We are ALMOST done with what I’m calling the “art barn” but is really a flex space – kids for summer and playdates, me when I need to finish work because when I’m working in the sunroom the kids beg me for screentime and the dogs bark in my face like I’m their personal fetch concierge. Do we need this room? Nope. Do we love having it? YES. So far, this summer we’ve had three weeks where my best friend’s 16-year-old son (aka the “coolest person on the planet,” shout out to Jay) watched our kids and their friends, spending a lot of time out there making sculptures out of air dry clay, DIY stickers, and likely ample wrestling. It’s almost ready to shoot. It’s fine as-is, but with a simple pattern on the floor (and some sealant) it will be that much better/way more fun. It’s meant to be a creative space so why not??
What you have to remember is that we have upholstered cushions in vintage quilts (many quilt toppers that were falling apart) and then all the walls are clad in a basic pine. What you don’t know is that I have dreams (that will happen) of painting a Scandinavian-style flower mural on the outside of the barn. I wanted to do it this year but our summer was so busy and I “might” have totally overcommitted myself. Now the mural might need to wait til a week of non-rain (July? LOL). I’m trying hard to squeeze it in before November, but that’s all to say that there will be BIG color and BIG pattern on the outside of the barn. Then you walk in and see a green lounge-y sofa and all these vintage quilts, something less WILD on the floor will probably be best. Here are my thoughts:
I like the mono-chromaticness of all the pine. I just want it to look more finished and intentional. I’m obsessed with how this room is turning out and if I weren’t such a design enthusiast I would call it good enough. But I can see the potential and I’m not going to stunt this room. I’m going to go for it.
The Pattern Options
While I thought about doing a floor mural, since there is going to be a mural on the outside this should be quieter (that’s best for me, some personalities could handle more). I don’t want to do anything too trendy or “now” nor do I want to do something that will take two weeks to execute. So from the beginning, it was always going to be a combo of white-washed wood and raw wood – a simple pattern, sealed on top.
Off-Set Stripe?
An easy go-to is to use the current floorboards to lean into the pattern – a stripe, off-set stripe, or broken stripe. I mean, NO ONE likes a broken stripe more than me. Here are some ideas:
But these feel a little less interesting to me and also less classic (even though typically I think that stripes are the most classic).
A Diamond Callback?
The truth is I fell in love with doing an angled checkerboard pattern and it feels so right (and a fun call back to our sunroom) so no other pattern had a winning chance. I want to do this but with an unexpected border. And I think that the execution won’t take weeks – we just need to decide on the size, scale, and location and then tape off the non-stained squares after choosing a border – you KNOW I love a border. But the question is really about scale…
Oh, and Gretchen (who made these graphics, THANK YOU!) also showed a non-border option just so we could all see.
Here is the largest scale and I do like it. Plus, the fewer the diamonds the easier the prep, right??
Originally, I thought that a medium scale like this one would be best though. Not visually too much but has a bit more going on than the largest scale. Also, I’m really liking the border:)
Now, while I think the medium size will be best, I just wanted to see what the pattern would look like if we made the diamonds the size of the individual planks. A part of me thinks that could possibly be easier but also I’m not 100% sure that all the planks are the same size. All the things to consider:)
So while I’m a huge fan and will almost surely do the diamonds with a border, what do you all think? Stripes, Offset? Which scale of diamonds? Let me know what you think! xx
THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED HERE.
