for a project.
2. Leave a comment on this blog post telling which stencil you like and where you would use it.
3. You will also receive 1 bonus entry each for:
- Liking the Royal Design Studio Facebook fanpage
- Following Designamour on Twitter
- Following Royal Design Studio’s Pinterest page and sharing your favorite stencils on your Facebook and/or Pinterest page.
*For the bonus entries – leave a separate comment on this blog post each time letting me know what you’ve liked, followed, or shared.*
So, look around your house and pick a project! You aren’t limited to walls either – think about furniture, pillows, window treatments, etc. It is a great way to transform any space or piece in order to make it uniquely yours.
º What Royal Design Studio stencil would you choose?
Thank you to the team at Royal Design Studio for pairing up with me for this offer!
(Winner will be chosen at random. Comments must be posted by Tuesday May 22, 2012 at midnight to be eligible for the giveaway. The winner must claim the prize within 3o days. Free shipping is offered within the continental U.S.)
*Congratulations to Cheryl! She was the winner of the Royal Design Studio giveaway!*
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May I simply say what a relief to uncover someone who actually knows what they’re discussing on the internet. You definitely realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people really need to check this out and understand this side of your story. It’s surprising you aren’t more popular given that you most certainly have the gift.
This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.
I’ve joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your fantastic post. Also, I’ve shared your web site in my social networks!
Is the offer still available? Do they give away free stuff ? I’m going to check them out on Facebook.
I’m sorry, my giveaway closed on May 22. Be sure to check out their Facebook and Twitter pages for other giveaways though. Good luck!
I like them on facebook too!
I follow royal design studio on pinterest
I would have a hard time choosing just one, but I think I would have tons of ideas for using the typo geography stencil.
The dining room came out great. Love the blues.
I also am going to do my dining room in plasters and would
love to use a damask stencil. Hard to choose which
one to use there are so many I like.
I have been inspired by you and Melanie Royals
Thanks
I follow Royal design studio on pinterest
I follow designarmour on twitter
@sawstrunk
I like royal design stencil on facebook
I like the peacock feathers or the chevron
I would like to do it in my bedroom
I follow RDS on Pinterest, too (and I’m always inspired by the stuff Melanie pins).
I follow Designamour on FB.
I follow Royal Design Studio on FB.
Wow, you know what, I think I want THIS stencil! I have a bunch pinned for a rug project, and I have a thing for the Lisboa tile stencil, but now I’m in love with the one you used. Your dr is gorgeous!!!
Thanks Melissa!
I “Like” Royal Design Studios on facebook.
I’m intrigued by the Floral Lattice. I’d like to put it on a dresser drawer fronts.
I love all of the peacock feathers stencils. It is hard to choose one. Your stencil work look So pretty.
I follow RDS’s pinterest page
I like royal design studio on Facebook.
So many to choose from, I’m still trying to decide!
I would like to stencil a feature wall in my bathroom with the Chrysanthemum Allover stencil. It is so elegant and lovely!
That dinning room looks amazing! I love the colors and the stencil looks better than I could have imagined. LOVE IT!!!
Love The Royal Design Studio designs. Would love to win: Grande Bombay Paisley Wall Motif Stencil
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Your dining room is beautiful,,,