Here’s how she did it:

I originally thought of the room idea to inspire me while I’m working at home. Bright colors stimulate the mind (reds and yellows are used in restaurants to make people eat more… pastels in kids rooms help calm children, etc..) so I chose a collection of bright colors I thought would work well for me. Before I began, I researched different patterns to use or use in a modified form inside the circles. The most resourceful I found for pattern ideas were scrapbook websites (I had a difficult time finding ANYTHING useful so that’s why I’m listing this part as a resource). The patterns I liked were printed so I could get a better idea of what it would look like. I then did the usual paint preparation (placed masking tape on the trim, drop cloth, etc…) I painted the walls themselves a very subtle beige and the trim and the ceiling base coat was painted white. Once the paint was dry, I went around marking where I wanted the circles by placing small pencil marks where the approximate sides of the circle would be.

Some of the circles were intentionally placed where the corners intersected them (to break up the negative space). Then I grabbed a tape measure, a thumb tack, a piece of fairly sturdy string (about the thickness of embroidery thread but I’m sure anything comparable would work… just not sewing thread). According to my pencil marks I made earlier for the circles, I measured horizontally from one pencil mark to the next (which determine the outer edge of the circle). I divided that measurement by 2 to find the exact center…. I then tied one end of the string around the tack and placed the tack in the very center of the circle (according to the measurements, of course). The other end of the string was tied to a pencil… I used the string like a compass to draw the circles on the wall. An overhead projector can also be used to draw the circles but I didn’t have that available to me so I had to improvise – ha! I then painted a wide trim around the circles with alternating colors.

I went back to paint the patterns inside the circles after the trim was dry. In one of the photos you can see that I used a semi-gloss clear coat to paint over some of the circles (one of which I painted large stripes in). Most of the patterns you see in the circles were measured out, marked on the wall with pencil and then masking tape was laid to use as a guide.

The ceiling is actually my favorite part… and it’s simple to do! All I did was measure (from the walls toward the center) for however wide I wanted the square to be, laid masking tape, painted and moved on to the next color.

Katye further noted that a rug she got a great deal on at eBay became an inspiration for the room. It reminded her of one of Kandinsky’s paintings that is a favorite of hers and just happens to be a favorite of mine, too!

Farbstudie Quadrate, c.1913 Wassily Kandinsky 32×24 Fine Art Print Buy From Art.com