What do you get when you mix fashion like design, with artist sensibility, and a dash of practicality? You get ‘stylin stencils’

Let me tell you a story that will get inspire your inner interior decorator or DIY fantasies.

I had a wall in the main foyer of my 1922 renovation project that needed some drama.  It’s the first thing that greets you as you walk in the house. You can’t miss it. The wall is huge but it looks boring without anything on it. The problem is the wall has a lot of levels and angles with varying ceiling heights that range from 10ft to 20 ft. I should also mention it goes up a stairwell.  The tallest portion of the wall is 2 stories high and very narrow as you are walking down from the 2nd level to the first-floor landing.

It would have been easier to do nothing will all that ruckus to work around but my artist heart just could not have lived with such a missed opportunity and a sad, plain, wall.

I wanted something bold and beautiful on this wall.  I had entertained having a mural painted. Actually, in the beginning that was the frontrunner when I looked at my choices.

My options, as I saw them were…

  • Paint 
  • Artwork 
  • Wall paper 
  • Mural or…  wait for it … ready?
  • Stencil

So how did I come to the conclusion that the best option was a stencil? Here’s how my brain worked it out.

  1. Paint? Nah not enough drama 
  2. Artwork? Nope. The wall is too varied in heights and angels. 
  3. Wall Paper? Ummm too…I don’t know, predictable. That doesn’t fit my vibe. 
  4. Mural? I loved this idea but there are 2 subparts to this one that I just couldn’t wrap my head around… A.  To do what I wanted it would have been a tremendous expense and B.  I couldn’t risk huge a bold, expensive commitment.  That lead me to …
  5. Stenciling! I choose this option because it gave me something unique, hand-done (by me) bold and beautiful and EASY TO CHANGE, unlike the mural idea.
Stenciling’s affordable price tag gave me the most bang for my buck. I can totally customize the colors just like I would with wallpaper but it’s a little edgier. Plus, I get DIY bragging rights which I find enjoyable.

By my count that’s a win, win, win.

I was actually inspired by a past buyer client of mine that had done a small wall in her home (insert picture). 

Stenciling is a great option for an accent wall!  So why stop there! This is not the first time my go big or go home way of thinking has taken me into uncharted territory!

I shopped for stencils and found amazing ones on Etsy.   If you haven’t been on Etsy it is soooo fun and fabulous and creative.  Just type stencils in the search bar and you will have hours of fun.  I chose a very big bold old world floral. 

The hardest part was finding a ladder big enough for me! The actual prepping of the space and gathering of materials wasn’t hard. Here are a few tips for getting started.

Seriously, I felt like Leonardo up there on that ladder.  Da Vinci not Dicaprio.

Now that I’ve done it I might just try to stencil other things like furniture or the floor!


Of course, you don’t have to give it a try your first time using a difficult 20 foot wall in a stairway as your canvas! But I’m glad  I did it and I love it! So do our guests.