When Dreams And Budgets Collide

I have to come up with a different plan for the back entry of my studio. The wallpaper idea isn’t an option. It’s just not in the budget. I’m disappointed, but that’s the reality of remodeling and decorating a house.

I spent hours this last weekend working on the wallpaper. As I’ve mentioned several times before, I still plan on using the wallpaper I designed for this room, but my mom and I did a little redesigning and tweaking of the design.

First, I wanted to lighten and brighten some of the colors so that the flowers (especially the darkest purple flower) would still look like an actual flower from a distance rather than a dark purple blob. You can see what I mean on the original wallpaper here…

But I also wanted to have the design printed so that the flowers are much larger. It’s been quite a process trying to find a company that will print it like that. Well, as if Spoonflower was reading my mind, I got a marketing text from them last Friday with helpful links for creative wallpaper ideas, and one of the links was specifically about how to turn an image into a wall mural and have it printed by them.

Their system really isn’t set up for printing murals, so you have to know how to edit photos using Photoshop or something similar, and how to work around their printing process. It’s definitely not a process for beginners, but for those who have experience with Photoshop (or a similar photo editor), it’s doable.

So I spent several hours last weekend following their tutorial, editing my image so that it would work with their printing process, and checking and double checking to be sure I had done everything right.

Then after finding a coupon online for 20% off (which was more than their Memorial Day sale), I went to order. The mural for the long wall with the cabinets came to $414 before the discount, and $298 after the discount. That seemed reasonable for such a long wall.

But the wallpaper for the back entry came to $1564 before the discount, and $1126 after the discount. That means that even with 20% off, all of the wallpaper for both areas would come to just under $1500.

I came very close to clicking that Buy Now button, but I just couldn’t make myself do it. Spending $1500 on wallpaper just isn’t something that I’d do, especially when there are so many other things (like landscaping) that I could spend that money on.

I don’t mind splurging on things that I really, really want. Buying a $2600 sofa was a splurge for me. Spending $40,000 to convert a bedroom into an accessible bathroom that suits both Matt and me was definitely a splurge. But $1500 on wallpaper isn’t something that interests me. I’d rather put that money towards a rock border for my front flower beds, or finally getting our carport lights installed and the ceiling finished.

I was disappointed, but there are other issues with wallpapering the back entry as well that made the decision not to buy the wallpaper a bit easier. I’ve been concerned about how the wallpaper would last in that area. I’ve told y’all before, but our house is constantly shifting and moving throughout the year. That’s the pain of living in a house built on a pier and beam foundation. And one reason that I’ve never used wallpaper in such a way that it has to wrap around a corner in this house is because as the house shifts, I would risk having wrinkled wallpaper in the corners.

I don’t have any wallpaper wrapped around corners in our house, but I do have a corner where the actual drywall tape has wrinkled as the house has shifted throughout the year. You can see it here in the breakfast room corner. This drywall tape started off perfect when they originally installed and mudded the drywall. But it took less than a year for the entire corner, from from the ceiling to the floor, to wrinkle due to shifting.

It’s just one of those things that we homeowners in central Texas with pier-and-beam foundations have to deal with, along with cracked drywall.

If the price of wallpapering the back entry had been considerably less, I probably would have taken the chance with the house settling and shifting and potentially having wrinkled wallpaper in the corners. But if I’m going to spend that much money on something, I want to know that it’s going to last. And this area has already shifted enough so that the bathroom door doesn’t close perfectly like it did when I first installed the door. So it’s not a question of if this area would shift and move throughout the year. That’s a given. It would just be a game of wait and see to see how badly the shifting would affect the wallpaper, if at all.

So while I’m still moving forward with the mural for the long front wall, I’m back to the drawing board for the back entry.

I really don’t feel all that disappointed (only mildly disappointed, which is how I know this is not something I’d consider splurging on), but I am frustrated that I need to come up with a new idea for this area when I thought that the decision was made, and had been making plans for the bathroom based on wallpapering this area. (Excuse the cobwebs. :-D)

And, of course, my first thought was stripes…because I love stripes. Y’all know that I’d paint stripes on every wall in my house if I thought I could get away with it.

So unless I can come up with a new and creative idea, stripes might make an appearance at this end of the house in this back entry. I have three areas with stripes at the other end of the house (hallway walls, guest bedroom floor, and home gym walls), so maybe bringing some stripes to this end of the house would balance things out! 😀

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45 Comments

  1. Maybe you could put your mom to work on some wall painting like the condo had, not the same of course, but something meaningful and cohesive.

