You guys know how much we love statement walls here at ABM (you can see all the previous walls here!), but it occurred to me recently that we haven’t done a wall with paint pens or markers yet. I know, I know; shame on us and all of that, but don’t yell too hard because I’m about to share one with you today. My musician husband Todd has a music room in our house where he can practice, write, and record, but until lately it’s been dubbed the most boring room of the house. He insisted on keeping a giant couch (that he’s had for the last 13 years!) in the space, and it felt like it was literally taking up half the small room, so I never really put much effort into decorating it. Once he decided to move the couch to his off-campus studio space, I jumped at the chance to add some personality to his room, and I thought a statement wall recreating this amazing geometric print would be just the ticket for the space. Since the walls are a medium grey color, I decided that a stenciled wall design with a white paint pen would work out perfectly. Here’s how I did it:
Supplies:
-scrap cardboard (just ask a local store for boxes if you don’t have any; the bigger the better!)
–painter’s tape
-thick white paint pen (this one and this one are good)
–X-Acto knife
–push pins to hold template on wall
First I decided how many rows of the pattern I wanted on the wall. Once I chose four rows I measured the wall height, marked the four section measurements on both ends of the wall with a pencil, and used painter’s tape to mark off the rows.
Once I figured out the height, I got a big piece of cardboard, cut it to the row height, and traced my shape across the cardboard as far as it would go. I alternated the shape orientation so that it would look like an interlocking pattern once all together. Keep the shapes that get cut out of your template since you’ll need those in your final step.
I used push pins to secure the template to the wall so I could trace without having to hold the giant template in place. Pay attention to where the middle of the wall is, and make sure that you have the middle of a shape line up exactly in that spot. If you line up the middle carefully, the outside edges of the wall will both end at the same point in your pattern.
Taking the paint pen, I just traced inside of the shapes and allowed the paint to dry (which it does rather quickly) before going over it a second time. If you have a lot of corners to get into like I did, I would also use a smaller point of paint pen as well so you can get into the corners a little better.
Once you have completed all your outline shapes for that section, remove the push pins and move the template over. Make sure to overlap the first shape of the template with the last shape you traced so that your spacing will be the same throughout. Since it can be hard to get the big template to line up exactly with the ends of the wall, you can use the leftover cardboard shapes that you originally cut from your template for this final step. Trim the cutouts vertically as needed and to use them as smaller templates to complete your shapes right next to the corner wall seam. Once your shapes are all traced, you’re done!
The wall only took me a couple of hours to complete, so I was pretty happy with how fast it went, and since I was able to use one paint pen (well, one thick pen and one thin pen for the corners) for the whole wall, the project only cost me around $10 too! Not bad if you ask me. You can also do some triangle decals on a wall for a quick, similar effect and Elsie did a paint pen wall that also turned out so cute as well. I love the vibe that the geometric shapes add to the space and the room definitely feels like it’s got some personality happening now (I like the pattern with the cowhide rug pattern nearby). I will for sure be expecting a lot of love songs to be written about me in this room from now on—I think it’s only fair, don’t you? xo. Laura
P.S. Check out more home decor on our wishlist and shopping pages!
Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with Stella from The Signature Collection.
Did you use an oil or water based paint pen? I found a link to the pan use some rain here but it wasn’t working for me. Thanks!
I came across this looking for an answer to a question and I wonder if you know…
I am thinking of using pain pens to create a pattern on my ceiling instead of using wallpaper but i am curious how it will cover when and if I want to do something new. Have you ever tried to paint over paint pens? Did it leave a faint textural pattern of the pen line?
This is a cool room! Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Amanda
I absolutely love how awesome this turned out – and how inexpensive it was to do as well! I have been looking for some way to jazz up my teen sons’ bedrooms and this would be fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
What is the base paint color?
I love how this turned out! Such a cool statement wall. I’ve featured it in a roundup for inspiration for monochromatic decor here: http://www.heartfeltbalancehandmadelife.com/2017/05/10-amazing-diy-decor-ideas-to-inspire.html
I hope you have an excellent weekend. Thanks for the inspiration!
WOW, that looks soo awesome and simple and I love the end result! The room looks great!!
www.passionandparanoia.com
Oh wow, that looks incredible! And I can’t believe how easy it is! Great work, and great inspiration!
HI Adriana! This one should work: hite/dp/B006ZLRW6I/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1417798865&sr=8-11&keywords=Montana+Acrylic+Marker 🙂 -Jacki
Hi! Wonderful idea! Can you tell me wich is the paint pencil brands? I was looking in Amazon but I can’t find those markers. Thanks in advance!
Do you have any instructions on making the stencil? I worry about making the pattern repeat exact.
First of all that organ is amazing. Second of all the wall paint pen is the most amazing thing I’ve seen! Definitely need one of those when we’re re-decorating! x
Love this! Thanks for sharing.
I love this! So creative.
awesome! also, love the little gold plant stand on the right. vintage? or what is the source? Thanks!
Very cool, love the design! I would love to try this at my house 🙂
Kerby
http://life-love-craft.blogspot.ca
Looks cool!
I love how inexpensive yet amazing this is!
Thank you. I have yet to jump on the washi tape train, maybe now is the time because I like how graphic and modern it looks. Thanks!
This is totally amazing guys and really creative too!
https://annescribblesanddoodles.blogspot.com/
Love it!!! It’s like wallpaper without the mess of putting it up or taking it down.