I have a major crush on chalkboard paint. I remember being in 5th grade and a friend's dad painted a small section of her room with chalkboard paint and I was HORRIBLY jealous. I may have even said something like, "Wow. That's dumb. Who would want that?" (Refer to Aesop's Fable "The Fox and the Grapes!") But in reality I am passionately in love with it! There are parts of me that wants to paint every wall in my house with it and just use chalk to draw shelves, frames, flowers and such, but that may be a little too much, even for me! I am definitely incorporating it somehow though.
I have a nice big wall in my dining room that would look amazing with floor to ceiling chalk paint. After casually mentioning it to a friend she cringed. I of course died laughing because she's kind of a color-phobe like me. I love color, but when I attempt to put it in my house I get scared and go neutral. The same goes for design. I drool over quirky, abstract home designs in catalogs, yet my house is beige-y beige with not a single shocking piece of decor. Well, no more! My soon-to-be chalkboard painted dining room will be my declaration of freedom! Freedom from Beige-itis!
I scoured the webs of internet to rattle me up some inspiration and found nothing but awesomeness!
Exhibit A:
Heather Chadduck, the amazing style editor at Cottage Living magazine, shows us that a chalkboard wall is not too bold or too modern to place in a dining room!
Exhibit B:
This chalkboard border was done by Faiella Design and was a feature on Apartment Therapy and for obvious reasons. Simply stunning.
Exhibit C:
Feast magazine knows what's up!
Exhibit D:
Flicker member NEGS26 stylishly displays their spices with chalkboard paint!
Exhibit E:
Apartment Therapy is really diggin' the chalkboard walls! It's good to know that they're on my side!
Exhibit F:
How cute is this one from Rusty Bluebird?
Exhibit G:
I love Pottery Barn. These chalkboard tiles are AWESOME! (Pssst... click the link - they're on clearance!!!)
Exhibit H:
Who doesn't need this amazing calendar?! Photo Credit: Dan Duchars
Exhibit I:
Who would've thought that slapping some chalkboard paint onto those old sliding closet doors could transform them to this?!!! IN LOVE! Bravo! (Found this on Houzz.com but I'm not sure if that is the actual source of this delightful piece.)
Exhibit J:
I know this style doesn't appeal to everyone and some will think it looks messy, but I love it! I love that they hung empty frames to write love notes in! Great work, Isabella & Max rooms!
Exhibit K:
There's something about this that just draws me in. It may not be a very practical room, but Anthropologie has me charmed anyway.
Exhibit L:
Omg. Drooling. See, neat straight lines and neutral colors get me every time! I dream of the day when all of my food is stored identical glass jars. The Style Sisters are amazing!
Ok, so now I have you convinced that chalkboards rule, right?! Well boy do I have a surprise for you! Instead of paying out the wazoo for fancy chalkboard paint that only comes in black or green, make your own!
Here's the Recipe:
1 cup of paint (any color of your choice)
2 tablespoons of white non-sanded tile grout
That's it! Just shake up your paint color as usual, stir in the grout until there's no lumps, and PAINT! Woot woot!