  2. Just wondering…first thing I thought of was stripes, not sure why. But could you do a design or stripes that mimic all the colors you have in the wallpaper? That way it would coordinate in color, even if it doesn’t match the pattern of the wallpaper. I love the colors in the paper, and that would make a nice colorful entrance and a prelude to your beautiful wall. I don’t blame you for not purchasing – I’m sure there are better options since you can do so much.

  3. I’m glad wallpaper at back entry didn’t work out, really didn’t like it. You will think of something. I really think the high ceiling n the light fixture, is gorgeous and enough.

    1. I also like how the darker, solid color walls in the entryway highlight the dramatic light fixture. It deserves to be the star of the show!

      That shade of green might not be the right one, but any of the colors in the wallpaper in a similar intensity would serve as a wonderful backdrop.

  4. I was thinking that applied molding would be nice in the entryway and you could do like a board & batten and incorporate some hanging for jackets/leash/bags, etc. You could use the door height as a measure and make it symmetrical. Just a thought.

    1. I like this idea. It could be somewhat like an open “mudroom” with the hooks and it looks like there may be enough room to place a bench to remove shoes which may be stored underneath it.

  5. If it makes you feel any better, my concrete slab foundation house north of DFW isn’t much better re moving/shifting 😂😩

  6. Have you ever tried to do a watercolor effect on a painted wall? I have always wondered if that would work. You could use some of the same wallpaper colors.

  7. What about hand painting something close to the wallpaper design? I could absolutely not do it, but I’m sure you could. Though I know it would be quite time consuming. I’m one of those who really liked the wallpaper in the back entry way.

    1. I agree with this. Much like she used the black sharpie in the music room, I think a white paint pen over the dark purple flowers she disliked might be enough to bring it back from the issue she dislikes most about it. As in using the white to add highlights and contrasting form to the “blob” construct. It’s really so close to perfect already.

  8. This is how I toned down the colors in my entryway wall four years ago and it still looks pleasing to the eye.
    I was going for an open outdoorsy beachy look on one wall of our main entryway. After scouring through so many wallpaper designs I selected a floral design with a lot of turquoise. When I got it up, the more I looked at it the more I didn’t like the feeling of way too much turquoise.
    Here’s what I tried first and liked it so much I did the entire twelve foot long wall. I bought Valspar Perfect White in Semi Gloss paint, but your favorite brand would do the same thing. I Poured a small amount of the paint just covering the bottom of a flat dish. Kept a roll of paper towels beside me and made large triple folded pieces beside the paint. I Used a 4 inch wide paint brush and tapped my brush in the paint several times. Then I tapped my brush on the paper towels several times to create a dry brush.
    I started by swiping back and forth onto the wallpaper on the first area that catches the eye when the entryway door is closed, opened, lights on, lights off. I did an area of about two foot wide and looked at it again with our entryway door open, closed, lights on, lights off, and decided to do the entire wall. I looked at the wall after I finished and I liked it. I still had all of the colors I wanted. With the dry brush toned down look it gave me the perfect look I wanted.
    Not trying to influence you, just telling you what I did to my wall paper.

    1. Off subject but, I love the larger plant in the picture. Could you tell what it is and where you bought it from?

  9. Why not try something new and do plaid or check rather than stripe? Or a textured look like denim or grasscloth?

  10. You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em . . . I’d say your decision to pass on the very expensive wallpaper that would likely be damaged before long was a good one. You have so many beautiful ideas I’m sure you’ll come up with something that you like better and is less problematic.

  11. Hi Kristi! Just a thought that would tie your wall with the wallpaper, countertop, and cabinets in with the back entry. Paint the walls in the back entry the same color as the rest of the studio, and buy a small amount of extra wallpaper (or possibly even use scraps) and cut out a few of the flowers and leaves you like best (or design a few specific pieces in photoshop just for this purpose).
    Layer them around some of the corners of doorways, just in a few strategic places as accents. It would allow you to use the same pattern of wallpaper without having to cover every wall from top to bottom, but would still look cohesive and intentional. This is just my two cents; whatever you decide to do in this space will look incredible, as always!! 🙂

  12. Well it’s obviously time to bring back the hand drawn bird wall paper from the entryway every one loves! Update the design to match the flowers of the wall mural and use paint colors pulled from the mural and the cabinet color. I just want to see that design somewhere someday!

