Energetic Loft Mural DIY

By Else Kerkmann | @else.kerkmann

I was raised in a small mountain resort town in Oregon where everyone thought houses should be a combo of brown, beige and white. In fact, the community design guidelines stipulated that the exterior paint colors needed to be in the gray and/or brown family to blend in with nature. It wasn’t until I traveled outside of my little bubble, to Mexico City, that I learned how powerful paint could be in transforming a space (this was before the internet, kids). I was only 13, but I can still remember how alive I felt as I explored the city. It was a color explosion and I was there for it!

Painting my walls in my childhood room was never presented as an option for me, so I had to resort to tapestries and whatever free movie posters I could snag to cover up my drab tan walls. Close your eyes and envision a wall to wall poster of Daryl Hannah as a mermaid in “Splash”. Yep, that was how desperate I was for some version of design.

Fast forward to today where I finally get to live out my childhood dreams as I refresh this a-frame loft for my kids. You better believe some bold paint was the starting point for the design. My girls happen to be quite creative and I want this space to evoke energy, inspiration and fun. Now to pin down the right colors to accomplish this. 

Before

Due to some tight deadlines and my always busy life of juggling work, farm duties and kiddos, I really only had evenings to work on this project. When I discovered I could actually select my paint right from the comforts of home and even have all of the supplies delivered to my house, I was all in. If I can get my groceries delivered, why not paint?! I cannot emphasize enough what a game changer this experience was for me as a full time DIYer/designer. Working with the Dunn-Edwards DURA team to pull this off was a literal dream. The process started with a virtual color consultation with Isabella from the DURA team. I don’t know how she does it. I was able to ramble all of my wild mural design ideas and she and I were able to pin down the perfect colors to help my vision come to life.

COLORS USED

Beautiful Blue

Wild Blue Yonder

Classic White

While I was skim coating the 70’s chunky knock down texture on the wall to prep for the mural, Isabella sent off some swatches and sticker samples. Before my primer could dry, everything was at my door. To be honest, I could have skipped this step because the Dunn-Edwards DURA website is so good at showing how the color actually looks off the computer screen. Before I knew it, the paint was on the truck to my house and I was sketching my design. 

SHOP PAINT TOOLS

As a muralist, I’m kinda picky about paint. Shocking, right?! If the paint doesn’t have good coverage, if it doesn’t flow off the brush just right…it’s just not going to work. I don’t have time to apply 3 or 4 coats. Especially on designs like this one with a million little shapes. And after hours and hours of painting, this mural better hold up to the inevitable abuse it will endure in a teenage hangout space.

Lucky for me, Dunn-Edwards DURA interior paint checked all of the boxes for this paint snob! The best part of it all is that my daughters are actually excited to have this room to create and play in. Maybe now they’ll even be inspired to clean up after themselves. Free to dream, right?

Products Used

Colors Used

Ready to start your own DIY project? Book a Color Session with a Color Influencer to help you through your color journey, or take a paint color quiz to decide your style! Our team knows just the right questions to ask to understand your goals, help you sort through color and gloss options, and even connect you with some clever sampling tools. Whether you want to talk for 5 minutes or an hour—whenever you want to talk—our team is ready when you are.