All it takes is a little imagination and an age-old art form to add flair to walls, windows, furniture and fabrics. - by Nancy Cornell
Ask decorators what is the most effective, least expensive way to change a room’s appearance and many will answer, “Paint!” To be sure, painting gives a room a completely different look, but adding stenciling to walls, fabrics or furnishings moves the space that much closer to perfection.
The stenciling process, where paint is applied through a cutout design in a sheet of impervious material, predates printing. Ancient stenciled ornamentation has been found in hidden caves in China, on illuminated manuscripts and in Colonial homes.
The wide array of patterns and techniques available today can overwhelm homeowners who opt for stenciling to personalize their rooms. Advice comes from professional stenciler Carolyn Moore, who recommends trying out patterns before committing them to a wall or other surface. “Itinerant artists during Colonial times painted samples in attics to show colors,” says Carolyn. “I do the same thing but on paper for my clients.”
Since stencils come without color ideas or rules, Carolyn suggests you use your imagination and be playful with the craft. “Anything goes,” she says. After all, stenciling is an art without bounds.
Top: Stenciling — in an unexpected spot — adds a shot of color and country-style interest to a bland white staircase.

Left: When lit at night, stenciled
lampshades emit a warm glow. Stylized designs stenciled vertically around the room emulate expensive wallpaper.
Stencil Magic
On Floors:
• Give the illusion of spaciousness by stenciling a bold checkerboard floor in a small room. The graphic design keeps the eye moving.

• Remember the importance of scale when working on a floor. For dramatic effect, think bold and broad rather than intricate and detailed.

On Furniture:
• Stencils can enliven a dated, boring piece of furniture. Treat a beat-up flea market find as your canvas, with designs limited only by your imagination.

• Kitchen chairs make good subjects for beginners. Simple, coordinating designs can pull odd chairs into a cohesive group.

• Spread one large pattern across the front of a chest of drawers.

• Stenciled borders on tabletops add style and frame shapes.

• A trunk or blanket chest provides ample space to tell a story in stenciling (e.g., Noah’s ark, with animals trailing around all the sides).

• Remember to stencil even less obvious areas on the furniture, such as the sides of a chest, so the design looks rich, not skimpy.

Stenciling Secrets From A Pro
• Go for sharp, clean edges. Avoid using too much paint: a loaded paintbrush will leak beneath the stencil and blur the edges of the design.

• Use a delicate, circular movement rather than a stippling motion for a more attractive paint texture.

• When painting flowers on a wall to coordinate with floral fabrics or rugs, use different designs to create a more natural look.

• Limit the amount of stenciling in your home. Too much and it loses its punch and lacks the element of surprise.

• The painting effect — whether opaque or translucent — determines the feeling of a stenciled print. Flat, opaque prints with no color gradations work well in contemporary and Victorian décor, and under strong natural light, where translucent prints might look washed out.

• Translucent, shaded prints give the impression of depth and a patina of age that complement country homes.

This ceiling border stencil is simple and casual, reflecting the home’s primitive mood—in both style and color.

Stories told in stenciling add immense interest to large, plain walls, and furnishings such as trunks and tables.
Photos: Bradley Olman