Want to take your wall decor to a whole new level? Try stenciling! An easy way for DIYers to jazz up their interiors, the simple technique calls for mounting a sheet made of Mylar plastic or acetate paper with a cutout design onto a wall and applying paint over it, causing the motif to transfer onto the surface. “I have gotten such a huge response to it since I started my career about 20 years ago,” says Pauline Curtiss, founder of Patina Designs, a decorative paint studio based in Boston. “People are crazy for it now," she asserts.
The seasoned artist—who sketches and cuts her own stencils by hand—uses a tight nap trim roller loaded with a minimal amount of paint to coat the sheet (which can be secured using tape or a spray adhesive), leaving behind a unique pattern. (Not the best when it comes to drawing? Just find a design online and print it out!) To ensure that it comes out evenly, use a laser level or a tape line the repeat is lined up,” she advises.
Aside from walls, Curtiss loves to stencil ceilings and floors. “I enjoy going up onto ceilings to bring them into the space, and also dealing with interesting modern architecture where there are ceiling slopes or super-high foyers,” she says. The method is additionally handy in situations where durability is a concern and painting the floor can help strengthen the flooring material. It’s also useful when hardwood can't be refinished and sanding it down would cause too much gapping in between the floorboards, since it only requires removing the top polyurethane layer.
Much like patterned wallpaper, it’s also great for concealing mismatched hardwoods or variations in plank width or grain. “I think it’s a wonderful way of fading things in and out from one space to the next,” Curtiss asserts. For an extra layer of complexity, “I mix in varying amounts of glazes and then brush the pattern to create a stria effect or rag roll it to create depth," she reveals.
Ready to give stenciling a shot? Before you begin, click here for a video tutorial courtesy of Curtiss and shop some of our favorite stencils below!
Stencil Revolution Forest Pattern Wall Stencil
Royal Design Studio Flourish Allover Wall Stencil
Royal Design Studio Flourish Allover Wall Stencil
StencilsLabNY Large Decorative Geometic Pattern
StencilsLabNY Reusable Geometric Wall Stencil
Cutting Edge Stencils Deco Fans Allover Wall Stencil
Cutting Edge Stencils Deco Fans Allover Wall Stencil
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Kristin Tablang is a senior editor at House Beautiful, where she covers design, real estate, culture, and travel. Before joining HB, she served as the lifestyle assistant editor at Forbes and Haute Residence editor at Haute Living. Born and raised in New York, she’s a proud alumna of both the City’s Macaulay Honors College and Bronx High School of Science, and is currently an MBA candidate at NYU’s Stern School of Business. An avid photographer and gourmand with an insatiable wanderlust, she'd traverse the globe with just a fork and camera in hand if she could. Visit her website at www.kristintablang.com to view her complete works and get in touch.
