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It's a bold statement, but I think that feature walls might just be my favorite DIY project that exists. They are the project that made me fall in love with DIY, and they are OH SO doable. Whether you are a novice or a pro when it comes to home improvement projects, feature walls are a project that anyone can do, and they will definitely leave you with some amazing before and afters. I recently tackled the calendar wall in our house that is right off the kitchen, and in doing so, I realized that there are really 5 Essentials for creating an awesome feature wall, and I thought it would only be right to share them with all of you!

1. LEVEL. Get yourself a good level. I really intend to explain all of these to you, but this one is pretty darn self explanatory. I love this level because its magnetic so it sticks to the tool box and garage fridge so that I always know where it is, but I also highly recommend having a little fella like this guy on hand for when the big kahuna doesn't fit.

2. STUD FINDER. Cue the dad jokes, but seriously. I find that marking the studs with a pencil prior to placing your trim on the wall. That way, everything is all marked out and you are trying to put up a piece of trim or a board and find the studs at the same time. Depending on how old your home is, you are going to want to have a nice stud finder, because though industry standards tell you how far studs should be spaced, homes are not all equal, and some walls (particularly old ones) do not abide by those standards. In our old home, we have tried a BUNCH of stud finders, only to end up with more holes in our wall than we have stud finders, and frustration levels to the max. Our walls are plaster, on top of mesh, on top of drywall, and finding the studs has literally only been possible with this. Find what works for you and your home, but don't forget to locate those studs!

3. BRAD NAILER. Can you put up a feature wall without one? Yep. Do you want to? I would argue that if you try it with a brad nailer like this one just one time, you will never do it any other way again. They can be intimidating at first, but my brad nailer has become by far my favorite tool to use.

4. SPACKLING. Totally a necessary evil, but emphasis on the necessary. Once you have all of your pieces up, you'll want to fill all of those holes. Depending on whether you are planning on painting the wall or not (I've never not painted one), you will want to use spackling or wood filler to fill all the seams and nail holes so that everything looks seamless in the end!

5. CAULK. See above. Seriously though, its another completely necessary evil, but the difference between caulking and not caulking is completely night and day! It is tedious, but it means that you are that much closer to your finished masterpiece, so hang in there!

I'm sure some of you might be thinking that I'm overlooking the MOST important piece of the puzzle, which is the trim itself. I purposefully didn't mention it, because there are just SO MANY different options as far as design of feature walls. From shiplap to geometric patterns to board and batten to picture frame moulding... the options are truly endless. However, in my latest feature wall project, I used a few different types of trim to create this look. I wanted the design to make a big impact, but I loved the idea of using understated pieces of trim to accomplish that. I did the double boxes in order to achieve that impactful outcome, and I think the way it frames the calendar is just perfect for the space. For the record, I used this trim , this pole wrap, and one final piece of trim that I have searched the entire internet to find, but to no avail) to create this wall. I really just recommend checking out your local store and finding a couple of pieces that you love, and that fit in with your space and each other. I know it can seem overwhelming, but you've gotta start somewhere- so just go for it! The last piece of the puzzle on this wall was the picture frame light that I added, and I think it's perfect!

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, but I had no idea how much this wall would change this space- I seriously love it so much, and I know if you give a feature wall a whirl, you will too- so just go for it!