Stencil on painted walls.

[plasticpigeon]

I am thinking of being more adventurous with decor in my small Edwardian house. There are things I'm not keen on about period decor, particularly drapes over mantles, and I'm not keen on the twee porcelain like the dogs etc, but I do like pattern. I have red walls in my front room, but would like more pattern and thought perhaps I could do a stencil pattern, perhaps damask or something to look like wallpaper. Here is a room at Beamish museum that although is very fussy I like the look of. Has anyone done stencil pattern all over a wall, and was it successful?? Thanks.

 

[88v8]

Gosh, is that your house, don't remember it being that detailed.
The drapes are a bit fussy, but a true period feature in the right setting.

I am contemplating a stencil on one of our storage heaters.
Found this site, may be some use to you.
http://www.stencilwarehouse.com/acatalog/Formal-Stencils.html

Ivor

 

[plasticpigeon]

Ha ha, noo, that is not my house, it is a room at the Beamish museum, but I very much like the look created and the patterned wallpaper is an example of something that I like that I thought I may be able to reproduce with a stencil. It is very difficult to make such a look I am finding, and also my house is smaller than the above so I don't have the space to play with but I can use it as inspiration.

 

[Cubist]

Sorry but rooms like that give me the screamin abdabs. Being, as the First Lady would tell you, a klutz, I would be terrified to sit down lest I discovered, and crushed, the cat.

Sorry PP, its not for me, and given you're looking for the kind of advice for which I am not typically permitted an opinion I will demur from further comment beyond I could well imagine Sherlock ensconced in such an establishment with Pipe and Fiddle, but, if it were me, I would need his hypodermic needle. :roll:

 

[Flyfisher]

I suppose stencilling is worth a try but I suspect that, unless done pretty much perfectly, it might look acceptable in a wide angle photo but would readily reveal its imperfections in close up. I get that patterned walls can be highly desirable but I'd suggest that's why wallpaper was invented. :wink:

 

[livias]

Eveyone is being so negative. I think it could be fine and very suitably period to the house
You should stencil. In a very similar colour to the wall itself like they did in the museum so the wall does not leap.out at you. Perhaps add a little dark pigment to the same paint.

Look forward to seeing the results. I suspect you will be unsure at first but put furniture back in the room and suddenly it will be interesting texture without dominating

 

[Me!]

My wife stencilled luminous stars on the ceiling of a children's bedroom many years ago, and for that it was very effective.
From what I remember it is necessary to use a stippling action with a short haired brush to minimise the paint getting under the stencil and onto the bits of wall that you don't want covered. Even so, the edges of the stencil pattern on the wall are not going to be perfectly sharp, so for a pattern like the one in your photo with a similar colour red used for both the base on the wall and the pattern then I think it would be fine. But, if you were to try and stencil a black pattern on a white wall, then personally I'd find the imperfections too noticeable.
Damask wall stencils are available though so why not give it a go? If it doesn't work out you can just paint over it again.

 

[TheSpid]

Have you looked at stencil rollers? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-kg3QIEarQ

 

[88v8]

If it is a little wonky, well, early wallpapers were hand-painted.
Does seem a lot of botheration though.

I like wallpaper. It's sad, seeing houses that cry out for wallpaper, with the walls just painted one colour, usually indeed a noncoloured shade of white. What a modern can't-be-bothered waste. I feel deprived, not having any wallpaperable walls in our pre-wallpaper cottage.

Stencilling is clearly a thing. 'Stencilled walls' gets a lot of hits.
Having painted, you could give it lift and sheen by overcoating with decorators' varnish.

Ivor

 

[Flyfisher]

I like wallpaper. It's sad, seeing houses that cry out for wallpaper, with the walls just painted one colour, usually indeed a noncoloured shade of white. What a modern can't-be-bothered waste.

I agree that bland, white-ish walls are a waste of potential but I don't think it's fair to suggest it's because the owners can't be bothered. Indeed, based on a number of my friends, it's quite the reverse and they actively prefer minimalist decor - and furnishings come to that. The big difference, though, is that they live in modern boxes and not period houses. That's not being condescending to them - they would absolutely hate living anywhere 'old'. Just a matter of fashions and references I guess.

 

[Feltwell]

Is that room at Beamish not wallpapered? It looks like it is.

I confess that much as I love Victorian architecture, their interiors were just far too cluttered and fussy for me. I do like some of the wallpaper though, and Feltwell Towers has Victorian-esque wallpaper in several rooms that I quite like (all done by the previous owner - whilst they were hopeless at DIY, she was an artistic & crafty type, being a milliner by trade, and she did have a good eye for decoration. Fortunately most of the application seems to have been done by a decorator for them).

