Hello and happy Friday! I've been talking a big game about stenciling the entry hall wall in the first picture. And I've had a few different ideas. But because the wall connects from the front door through the kitchen, I've been considering stenciling the whole thing. That means this back kitchen wall - the soffit and back splash area - would also be stenciled. So, I'm keeping in mind that this is potentially a pretty long stretch of stenciled wall as I explore my options. Wanna check the options out? As always, votes and comments welcome.

First up: Drifting Arrows.

So, a bunch of these picks are super trendy - because stenciling your wall is super trendy. But some are more on trend than others, including this Drifting Arrows pattern by Cutting Edge Stencils. If you're at all interested in stenciling your walls, or furniture, or even throw pillows or curtains, definitely check these guys out. I haven't tried using them yet, but I am really impressed by all their designs, and they get pretty good reviews.  Anyway, being a sucker for trendy, graphic patterns, I'm into these arrows. I'd do them as  a dusky gray or even black. Remember that the wall between the living room and kitchen will be black, and in some ways frame the back kitchen wall, so I want the black and the pattern to complement each other. I think this pattern would look great both in the entry and in the kitchen. It's a bit busy, particularly if I do end up going high contrast with a dark color on white walls, but I am really pretty smitten.

For a slightly less trendy, and slightly more casual, organic vibe, Cutting Edge Stencils also has this Myriad Modern design.

I really like the dots. I think I prefer them for the front of the entry, but they'd still look cool in the kitchen. I'm not totally sure a stencil is required here; maybe I could wing this. But the idea is cool. It looks like the background color in this picture has some depth to it, which makes me wonder if I would need to paint a background layer for the stencil to look good. That seems like a lotta work...but so does the whole project, I guess.

Then there's the classic: Bricks. When I started thinking about which pattern would look best to unify the entry and the kitchen, I started thinking about brick. Brick seems like it would really work in this apartment; it would feel natural and blend in, even if it was obviously not a real brick wall. Cutting Edge also makes an allover Brick pattern, which is seen here in gray.

The example gray is lighter and softer than the duskier, darker gray I'd use, but it gives a good idea of the general direction I'd take. I would also try my hand at making the bricks more "realistic" by layering in some different shades and flecks of color. I don't know for sure that I can do that without it looking super cheesy, but I'm willing to experiment on poster board before committing. Once I started thinking about it, I became really, really into the idea of a brick wall. I think it'd look sick in the kitchen and the entry, and be a bit more classic than some of the other designs. So I've also checked out some brick wallpaper options, like this one from Sherwin Williams' Easy Change line. I am really tempted by this; I just need to investigate whether the paper really will be easy to change. It's more expensive than a stencil, but the overall look might be better. If anyone has experience with temporary wallpaper, holla at a girl. For now, I'm ordering a sample to see what I think.

Then I've thought about making my own stencil. I'm drawn to the fish scale and seikaiha patterns I see around, and I like this one from Vector Magz.

I think I could make my own stencil to mimic this pattern, and follow the same technique I used when I redid my mom's bureau with a handmade stencil, tracing around the design with a small paint brush.

Similarly, and probably more easily, I could do a sort of half-moon pattern, like that seen on this rug. I love this pattern, and it was honestly my first thought when I thought of stenciling the entry wall. Instead of stenciling, I thought I'd make my own stamp with a potato and go from there. Still an option. If not here, maybe in the baby's room some day?

Then there's another not-really-a-stencil option: this washi tape cross pattern. This, or something like this, could look pretty cool. Certainly, I think it looks great in the example photo. But I'm not sure if washi tape really has the staying power I need, so I'd probably just paint the crosses if I went that route. Again, super, super, trendy. But so what? Things are trendy for a reason. Because they look cool. Except for jumpers on grown women.

Right now, I'm torn between the bricks and the drifting arrows. But you know how I do: I'll probably be back next week with a watercolor pink wall or something. But if you have a preference or experience, speak up! In the meantime, here's hoping the brick wallpaper stencil knocks my socks off. Have a great weekend, and we'll see you Monday.