Tuscan-style decor has taken the interior design world by storm and has inspired decorators with ideas that go equally well in other decorative schemes that cultivate old world charm. Stenciled wall decorations, using reusable stencils, are an important finishing touch for the Tuscan look, with grape and grapevine motifs amongst the most popular. What better design could there be for the kitchen, or the patio or dining room where you relax with a glass of wine?
Locations for Stenciling
Grapevine designs are perfect for borders, which can add the final detail to your Tuscan-style room. A repeated motif that runs around the room can be a subtle and stylish touch. You can stencil borders at floor level, at ceiling or picture rail height or midway up a wall, where a dado rail might be.
You could also consider stenciling your grape motif around features of a room, either because they are too plain or need jazzing up or as a way of directing attention to attractive features. If you have a wine rack, you could highlight it with a grape or vine surround.
Border motifs trailing artlessly above and around door and window frames can be a stylish way of adding visual interest to a room, bringing the flavor of the outdoors into your living area. Tuscan homes often used the space over a door to paint an individual motif, such as a bowl of richly colored grapes.
Choosing Your Grape or Vine Stencil
The number of stencils available might make your choice difficult but you can narrow it down by considering the effect you want to achieve. Grapevines with bunches of fat grapes are busier and visually stronger. A simple meandering vine can be subtler and simpler designs are sometimes a better choice for borders.
You can of course have the best of both worlds. You could have a grapevine border around your room and a bowl of grapes stenciled as a stand-alone image above a door or window. Scale is something to bear in mind because - along with color and foreground to background contrast - bigger usually means bolder.
Color Choices
Although the Tuscan look utilizes a palette of earthy and natural colors, you don't have to go overboard imitating nature. In particular, borders can use the forms of the grape or vine leaf without adhering slavishly to the colors of nature.
As mentioned, you will need to choose your motif color to complement that of your walls, as excess contrast will spoil the effect. A color wheel can help in choosing complementary colors. The Tuscan style depends on soft, earthy hues and the old world look similarly depends on colors that are muted, smoky and subtle.
The Tuscan look is comfortably old and aged and you can use paint to enhance this look. You can use more than one shade of stencil color to create a worn look and you can also explore faux painting antique and distressed effects to amplify the effect.
Locations for Stenciling
Grapevine designs are perfect for borders, which can add the final detail to your Tuscan-style room. A repeated motif that runs around the room can be a subtle and stylish touch. You can stencil borders at floor level, at ceiling or picture rail height or midway up a wall, where a dado rail might be.
You could also consider stenciling your grape motif around features of a room, either because they are too plain or need jazzing up or as a way of directing attention to attractive features. If you have a wine rack, you could highlight it with a grape or vine surround.
Border motifs trailing artlessly above and around door and window frames can be a stylish way of adding visual interest to a room, bringing the flavor of the outdoors into your living area. Tuscan homes often used the space over a door to paint an individual motif, such as a bowl of richly colored grapes.
Choosing Your Grape or Vine Stencil
The number of stencils available might make your choice difficult but you can narrow it down by considering the effect you want to achieve. Grapevines with bunches of fat grapes are busier and visually stronger. A simple meandering vine can be subtler and simpler designs are sometimes a better choice for borders.
You can of course have the best of both worlds. You could have a grapevine border around your room and a bowl of grapes stenciled as a stand-alone image above a door or window. Scale is something to bear in mind because - along with color and foreground to background contrast - bigger usually means bolder.
Color Choices
Although the Tuscan look utilizes a palette of earthy and natural colors, you don't have to go overboard imitating nature. In particular, borders can use the forms of the grape or vine leaf without adhering slavishly to the colors of nature.
As mentioned, you will need to choose your motif color to complement that of your walls, as excess contrast will spoil the effect. A color wheel can help in choosing complementary colors. The Tuscan style depends on soft, earthy hues and the old world look similarly depends on colors that are muted, smoky and subtle.
The Tuscan look is comfortably old and aged and you can use paint to enhance this look. You can use more than one shade of stencil color to create a worn look and you can also explore faux painting antique and distressed effects to amplify the effect.
About the Author:
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