DIY Distressed Color Block Wall Art

Posted on 10/28/2013 by Angela Conley in Art, Color, Decor Projects, DIY, Furniture, Living Room, Rental Decorating // 4 Comments

When you live in an apartment and can't paint the walls, you've gotta get creative to add color to a room. I'm currently decorating my living room and had to figure out a way to bring color to the wall where my TV is placed. This wall is opposite my sofa, where I'm using lots of color with pillows and pattern. I've employed various methods in the past to incorporate color on my white rental walls. But this time, I wanted to try something different and also use items I already had to save money. Thus, I created this distressed color block wall art:

Continue reading to learn how I created this and another way color blocking was added to my living room.

I pondered various patterns and styles before deciding on the Mondrian-esque pattern. It’s simple, a great method of infusing color into the room, and adds mid-century modern energy to the room.

However, I didn’t want it to look like a total reproduction—the piece had to have my personal stamp on it. So, I added distressing by sanding in between each color block and all over the panel.

All the colors used were those I’d already selected for my living room’s color scheme. Some paints were latex samples and some were acrylic craft paints. The wood was a panel of luan plywood I’d had in my stash, previously painted in a light gray (so my base coat was already done 🙂 ). After sanding, I sealed the piece with a few coats of Polycrylic in semi-gloss.

In addition to color blocking on the wall behind the TV, I added color blocking to my Expedit entertainment center. I simply cut out posterboard and blue craft paper, taping these together to use as backing.

I wasn’t concerned about these panels being sturdy or how they’d look from the back because they’re against the wall. Plus, using the tape makes them easy to remove in the future.

That’s just one part of my living room “makeover.” Stay tuned for more!

What do you think of color blocking? Have you used in it in your home? Do you have to come up with creative ways to add color without painting the walls?
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