I always chose safe at our first house. Safe paint colors, safe plans, safe everything. But at the cabin, I’ve gone completely rogue! I painted a sun across our upstairs powder room with a slanted ceiling, and every ray was freehand. What could go wrong? 😂
The sun I never got to paint
In our original cabin, there was a hallway outside the kitchen, and I wanted to paint a sun on that wall just over a spot where we were going to put a small breakfast bar. Then the whole cabin had to come down, and the dream of the sun went with it.
The corner
So when we rebuilt, and when we were putting up the drywall ceilings and walls in this little bathroom with neat angles and peaked ceiling, I wanted to do something fun with it. That’s when the sun painting came back into my mind. Why not have it on the ceiling that sloped over the room – and in the corner area so it would spread across two walls and look like the sun was rising or setting right there. Indeed, why not? I’m sure there are plenty of reasons. But below were my inspiration images…
Below is the space: a small powder room with a pink wall, a slanted ceiling, and a corner where two walls meet. I wanted the sun to rise from the pink line, with yellow only on the white wall above it, spanning both the slanted wall and the vertical one.
The color you picked
I asked you to help me choose, and you picked Sunny Side Up from Sherwin-Williams. I used a quart, which was $40 (it goes on sale this week, of course). Yellow is a thin color, so I put on three coats. Two would have been fine.
Here’s what I liked: the second coat showed more variation in color, which looked very authentic and art-like. I added the third coat anyway, and it made the color crisp and clean.
The circle (Mike’s flashlight trick)
We tried the folded-corner method and cardboard templates first. Neither worked well in the corner.
Then Mike had an idea: shine a flashlight into the corner. He moved it around until the circle of light looked right and was about the size we wanted. Then, with the lights off, I went in and lightly drew a rough line around the edge of the light. That was harder than it sounds, since I was drawing right at the edge of the glow in the dark. But it worked surprisingly well.
The rays (the scary part)
For the rays, I didn’t draw any lines. No pencil, no tape, no stencil. I painted each one by eye.
I’ll be honest: after the first swipe of paint for the first ray, I stood there having a hard time picturing where to go next. I was doubting all of my life choices at that moment. 😂
To move on, I went back to my inspiration piece and looked at how the rays were painted so I just tried to make one. Then, I stood back and wanted it even bigger. Then the fun began.
The reveal
When the last ray went on, I opened the door and… ta da! The powder room isn’t finished, but the sun is up.
What it cost
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- Sherwin-Williams Sunny Side Up, 1 quart: $40
- Home Plus 15 mm round trim paint brush from Ace Hardware: $6.69
- Wooster short angle paint brush*: $6.80
- Painter’s tape*: already had
- Total: about $53.49
(We also did scalloped trim* in the edge below the sun, but it isn’t part of the mural, so I didn’t count it.)
What I’d do differently
Maybe I would plan more. Nah. Never mind! I would have overthought it. (Oh, never mind…I did overthink it anyway!)
Also the scallops didn’t work with a nail gun. And I later found that there are scalloped trim in rolls rather than 15 inch sections so I might try those.
Would I do it again?
Mike said, “It’s just paint. We can always paint over it.” But that’s not happening! Choosing fun over safe was a lot more fun than I expected and I smile every time I look at it. I hope everyone else does too.
Quick FAQ
How do you draw a circle in a corner?
We tried a folded-paper method and cardboard templates, then used a flashlight. We moved it until the circle looked right, then traced the edge of the light lightly in pencil.
How many coats of yellow paint do you need?
We used three. Two would have been fine, but the third made the color crisp and clean.
Can you paint a mural without a stencil?
We drew a rough line for the circle and painted the rays by eye. But there are many other ways to do it. Believe me, we researched, talked to artists, watched videos, and more. Turns out there is no one way! You can also use a mural or tape if that’s more your vibe.
What’s next
The powder room isn’t done. We’re working on the secret door bookcase that will lead to the hidden nook. Subscribe to get part 2 in your inbox.
Also, there might be a shiplap ceiling hanging party happening next week with Mike & friends. We will see…
