I love IKEA. But I don’t like cookie-cutter furniture. When I moved into my spacebox I knew I had to add a personalized touch to my first piece of Swedish furniture. Here’s a visual guide to creating this colourful damask stencilled chest.
Follow the full how-to after the jump.
To create a stencil from scratch like I did, you need some inspiration. Wallpaper, wrapping paper or print-outs from the internet are great, but I actually got inspired by this window/tile sticker for my stencil pattern.
Then, you need to trace your stencil. I like to trace over a window so that the light shines through your paper.
Don’t worry if the stencil outline isn’t perfect, you can fix that while cutting it out.
Now on to the tedious part… you need to cut out your stencil using an x-acto knife. It’s tricky, but it’s a great way to take a break from the computer and relax in a focus task. One thing to keep in mind while cutting it out, make sure that if you have holes in your design (like mine), that you keep bridges (little strips of paper) that connect your stencil so that it doesn’t fall apart.
Now the stencil is all ready! (Note the bridges in the cut out).
Affix your stencil to your chest. Normally, I would use an adhesive spray, but like MacGyver, I just substituted with some scotch tape. If your surface was already painted though, make sure to use masking tape to not harm the paint!
After mixing your paint, stipple it onto your stencil. Make sure the paint has a thick consistency so that it doesn’t bleed under your stencil.
And voila! You have a customized drawer chest. I decided to paint the wooden knobs too for some character. You could also apply this technique to decorating a coffee table, wine crates for storage or your wall. I like creating my own stencils because they are unique. You could even cut out a stencil of your pet or your initials for a special touch.
I will be sharing more of my deco tips from my 17m spacebox soon!