Decorate Dining Room How-to's

How to | DIY Modern Art

For the last couple of months we have had a blank canvas over our sideboard in the dining room.  As part of my 17 by the end of 17 I set a goal to put some paint on this thing.  And I finally have!

MY INSPIRATION

Before we bought your house, I started a number of Pinterest boards dedicated to ideas for decorating.  I had so many ideas!  Not all of them will fit in this house.  Either they don’t fit the style, I have existing furniture, or it is just too expensive to implement at this time.  However, there were number of ideas that I pinned that fit just fine.  This is one of them:

Source: The Design Files

I was attracted to the simplicity of the art above the sofa in this image.  There is a sophistication about it that I really love.

DIY MODERN ART | MY PROCESS

I started with a blank canvas.  I picked up this canvas from Michael’s for less than $30.  It is a 36×48 piece so it is rather large.  I bought a large canvas to make a statement on the very neutral wall.

I picked out a lovely shade of blue from the hardware store.  I decided not to mix my own paint so I could get a consistent color on the entire canvas.  And went with latex paint instead of acrylic.  I was able to buy a sample size of mixed paint for less than $5.

I painted the blue layer first, being careful not to get paint on the floor.

I poured some white paint from a previous project into a red Solo cup.  I added a little water to thin the paint.  I then started adding swirls.  I layered them on until I got the desired look.

THE REVEAL

They navy blue makes for a more dramatic backdrop to the white swirls than the image from my inspiration.  It creates a nice contrast with the white and livens up my dining room.   I am really looking forward to seeing this view every time I walk through my dining room.