Stencilling does seem like it would be a huge faff, but if PP's got the patience, I can see that it could look good. I'd never have the patience, and I confess my default position tends to be super-heavy-duty lining paper and paint, so it's easy to freshen up in the future. The reception rooms though I would do in wallpaper -when I get round to them, Mrs F has only been waiting 11 years for the lounge so far

Trouble is, there are always more "structural" things to do before decorating. I've restored the very decayed bay window, though the inside needs decorating to finish it off - the wall underneath it needs plastering and skirting board - all the plug sockets in the room need chasing in properly, they're currently on horrid plastic pattresses - and finally, and most off-putting of all, the fireplace really needs changing and a new hearth putting in. So I'm nearly ready :lol:

 

[plasticpigeon]

I'm sure the Beamish walls are papered. Mine are already painted in a nice colour, and wallpaper is eyewateringly expensive, so I thought it could be a cheap, if labour intensive way of getting a similar look.

 

[plasticpigeon]

If anyone is interested, here is an online shop with an amazing range of stencils including many historic ones such as Morris and De Morgan. This is one that I like that looks typically Edwardian I think.

https://www.stencil-library.com/search-all-stencils/001063-XX00000-4/repeatno2stencil.html?q=repeat

I think I shall put this on the back burner, as I have a floor to stain and varnish, but I think I will give it a go in the future. I will have to try and crate the look on a budget and will probably miss out the drapery as I'm not such a big fan of it. This is what it looks like now in the nice light of the morning, but I think it would better with patterned walls, along with lots of other changes. I need to get rid of that repro chair. i've never liked it, but I've never found anything better as the room is too small for a big chair. I think a bigger rug would be better and other stuff to cover as much of the beige carpet as possible!

 

[Abi Cott]

Just get rid of the hated beige carpet? Donate it to someone? You've never liked it.

 

[88v8]

I suppose what I really dislike is no wallpaper in Period houses. A bland modern interior with a few token 'period' features.

Yes, wallpaper can be expensive, the wallpaper in our bathroom was over £20 a roll in 1991.
We wallpapered every room except the kitchen.
But none of it ever got 'freshened up. We never redecorated any room in 30 years. Do it once and do it right, as they say. So not expensive in the end.

PP's room looks pretty good. With antiques there are always compromises, finding exactly what one wants, and then there's finding it and later deciding that one doesn't really like it after all.
Our sitting room in our previous house had lots of things wrong. A yellow carpet with a modern rug on top, for starters. I thought it would be OK, well it sort of was. But we learn as we go along.

If I were to critique PP's room from this one pic;
The vase is too big or the clock is too short. Perhaps move the clock further along from the vase.
The repro chair is out of period.
The rug looks new and bright.
The beige carpet, hmm.
What's that black thing on the chest?
The room being slightly formal, the curtain should have a tie back.
But I'd love to walk into that room. I bet it's a better room by far than most of us will achieve, and that despite the need for domestic political compromises.

So, you mean to stencil on top of the red? I like the red. Mmm, yes, a border beneath the picture rail could be a starting point, and not too long-winded.

Ivor

 

[paulc]

I quite like the wallpaper in the Beamish shot (assuming it is paper). The room its self is way too cluttered for my taste, and the drapes over the fireplace just scream fire hazard... A subtle damask pattern would work quite well in PP's room - I did my lounge out with a Superfresco soft green damask, not a cheap paper, but I scored some end of line rolls at a very good price.

A stenciled design could work quite well, but it would need meticulous attention to marking out and a fair bit of planning to avoid having the pattern wrapping round a corner.

 

[malcolm]

I like your room as it is. It looks quite sophisticated and uncluttered and successfully brings style from an earlier era into the modern world. I don't like the Beamish room for much the opposite reason.

 

[Cubist]

Regarding your sitting room PP.

That is sooooooo much better than the Beamish room. Much less clutter and hence less to dust (however infrequently) and no cats to be sat on - that I can see. Never mind what the critics say, its your home not a showpiece and its yours to do with as you wish. Just enjoy it, as I am sure you do, and continue pleasing yourself. Go berserk with the stensils if you must, who cares, another bucket of paint can cure any gaffes you make.

 

[plasticpigeon]

I've made a few more changes. I'm afraid I don't have instagram or whatever the kids are using these days for personal validation, so I'm inflicting my efforts on you lot as I think you'll generally be appreciative and nice! I think I'm done with this room now, except for perhaps the addition of a trumpet chess/sewing table as I like to play draughts with my son.