Courtney Warren is a Texas-based interior designer whose work has been featured in Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Apartment Therapy, and Today.com. She is a frequent consultant on Fox 4 TV’s Good Day program in Dallas, was ranked in the top 3 percent of interior designers in the US by Houzz.com, and starred in the Dallas episode of TLC’sFour Houses. She delights in helping overwhelmed clients create beautiful spaces—and will never turn down a warm chocolate chip cookie or Diet Dr Pepper.
Making an ombré leaf wall is more of a technical art than anything else. Dare to be different? Take your pick and create an ombré leaf wall for a sweet spot in your home. We envisioned a metallic ombré leaf wall for our client–using pretty shades of gold and silver.
After I finalized the wall’s measurements, colors, and a few sourced photos for inspiration, we started to prep our sheeny, elegant look!
Our vision was to create something that would feel at home in an Anthropologie window.
Christina Frederick, the Customer Styling Director of Anthropologie, encourages a willingness to try new things and experiment! At Courtney Warren Home, I’m all about bringing cheer into every nook and corner of your home. BUT, I also inspire you to try any style that speaks to you (even if it may be out of the norm). It’s okay to ditch traditional and safe!
Our ombré leaf wall sure makes a statement. What a great way to develop your eye! AND give a moment of drama to the client’s home as soon as someone enters.
We had tons of fun creating and hanging leaf garlands against a stark black wall. Can you figure out how many metallic shades we used?
-Three! Here’s a quick breakdown of how we achieved this look.
The colors I chose for this accent wall:
I spray painted hundreds of fabric maple leaves in those three shades over a couple of hours. While they were drying, I charted out three things:
See? It’s definitely more technical than you think! The chart helped me figure out what lengths to hang each garland at. This ensured that there wouldn’t be a straight line on top (that would be distracting).
It also helped me know how many garlands we needed and which order to glue the leaves on.
Once the order for the garlands was in place, we attached the leaves. Two dots of hot glue for each leaf worked great.
And to ensure that the leaves got all the attention, we made the garlands out of clear fishing line. This is a time-consuming process, but after this, it’s ready to hang.
When working in a client’s home, the most important thing is to take GOOD care of their space! This meant that we needed to hang the ombré leaf wall without leaving a trace.
The easy solution? Pull out the command hooks! Easy removal, no sticky residue, or elbow grease needed.
Another issue we ran into was airflow. Leaves on fishing line weigh nothing, so every time the door opened, the garlands might fly everywhere or tangle up.
To give each leaf garland a little hold, we added some weight. This prevented the airflow issue. I hot glued a washer (from a hardware store) to the bottom leaf. And then, to keep that small piece of metal from damaging the wall, I glued two small dots on the back of each washer.
We finished assembling every leaf garland. We were ready for install day! I put up a command hook in the top corners of the wall and one between them. Using the fishing line again, I tied one horizontal strand at the top of the wall, using the command hooks to secure it. Then, thanks to my trusty chart, we only had one more step to go! We tied on the fishing line garlands at the correct measurements. Done!
By the way, there are so many other ways to welcome in fall with faux leaf DIYs. If you’re curious about which other projects you can DIY in your home, we’ve got a few recommendations…
Here are a few easy DIYers anyone can do in their home. DIY projects are usually easy to do! Plus, you’ll accomplish most within one day and all for under $100.
Zero handymen required.
We’re DIY fans because they’re super fantastic ways you can update your house cheaply!
If you decide to try our ombré leaf wall in your home, I’d love to see it. Share your designs with me on my Facebook page and follow along for weekly design tips!
I’m excited to hear from you. We’re available for all your holiday decorating needs this season! Or, if there are any other design questions on your mind, consult with us safely.
We offer a complimentary, no-strings-attached phone call consultation. We can also consult by video conference. If you’d like to meet in your home, please know we will use all current safety protocols.
Let’s find ways to help you love your home!
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