Stenciling a Subtle Design

I have not done stenciling myself, so you can imagine how excited I was to learn that my daughter had decided to tackle this project on her own. We had talked about it and discussed colors and where it would be effective— the whole process— but I left it up to her to do her own creating. She will admit, it took her some time to gain the courage to jump in, and then the job had to be put on hold. I know how hard it is to get back to a project once it has been postponed mid-way through.

Her newly built bathroom was nearly complete, that is to say it was pretty and has been functional for some time, but she wanted the commode area to have a little design in and of itself. Her plan is to add some shelves and baskets over the tank for more storage, but before that, she wanted a simple trellis design stenciled onto the wall directly behind the commode.

The first thing she did was plan where the stencil would begin and mark it on the wall with a light pencil; then, with an all purpose, temporary fixative to hold the stencil pattern to the wall, she began. She used paint same color as the walls, except the stencil paint was a high gloss, while the walls were a softer finish. With a small foam tool, she stamped the glossy paint over the stencil as far as the stencil would reach; then she carefully removed the stencil from the wall and allowed the paint to dry a bit; next, she repositioned the stencil with the fixative and began the process over again.

The finished wall is so subtle and pretty, she said she was inclined to do all the walls, but she restrained her impulse and is happier with the end result. Covering all the walls would have detracted from some of the other pretty elements in the room. While the commode area is separated from the room in a manner of speaking, it isn’t the focal point; but it did need a bit of attention, and this detail is just right. The effect is not unlike seeing a shadow on the wall; sometimes you can see it and sometimes you are not sure it is there.

This is a project that she can be immensely proud of, and it is surprising how lovely it looks; it is a detail that is unexpected and therefore gives the room an added element of elegance. This technique can be used in many different ways, and a higher contrast can add more drama. You must decide how much of one effect over another you wish to add to a room or a portion of a room. This bathroom is a case of “less is more”.