  13. Kristi, you are such a great wall painter. Why not draw the pattern on the wall and paint it in, like you have done so many times before. And we have the a problem with drywall crack here, too. For a long corner crack like the one you have, I have two solutions. One would be to remove the paper drywall tape, and use fiberglass tape instead. Alternatively, cut a piece of quarter round molding and install it in the corner by attaching it to only one of the walls. This works great to cover the crack, and allows for seasonal wall movement. Best of luck on both!

  14. Find a color you love and do strips in the same color but different finishes (like matte and semi-gloss). I would love to try that in my own home someday, but my follow through stinks.

  15. Hi Kristy,
    Your house is turning out beautifully. I vote for your basic colors in a stripe or a stencil. I think your back entry should serve as a gallery for your beautiful projects that didn’t make the cut in the rest of the house, but you still love. You can keep putting up new things as your creative mind continues to create.

    1. I think this could be a great idea…picture floor to ceiling art pieces covering all the wall space around the doorways in the entry. Seems it would also draw attention to the high ceiling & fun light fixture, while making a creative impact as you enter your creative space. You could either go eclectic with mismatched frames & subject matter, which would accommodate Grace’s suggestion of using misc. pieces you’ve made…or more streamlined with clean-lined framing and uniform art/photos. Here is a link with lots of examples:
      https://www.digsdigs.com/floor-to-ceiling-gallery-walls/

  16. How about a geometric design that you paint on? You are such a talented lady that you could do any painting of any design (or geometric) and it would look like wallpaper

  17. Why don’t you do a plaid painting technique using the colors from the wallpaper? I think it would be a nice compliment to the wallpaper and a nod to the other stripes in your home.

    1. You are a good artists. Do something by hand, you did it in the bedroom. Something faster, I think you have enough to do.

  18. How about painting the design on the wall yourself? You have done that in several rooms before – aka the beautiful bird wall you painted. If you can do that, you can do a mural of flowers!

  19. Wow. Definitely learned something. I had no idea that your type of foundation would cause such a problem in the corners. I recall many houses on those foundations when we lived in south Louisiana….I wonder if it’s a southern states thing?

  20. Given how often you change your mind on things, it’s a very smart decision to put a hold on $$$ wallpaper. Will stripes hold up to shifting?

  21. I’d paint the lower half of the walls in the same colour to match your cabinets. You could even have trim to match the benchtop and paint the upper wall the same as the background of the wallpaper. Finish it off with artwork drawn from your wallpaper.

  22. I think I may be the only person who thinks a single color on the wall (a light one, pulled from the wallpaper) would look best. Then the idea above of making it like a kind of mud room with a bench and pegs, wall decor, etc., would be very nice. There’s so much going on with the wallpaper, floor, etc., letting the small entry be a little more peaceful sounds appealing to me.

  23. Have you considered panel molding on the bottom of the back entry walls? I would think those walls have a potential of being scuffed up so extra protection on the lower walls would protect them. Paint it the same color as the cabinets to mimic the wall opposite the back entry.

    1. I like this idea, your entry way will have everything coming through, including you and Matt. Having a place to take off jackets, put bags of groceries, purse, tools and other items down and out of the way as you go into the main part of your home is a great solution while you get settled, could be very helpful. I also like that the same color of the cabinets being on molding or whatever you use to protect the walls would be very cohesive.

  24. Hey Kristi, could you frame a part of the wall paper for the entrance? I dont remember if theres a big enough space. I love ti ideas of others about a bench and somewhere for shoes and coats..i live on a bayou in Louisiana and fully understand the house moving issues. Mine is old also and on piers. My carport has a huge crack where the ground under it is washin out. It’s an ongoing issue here.

  25. What if you painted pale stripes and then enlarged your favorite flowers from the wallpaper and applied them like decals here and there over the stripes? Ceiling too, avoiding corners. sort of creating your own wallpaper.

  26. Is there a way to get a set of stencils made with the flowers and just paint. You’re so good at that. Maybe not as many as you had on the wallpaper?

  27. Hang in there with your skills and determination I bet you’ll find a way. Did you do the butterfly picture that is on the shelf in the picture of the wrinkled tape in the corner? It’s gorgeous and I wondered if it is one of your creations.
    Thanks.

  28. You’ve included spoonflower links since you started using them and I bet that sent them several customers. Maybe approach them about sponsoring your studio walls. That’s a lot of eyes on their product with all your readers.