Stencils: All Grown Up and Sophisticated

Have a steady hand? Get the look of wallpaper for a lot less

Janell Beals 26 February 2011

Designer, writer, renovator

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Stencil designs have recently undergone quite the makeover, and when done well a stenciled wall can even be mistaken for wallpaper. Stenciling a wall can be a great way to introduce pattern to a room, with the benefit of costing significantly less. And don’t forget other surfaces — stencils are being used on ceilings and floors, and even as a way to elevate a simple fabric.

This stencil design beautifully demonstrates how fabulous a stenciled wall can look in a bedroom, replicating the look of an expensive wallpaper at a fraction of the cost. (Labor not included!) This and the next design are from Cutting Edge Stencils.

The same design in highly contrasting colors adds modern drama to a living area. Geometric patterns are currently a very popular choice in stencil designs.

Michelle Hinckley

And don't forget the ceilings! Michelle of Three Men and a Lady stenciled the ceiling of a hall bathroom with the trellis stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils.

Janell Beals - House of Fifty

A stairwell wall becomes a focal point when stenciled with the Mirium stencil from Whitewall & Co.

Lauren Liess Interiors

Stencils are not just for walls. Here a stencil is used to create a design on fabric. For this room Lauren of Pure Style Home stenciled a length of fabric, which then became a canopy in a nursery.

Floors can also be beautifully enhanced by painting a stencil design on their surface.

This room showcases how striking painting floors with a stencil design can be, particularly if done on worn floors that benefit from an update.

Kim Metheny

A wall painted with a stencil design in two tones of pink is very pretty when used in a bedroom.

Janell Beals - House of Fifty

The pattern above the fireplace was hand painted in the living room of my own home, and I liked the design so much I had it made into a stencil.

Here the stencil version of the design covers one wall in a hall bathroom, taking just a fraction of the time it took to paint the area above the fireplace!

Paint A Lifestyle

This is a stenciled wall I could easily confuse for wallpaper. Here the designer used the same color for both the wall and stencil, adding glaze for the stenciled portion, creating a dramatic result.

Next:
How to Use a Stencil Roller
How to Use a Stencil Brush
Browse more home design photos

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True Interiors, LLC

In this space we created a custom stencil in cad, printed it and traced onto a vellum sheet and hand stenciled the pattern on the soffit for a special touch to this Arts and Crafts space.

1 Like 4 June 2012 at 9:23am

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Royal Design Studio Stencils

Thank you for featuring our Indian Paisley stencil collection! You can find the full collection here: www.royaldesignstudio.com along with our full stencil inventory and how to's :)

Like 9 July 2014 at 1:31am

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