As some of you may know, I’ve been working on our bedroom for a while now. We finally installed a new ceiling fan which motivated me to paint the ceiling and the white wall. Take a look . . .

I started with the Benjamin Moore Aura paint for the matte grey on the walls. Picking out a grey color has proven to be difficult. Our first attempt at a “grey” paint happened near the back door of our home. The walls ended up being a light blue. So, when you do go to change the colors of your walls, hold the swatch out in the natural sunlight. Luckily Benjamin Moore offers giant swatches that show what the coverage would look like. The Aura paint already has a primer mixed in and they tell you that only one coat is necessary. This held true with the darker color but, when I painted the guest room with the same brand, it failed. Because I was using a lighter color (a cream-white), I had to go over the walls with primer and 3 coats!

Note to self: Aura is awesome for dark colors and just plain sucks for lighter colors. Go with a cheaper paint next time. : )

On our honeymoon, I picked up a sweet stencil kit from West Elm in Austin, TX. This is obviously what I used to paint the white wall. It’s hard to catch but it’s there. I used a matte white to paint the wall and then a semi-gloss white to paint the stencil. It adds just enough texture and character to the room. I can’t stop looking at it as the light makes the semi-gloss shimmer!

And, finally, here is what our bedroom looked like on move-in day:

side note: I will discuss my hate towards ceiling fans in a later post. Just know that it is a necessity in our home.

Rug, Duvet cover, night stands, curtains and lamps: Ikea
Stripped sheet set & stencil kit: West Elm
Wooden Shelves: Pottery Barn
Bird Pillow: Target
Magazine Hamper: Pier 1
Paint: Benjamin Moore from The Anderson’s (shop local!)
Wrought Iron Bed: The American Iron Bed Co: Melody
I’m actually amazed that the bed is still for sale as it was purchased in 2005 and they are made in the USA!