A DIY Staple Created the Coolest Wall Art — For Only $25

Cullen Ormond
·2 min read
2
Office with orange and white gallery wall, orange and white curtains, and wood desk with brown leather task chair

Some home projects end up exactly how you originally envisioned them. You followed the steps to a T and had a successful DIY endeavor. However, some design schemes start with one vision in mind and then slowly become something completely different altogether.

Beige walls in home office.
Credit: Ericka Mills Credit: Ericka Mills

This is exactly what happened in the office in Ericka Mills’ bohemian home in Largo, Maryland. When she started reimagining her office, she initially considered painting the room with a solid terracotta color. However, the Opalhouse “Ophelia Printed Burnout” curtains she purchased for the room kept catching her eye and led her to create unique wall art using paint and tape.

Painters tape mark off home office during painting project.
Credit: Ericka Mills Credit: Ericka Mills

“As I taped off the wall to prepare for painting, I found myself staring at my curtains reflecting if the paint color I chose coordinated well with them,” Mills shares via email. “Out of curiosity, I started tearing pieces of tape about 10 inches long and sticking it in a row to the right side of the wall about 6 inches apart.”

Instead of cutting the FrogTape painter’s tape, Mills tore it for a natural, organic look. After finishing the first row, she was quite pleased with the result. So she continued with a staggered design in a second row. After realizing it looked too similar to the curtain, she also put horizontal tape strips on the wall.

Painted office wall with diagonal and vertical markings.
Credit: Ericka Mills Credit: Ericka Mills

“I wanted to create more movement in the pattern by placing the horizontal lines slightly further apart with each row. For the bottom section I decided to only do horizontal lines because it would be less visible behind furniture,” Mills explains. “When I finished placing all of the tape I went back firmly pressing and rubbing all the tape into the wall to make sure the paint wouldn’t bleed through.”

After applying the tape, which took a couple of hours to perfect the layout, Mills painted the wall. She painted one layer, let it dry for a couple of hours, and then painted another (which she let sit overnight). The next day, she peeled off the tape; it was a beautiful design. Another bonus of the project? It only cost around $25 because she found returned paint at the hardware store for a discounted price, and the tape was only around $10.

office gallery wall with orange and white wall and curtains

“My favorite part about the finished project is how imperfect it is. The lines and spacing are not 100% equal, but I feel like it gives it so much artistic character,” Mills shares. “As the light shines through the window onto the wall, I especially appreciate the color contrast of the lines popping out over such a beautiful color.”

This bohemian-inspired wall is a perfect example of the joy that fills the rest of Mills’ home. To see more, visit the full home tour.