Installing a Window

Living in an industrial loft brings a different vision to decorating.

We have large walls, it's about 16' up to the ledge.
We think someday we will make a "loft" up here.

The first floor (ha).

With walls this size and visible from all angles of the apartment, you must really love the color applied to the walls. I had picked out some colors earlier this summer with the painting project slated for a hot summer day.

Before - closet/loft/bedroom area.

So far, the only color applied has been to the closet. (Curtains cover my storage rack. Makes the clutter disappear and gives the cat hair somewhere to cling.)

During my indecision I have collected several samples of orangey colors and 2 gallons of the purpley-grey. I love the purpley-grey but it is not the right shade for the "whole wall".

Does anyone remember Lynnette Jennings and her design show (long before HGTV)? The one piece of advice I will always remember is .... paint the walls, put everything back into the room. Basically meaning, your items will enhance the color or the color will be diluted by your items. The shock factor of something new will be reduced. (Don't you love my paraphrasing skills? No tv show on my horizons.) This bit of decorating advice brought my real problem to the surface. After I paint the wall, there is nothing to put back. I need art. There is a lot of wall to dilute.

Long story short, I found a window. Not your ordinary window....

The Rose Window from the church at the Mission San José in San Antonio.

The process? I will spare you a few trial and error steps. Find a photo - something with a lot of pixels. Then go over to Block Posters http://www.blockposters.com/

I chose 8-1/2 x 11 paper - with a 5 page wide by 6 page long grid. The program will provide you "pdf" file to print.

Very scary pdf view.... not to worry...

It still looks like the original.

I had the document printed on a color printer with toner ink to hold up to wallpaper paste. Don't get the pages mixed up as they are printed in order. Let the pages print with the white edges.

Cut on the red, keep the green. Not to scale but hopefully you get the gist...

You will want to keep an overlapping edge to make the photo aligning easier.

Then assemble the tools: Scaffolding, wall paper paste, small plastic tarp, long level, pencil, sponges, scissors, bucket of warm water. Diet Coke. (ladder to get on the scaffolding - I am a wuss.)

I started the layout process with the pdf from a different poster program (more details later). If using painter's tape, use with great caution. It will take your photo with it.... use scrap paper if possible for this step. Use your level to get a long straight line - horizontally and vertically to get your starting point.

Shawn doing his "Carl" impersonation.

If you have wallpapered before there are a few things you will do differently. No gluing and booking. The paper is very thin so you will paste and get it into place immediately. Sponge, carefully, to get any bubbles out, wipe off excess paste and then stop touching it. The paper can shred pretty easily. If you have not wallpapered, get glue all the way to and off the edge. Now is not the time to be frugal. No matter what glue you try to use later, those peeling edges will not stay down.

These 30 "pages" went up in less than 45 minutes.

Yet an other career path for me to avoid - room staging for photography (lounging dogs and furniture coverings are plentiful here).

Still thinking of painting the wall but will pick a shade from the photo now. I am also thinking of peeling the edge a bit. Let it blend into the paint color and make it look like a window in the wall instead of just a photo stuck up there.

The original program that started my adventure. Rasterbator http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/ - I can best describe this as monochromatic modern. No limit to upload photo size, can create huge graphics, but only one color (your pick). My tip for this program - more dots per inch - will give you more detail to your art.

Next....