Birch Tree Wall/First Post

I have finally entered the world of blogging!

Today I'm featuring my favorite wall in my home. =)

My living room had always seemed a little empty. We have one long blank wall that the TV and entertainment console are on and putting paintings or pictures all around it just always seemed slightly awkward. What I really wanted was something vertical to break up the long horizontal space.

Then, while wasting time on Etsy one day, I found the perfect solution: A forest of birch trees! Well, a vinyl decal of a forest of birch trees. For around $90 for six 8' trees (varying widths) it was also an extremely cost effective way to fill a 14+ foot wall. Something similar in wallpaper could get very pricey! I couldn't find a link to the exact set that I used, but if you search around Etsy there are tons of birch tree decals both large and small and lots of other motifs, too.

My first step was painting the wall with an accent color so that the white trees would stand out. This is the picture of when I started to paint, almost forgot to take one! I chose a deep, slightly dusty blue-green called "Teal Forest" by Behr. (Available at the Home Depot, about $25 per gallon) I used Eggshell finish for some washability but low sheen. The darker the color, the more reflection you will see off of it, so go with as low of a sheen as possible to hide wall imperfections and cut down on glare. Also, TVs look better on a dark matte wall because there is less distraction from the picture.

Here is the painted wall, all done and dry. It's important to note that you should not put vinyl decals on fresh paint because you may have a hard time removing them down the road without pulling the paint off with them. It's best to wait at least a week to give the paint time to properly cure.

Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures of the process of putting them up, but let me tell you, it was way easier than you would think! I'd done some small vinyl decals before but I was sure these long skinny ones would be more difficult.

Thankfully, they came in 2-3 pieces for each tree. I cut each piece out and taped it up to the wall with masking tape to get the right spacing/layout of the trees first. Then it was as easy as smoothing them on with the provided plastic smoother (pretty much a rubbery credit card sized spatula) and peeling off the top layer of wax paper. I had enlisted my husband to help but ended up not really needing any assistance, it was that simple!

I ordered the birds in red to tie in some of the other red accents in the room (you can see the lamp shade and painting with some red in it in the first and second pictures) and positioned them in the trees. The kit even came with a couple of little squirrels so I added one "sitting" on my entertainment console.

All in all, I am very happy with the outcome. What an easy and affordable way to achieve a whole wall of artwork!