Kari's Korner

This week we have a couple of design dilemmas from some readers that I think would be useful to all of you. Please keep those questions coming for the next Kari's Korner post.

My cousin Shandra has a really long wall that spans two rooms. She hasn't painted this wall and doesn't know how to break up the paint color or stop one color to use another. You can easily accomplish breaking up the wall with 2 pieces of cheap molding and different colors of paint.

Here is what the room looks like:

The easiest way to change between colors is to trim out a section of the wall with molding and use 3 colors of paint. Basically, you cut and attach pieces of molding between each of the paint colors. I created this rough idea for this particular room:

What I did here was trim out the area above the entrance to the hallway in white. You could really use any color there. The trim would be between the blue and white, and cream and white. A fancier option would be to trim out the entire section of white, which would look like paneling or a picture frame. Then you can paint whatever color you'd like on each side. Inside the white area, you can put a clock, family picture, or piece of art to break up the color blocking. 

Another way to break up the wall, is to use a built-in. I would make a bookshelf/family message center around the entrance to the hallway. Built-ins can make your space look custom and expensive. With a little carpentry skill, you can drastically change the look of your space. 

My friend Demarae is having trouble decorating the wall going up the stairs. Decorating walls that get so much use can be difficult, but especially difficult with little ones. 

I came up with a REALLY cool idea to help with this. Hanging rugs on the wall is trending this year. Hanging different textured fabrics up the wall would be visually striking as well as a great texture for the kids. Rugs are also pretty easy to clean which is really important along a wall with so much traffic. 

Another fun idea is to display your kids' artwork along the wall by the stairs, and there are a ton of creative ways to hang it. Here are a couple of examples:

I hope that helps all of you with the problems you each face in your own homes. Please keep those ideas coming and share this post with your friends!

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