Choosing Cool Stencils for Your Walls – 12 Rules for Wall Stencils

Choosing a wall stencil is getting harder! That’s right, there are so many cool stencils on the market that picking stencils for walls is getting harder. From the traditional to modern stencils the choice is growing every year. So, how do you choose your wall stencils?

Source: Pinterest

I love wall stencils.. so much bang for your buck when comes to creativity and cost. Let’s start with traditional wall stencils like the one below. It’s in keeping with the room and decor and almost looks like wallpaper and not a wall stencil at all.

Source: royaldesignstudio.com via Christine on Pinterest

Traditional Wall Stencils

The royal bee and Fleur De Lis are cool stencils that look great with almost any decor. When it comes to wall stencils, stencil designs and home decor, I think mixing it up always adds another layer of interest. Creating a great look is not only about stencil designs but also about getting the palette and color tones to match your decor and set a mood.

Large Feature Stencil Designs

A  larger wall stencil is very popular; used on feature walls like wall decals. These cool stencils look amazing. They take less work because you only apply as many stencil designs as you want. You can spread them out and use different colors, focusing less on perfecting the pattern and more on stencil placement for your space.

Stencil Borders

You can use stencil designs as borders. There are Moroccan borders like this wall stencil or the more traditional borders like Victorian borders. Not as popular as they once where,  they still work well when used the right way.

Here are a few simple rules to guide you as you explore wall stencils.

Rules for Choosing Your Cool Stencils

1. Decide if you want the all over wallpaper look or whether creating a feature wall best suits the size and style of your room.
2. Large stencil designs emphasizes a rooms boundaries; bringing walls nearer. Will this help or detract from the size of your room? While perfect for open plan rooms, this may crowd smaller spaces.
3. To make a smaller room feel larger use stencils with delicate lines and tones and borders in soft, muted or delicate tones to create the appearance of greater space and distance.
4. Smaller borders work well in rooms with low ceilings.
5. Strong colors are great for making large rooms feel smaller and more intimate.
6. Use borders that match the proportions of the room.
7. Larger designs are better for ceilings more than 12 feet high.
8. Choose stencil patterns that blend with the character and decor of the room. Floral or strong stencil patterns? Vintage or Victorian? Each stencil style changes the feel of a room. 
9. Traditionally, simple stenciled borders were used in simply decorated rooms, while elaborate borders and colors were used in elaborate rooms. While this rule can be broken, be careful. Luxurious borders and stencils on basement walls look out-of-place. 
10. Don’t introduce stencils or borders if they are competing with cornices, fireplaces, decor or architectural features. They will detract from the room, not add to it.
11. Use a simple all over wall stencil pattern if your feature wall space is broken by window and doors spaces.
12. As a rule, stronger colors are best for small borders. For larger borders, colors which harmonize with the wall color to a greater extent, are desirable.

You can see more wall stencils here at Pinterest! To follow Decorated Life on Facebook click here and please leave a comment below. I love hearing from you. Don’t forget to join our email list here.