November 1st, 2012

Fashionable Stencils

I am so pleased to share a fabulously fashionable guest post today from one of my favorite decorative artists, bloggers, and friends, Regina Garay! Regina regularly shares her inspirational take on design and decorative painting and design on her drool-worthy Fauxology blog and Facebook page. How lucky we are that she stops by here today to talk about two of her great passions: fashion and pattern. Design trends are all about fashion, and stencils are all about design, so let’s get Regina’s take on how to translate the latest runway looks into designer-inspired surfaces for a fashionable home using stencils from Royal Design Studio and masking stencils from Modello Designs .

There is a thin line between Stencils and Fashion for me.  When I see a gorgeous mix of pattern and color on designer wear I always think “How can I translate that feel onto a surface with a stencil?”.  My mind is never far from decorative painting, can you tell?  I think that’s a good thing!

Lately, I’ve seen quite a bit of Stencil-licious inpiration and thought to share these with you.  We start off with one of my favorite color combinations, blue & white.  It’s so crisp and makes such a strong graphic statement, too.

I love how the Christian Dior gown above gives wonderful color palette inspiration for a stencil border while the Oscar de la Renta dress below can be used as an idea for a feature wall using a Foliate Allover graphic vinyl stencils from Modello Designs. You can see Ivanka Trump wearing this beauty of the cover of Elle Decor.

A neutral color scheme is also wonderful, as seen below.

For clients who love creams, off-whites or golden taupes, I think the above showcases how the color palette can be used when combined with patterns. The design reminds me a bit of the Donatella Damask stencil, one of my favorites.  It would be lovely on a ceiling! The Balenciaga dress below brings together ebony white, pearls, pewter and bronzes in a sophisticated, elegant way.  The Romanesque Frieze Classic Border stencil would be wonderful here.

Who can forget the glory of color? Sophie Theallet gives an idea on combining bright shades with allover designs. I can easily see the Cordova Allover wall stencil from the Allover Damask collection here.

We wrap up with my favorite “color” — I love to wear black and have used it for both several clients and my own home. Ferragamo shows us the classic pairing of gold and black below.  In my eye, I see a raised singular motif pattern with two-color striations or a little bling on top with metallic foils, shimmers or leaf.

Oscar de la Renta shows us how amazing lighter tones can be over a dark background, above.  I could easily see using the Vase & Pearls Allover stencil for a surface interpretation.  You can see more color combinations and adaptations with this particular fabric in the Terrier and Lobster blog post.  I also love the depth of the Aquilano e Rimondi dress below as photographed by Marcus Tondo for Style.com.  Maybe an ombre finish over a shimmer gray-green background and a custom Modelloâ„¢ Designs motif vinyl stencil on top?  Yes, please.

I firmly believe patterns can make any surface immensely better.  Imagine the above designs all in solid colors without patterns – it’s the added creativity that makes them that much more special, no?  In addition to actual physical surfaces, you can also stencil designs onto clothing as well to help give a little oomph.  Can’t forget that!  Let me know what you think of these ideas and which one pops out the most to you!  I’d be very curious to know.  Have a wonderful day!

Thanks Regina! What a fabulous mix of color, pattern, design, and ideas here! Maybe YOUR next decorating project is waiting for you in your closet-or better yet-at the mall!

Our guest blogger today was Regina Garay, who writes the informative Fauxology blog and runs the creative SociaComm digital media company.  She is also involved in her family’s decorative finishing business, Garay Artisans and stay up with current fashion AND design trends on her Pinterest page, of course. 

5 Responses to “Fashionable Stencils”

  1. Fashionable Stencils | Fauxology Says:

    [...] I wrote a guest post today entitled Fashionable Stencils for the lovely Design Amour, one of the incredible blogs by Melanie Royals of Royal Design [...]

  2. linda (burlap+blue) Says:

    LOVE this post! That Dior gown? Swoonworthy. Love seeing gorgeous design elements used in unexpected ways. xo

  3. Michele (StiltskinStudios) Says:

    You’re MY kind of girl! Fashion and painting go hand-in-hand for me, too…it’s all intermingled, from the design aspects to the colors and patterns. What a lovely blog post, thank you for sharing!

  4. Lesley Anne Kinney Says:

    OMG gorgeous. I sew as well and my brain is on
    overdrive!

  5. Rima Says:

    Thank you that was great, Love the styles and colors and stencils, loved everything from the Dior Dress, to the lace skirt, the black top stenciled in gold is incredible! Great inspiration