Crystal Valley Blog

Neutral walls offer a blank palette for whatever artwork suits your fancy, but if you’d like to texturize, variegate or add interest behind your art (or instead of!) take a look at these easy weekend projects for a living room, bedroom or dining room wall.

OMBRÉ WALLS

You’ve seen the ombré effect on hair, usually blonde tips on a darker mane (although Gwen Stefani likes to tinge her platinum tresses with black!). We’re not sure if the hair technique was first or interior designers started the trend, but you can create a similar décor-enhancing effect on a wall in your home for $100 worth of paint and a day’s labor. 

Decoist has a slew of examples with mostly horizontal gradations, but some vertical, too, with the darkest color in the corners.

Designer Laurie March at HGTV created a three-color ombré wall using existing bedding for color inspiration and blending three colors. The trick is to mix two more colors — the dark and medium colors to create a fourth color, and the medium and light colors to create a fifth color and blend in gradated fashion with a dry brush. 

For a list of supplies and a step-by-step tutorial for a horizontal tri-color wall, click here.

Shoes Off, Please, created a pink ombré wall for a girl’s’ bedroom, with definite lines of separation, to achieve almost an identical match to a paint swatch card.

Graham & Brown (British wallpaper manufacturers) showcase deeper blues and purples in their ombré wall examples. Graham & Brown designers suggest using a sponge to dab along lines and gently blend.

PANELED WALLS

Wood paneling was a popular interior design trend in the 1970s and while it is making a comeback, today’s wood paneling has little in common with your grandma’s. Take for example the choices of reclaimed wood paneling from Timber Chic and Stikwood. Seriously beautiful stuff. And seriously easy to install.

The reclaimed and weathered wood stands out with its accentuated wood grain and knots, but the Stikwood product line also includes a variety of other darker, smoother woods in different color variations. And you don’t have to do an entire wall. Momtastic showcases some interesting design ideas for a “headboard” and an asymmetric TV backdrop. 

Designer Laurie March used the peel-and-stick paneling to create a diagonal design in a bedroom, adding texture and visual interest behind the bed. She had a $1,000 budget, a carpenter friend who was handy with a tape measure, and one afternoon to complete this paneled wall. Check out how easy installation is in this step-by-step tutorial (video and still photos) on the DIY Network site.

There’s more to wood on your wall than panels and planks, though, as Jami at The Natos will show you.
Her handy husband created a grid with shelving and painted it to match the door and trim and voila. Wasted space became a mud room with hooks and benches for a family of six. (Do yourself a favor and read her blog – it’ll make you smile!)

Crystal Valley CREATIVE

The new homes in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley are perfect just the way they are, or ready for the imprint of your signature design style! Explore all the varied choices from among stunning Richmond American Homes, available in ranch or two-story models and priced from the high $300s. And – coming soon – new homes by D.R. Horton and Kauffman Homes!