oversized chalkboard

I love home decor that plays with scale and size. When my husband and I were house hunting, one of the features of our town home that I fell in love with are the large walls and vaulted ceilings. The actual footprint of the rooms are not enormous, but the high ceilings provide, as Anne would say, "scope for imagination".

I have seen oversized bulletin boards and chalkboards in magazines and always admired them. They are that perfect marriage of functionality and style. When we moved into our home I promised myself that I would not be overwhelmed with the pressure to furnish and decorate all the rooms at once. I wanted to be able to live in the rooms a bit, see how the light moved through them.

Recently, I felt ready to tackle dining room. There is a doorway from the dining room into the kitchen. It is a narrow space and I knew that whatever would go on that wall would need to be non-obtrusive. My husband helped me pick up a 4ft by 8ft piece of plywood from Lowe's. It laid on my dining room table for a week as we took turns first putting down two coats of wall paint and then later 4 coats of chalkboard paint. I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out!

We talked about building a border or frame around it by using crown molding or trim pieces. In the end, I opted against it because I did not want it to extend in the walking space at all. I put two widths of painters tape around the edge of the plywood and after the paint dried, it left a very sharp edge.

To help keep the minimalist look, my husband attached it to the wall with screws through the dark chalkboard painted corners. He then went back over and dabbed chalkboard paint directly on the screws so they really blend in. I am grateful he has the patience to get the details right. I get too excited at the end of projects and just want to finish them, then later regret not taking the time to polish things up properly.

This week I had dear friends over for dinner and it was fun to write out the menu in large font on the board. I anticipate also using it for favorite quotes, grocery lists, and messages to my love.