Decor: Royal Design Studio Stencils
Royal Design Studio [Africa Inspired]
[Image credits: clockwise from top left, African Flower; Raphia Graphic;
Tribal Triangles; and Endless Moroccan Circles Stencils – Royal Design Studio]
Wallpaper is not really my thing; I tend to find it quite fussy and would rather have smooth walls in a favourite colour or given a natural treatment. Its just that I always feel that wallpaper can date a room quite quickly, for me wallpaper always seems to conjure up hideous 70’s style decorating disasters; also growing up in Zimbabwe wallpaper was never a big thing as it is here in the UK. Having said that modern interpretations have led to some beautiful designs that provide temptation were I to have the walls to decorate. If however you are seeking greater freedom and personal expression when decorating your walls then an alternative to wallpaper is stenciling which can create some dramatic and interesting effects; not only to walls but to ceilings, furniture fabrics and floors.
Like wallpapering, stenciling requires precision and a steady hand; but if you mess up simply paint over and start again; and creating your own stencils can offer greater flexibility in the end result, whether you choose to apply random images scattered across the wall, contrasting borders or a complete covering. Also with stenciling you can achieve different effects by overlaying designs and colours or using different brush strokes. If you are looking for readymade stencils then California-based Royal Design Studio, a leading designer and producer of stencils in the USA has a collections of stencils inspired by a diverse range of subjects including art history, nature and graphic patterns, and different countries including India, China, Turkey and Japan. There is also a collection of stencils inspired by Africa, which include designs inspired by traditional Nigerian resist-dyed indigo fabrics and a Morocco collection of stencils that were originally created for the Moroccan boutique hotel, Peacock Pavilions, an example of which can be seen in a previous post here. Royal Design Studio was founded in 1991 by Melanie Royals; a self-taught artist who rediscovered and updated decorative arts stencil techniques. Alongside its contemporary range of decorative wall and furniture stencils Royal Design Studio also designs and produces stenciling supplies and decorative painting tools. For those looking to learn the techniques of stenciling Melanie also holds workshops and events; and has also taken four separate groups of artists to Morocco where they spent time creating the decorative stencils and painting applications seen throughout Peacock Pavilions.
Additional details:
Stencils from the African and Moroccan Collections priced at: USD$15-USD$110
For further information about Royal Design Studio and to purchase stencils visit: www.royaldesignstudio.com
