The palletless pallet wall

We are nearing the finish line with Alyssa's attic apartment.

Mostly finish work,

painting, installing shelves,

bringing in furniture.

Yes the end is in sight.

So what does that have to do with pallets?

I had a definite vision for the room .

White walls, dark floors with some rustic and industrial accents.

I've already shared the barn door that leads to the attic.

The oposite wall was to be covered in wood slats from pallets.

(Real Housewives of Bucks County)

I shared the above photo with Mitch.

He liked it. Phew, that was a relief.

Not because he wants (or gets) a lot of say so in the details of decorating,

but because I knew I'd be needing his help.

I found a source for as many pallets as it would take

but when the time came to go get them,

he started giving me all the reasons it may not work.

Pallets are very heavy-

they are super rough, do you know how rough they are?

Do you know how hard it's going to be to get them apart?

Do you know how many it will take to do a whole wall?

Do you realize how heavy they are?

Finally I acted like any mature and understanding wife and said

just forget about it.

And I went outside to pout and paint baseboards.

While I was painting and pouting, a conversation was taking place in my head.

A good vs. evil conversation.

I'll spare you the details, and just say good won out.

As much as I wanted to pout, all I could think about was how hard

he works and all that he does for me and our family.

I was the one who wanted the pallet wall,

but he would be the one doing most of the work.

I wasn't ready to give up my vision for the room entirely,

I just knew I had to come up with a different plan.

(The Lettered Cottage)

I was looking at this photo on Pinterest, because of the daybed.

We are going to make a window seat/bed for Bayleigh and want to do something like this.

Then I noticed the wall behind the bed.

If you read the post, the boards on the wall are from an old gymnasium floor.

Cool. I just need to find some old gym floor boards.

Yea, like that's likely to happen.

But then (probably the same night)  I saw this.

(Beneath my Heart)

And the wheels began to turn.

I wanted the look of old aged wood,

but something I could handle myself.

Bingo!

This is what I bought, the same planks Traci was using on her ceiling.

I bought them at Lowe's.

Six eight foot planks to a pack.

For some reason, I expected them to be around ten dollars a pack,

but they were closer to $15 a pack.

That wasn't easy, you know I'm

all about thrifty decorating.

The pallets would have been free.

I decided if I turned out as I hoped, it would be worth the money spent.

I finished the wall today and

it is worth every penny!!!

I. Am. In. LOVE!

Like I said, the room isn't finished, the window has to be painted,

but I couldn't wait to share.

I'll be back tomorrow to share some of the steps I took to get here,

in case you want a non pallet, pallet wall for yourself.

Happy New Year friends!

xo Autum

 

 

Comments

[Molly]

Oh WOW!!!! That is really gorgeous!

[Shannon]

Love, love the wall and am super excited to learn how you did it! My husband would also not be a fan of heavy, rough (albeit FREE) pallet wood, so am thrilled you've developed an alternative! Thanks for blogging!

[calbrecan]

I absolutely love that wall. Such a cool treatment! Happy New Year to you and your family!

[domesticali]

It looks amazing - your decorating is always so inspiring (not least because you share the process). Happy New Year!

[Autum]

Thank you Ali!
Happy New Year to you and your family.

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you so much!!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Shannon. This is one time Im so glad he didnt want to go along with me. This was so much easier and the wall is perfectly smooth. We dont have to worry about Bayleigh getting splinters.
Have a wonderful day!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Molly. I love it. The room is very void of any interest, just a white box, so this really makes you say wow when you step off the stairs into the room. The plan also included shelves, but now I hate to do anything that would cover up the wall.

Have a wonderful day!

xo Autum

[Brooke]

Love it! Can't wait to see more!!!! Happy New Year!

[Autum]

Thank you Brooke!

xo Autum

[Cindy]

that is coming along great! I can not wait to see it finished

[Pine Tree Home]

Genius. They looks awesome. Can't wait to for more. I've always eyed those packages at Lowes too.

[Carrie]

How cool! That looks wonderful.

[Bridgette]

I'm surprised at how much I like it, I'm a LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT lover. The mixture of stains is perfect, I like it much better than the pallet project. Glad to hear that no marital happiness was hurt during construction :)

[Autum]

Thanks Bridgette. I have surprised myself too with how much Im loving wood tones these days. I am the one who usually paints over wood without a second thought. I think the key is for it to be an accent and not dominate the room. I love butcher block with painted cabinets or a dresser with a stained top and painted bottom. This room is so void of architectural details, it needed something strong to keep it from being a white box. Its making me happy ; )

Happy New Year!

xo Autum

[Christina]

Gorgeous! Love it!

[Kelly]

Your wall is just gorgeous! I'm excited to see what the whole apartment looks like. :)

[Mary Sarah]

This is such a great idea and the room is gonna look great! Can't wait to see it when you've added more of your decorating genius!

[Autum]

Thank you Mary Sarah!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Christina!

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Kelly. I hope Ill have something to share very soon. It finally seems to be near the finish line.

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thank you Cindy.

xo Autum

[Autum]

Thanks! Now that Ive worked with the v-groove and know how easy it is, I want to do my kitchen ceiling with it.

xo Autum

[thistlewood farm]

Oh my goodness! I am visiting from Linda's blog and I am pinning this....could I say it in capital letters....could I scream it from the rooftops! You are a GENIUS! I love this idea. I am going to re-create this project myself. I cannot say it enough. YOU ARE A ROCKSTAR!

PS Oh, I almost forgot! Thanks for joining our challenge!

[Autum]

Im so glad you like the wall! It has to be one of my favorite projects. Please let me know when you make your own palletless wall. Id love to see pictures.
Im excited to join the challenge. Im nervous, but excited!

xo Autum