Let your child’s imagination run free and immerse yourself in the marvellous world of storytelling murals. Providing a fantastic backdrop for a child’s bedroom, these cleverly painted walls can bring your child’s favourite characters or stories to life – whether they have a fascination for outer space or love spending time at local farms with the animals! And what better way to enrich these interiors by making them interactive?
With a nature-inspired skyline, our humble farm mural was enriched with a chalkboard barn, leafy magnetic trees and stencilled animals to set the scene. Introducing a painted chalkboard wall makes for a great focal point in your child’s bedroom. Not only are these practical additions right on-trend, but they are also an easy DIY project that allows you to be creative with your designs. Our barn was painted using the Liitu Blackboard Paint, an easy-to-apply paint that can be tinted to any shade from our Feel the Colour collection – so there is no need to restrict yourself to a traditional black or green. The luscious pastel hue of J383 Tinkerbell used to paint the chalkboard barn complements the airy atmosphere of the sky (Y370 Capri) and the rolling fields of green grass (V389 Yellow Transparent) that encompasses the surrounding walls. The full-matt Joker interior paint was chosen for the walls as its luxurious quality adds a depth of richness to subtle shades with a beautiful silk-like effect. Boasting a low VOC-emission level, the Joker range is certified by the Allergy, Skin and Asthma Association (Helsinki), the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, the EU Ecolabel and holds the M1 Emission Classification, making this paint one of the most eco-conscious for your home.
Using the environmentally-friendly semi-matt Helmi 30 furniture paint, a bold burst of colour was added by refreshing the legs of a wooden stool in the bold green tones of M384 Basilica. The water-based acrylic Helmi 30 Paint is a tested replacement for traditional solvent furniture paint, making it a safe choice for the children’s bedrooms.
Putting the idea into practice
1. FIRST STEPS
Begin by wiping the surface of the wall clean. If the surface requires a deeper clean, use the Tikkurila Maalipesu cleaning agent to remove unwanted dirt and leave it to dry. Lay down dust sheets to protect the floorspace and cover mouldings and sockets with masking tape. If the wall surface needs to be levelled or the previous paint is a darker colour, apply a coat of Optiva Primer. Choose Optiva Primer in the shade close to your new topcoat.
2. PAINTING THE WALLS
For the farm scene, we drew a horizontal line at a height of 120cm to create a skyline effect. The upper part of the wall was painted using the full-matt Joker paint in Y370 Capri and the lower part with V389 Yellow Transparent. Stir well before use and thin with water if necessary. Apply the first coat with a paint roller or brush, and once dry, reapply a second coat if desired.
3. PAINTING THE BARN WALL
Begin by making the centre of the barn’s base at the bottom of the wall. At the point, draw a vertical line to a height of 180cm and mark with a pencilled dot. At the bottom of the wall, measure horizontally 100cm in both directions from the centre point and mark the endpoints; these indicate the width of the tent of 200cm total. Draw 140cm vertical lines from the outermost points at the bottom using a spirit level and mark both ends. To draw the barn roof, use string to join outer walls with the centre point of the barn and follow along the string by drawing freehand onto the wall. Finish by applying wide masking tape to the barn’s outer edges.
Paint the barn using the shade J383 Tinkerbell with a small roller for the outermost edges, then continue painting with a larger roller – allow to dry completely and apply a second layer of paint. Remove the tape as soon as you have finished painting.
4. PAINTING THE MAGNETIC TREES
Begin by planning where you want to paint the trees in the farmyard scene, and use a small plate to trace around for the tree foliage; repeat this seven times to get a round shape. In the centre of your tree, draw the tree trunk freehand down to the base of the wall. Mix Tikkurila Magnetic thoroughly and apply three coats using a thin brush, allowing the paint to dry between each layer. Paint the trees using the shade J383 Tinkerbell, pre-mixed with the Liitu Blackboard Paint with a small paintbrush for the outermost edges, then continue painting with a slightly larger brush – allow to dry completely before applying the second layer of paint.
Clean your tools with water and soap, or use Tikkurila Pensselipesu tool cleaner for more in-depth results. Make sure to follow the instructions on the label.