Hello, dream tent. When I saw Chelsea post some cool canvas tents recently, I thought those would be amazing to print, since I love the look of pattern printed on canvas fabric. At the time, I thought it might be a far-fetched project idea, and then I stumbled upon this photo of a stenciled tent on Stencil Library's blog, Design Inspiration. Not so crazy of an idea, after all. I spent the better part of my evening poking around their blog — full of inspiration and tips for how to decorate with stencils.
Stencils are one big hole in the U.S. market. Besides the amazing Ed Roth and a few books on modern printing, like Lena Corwin's Printing by Hand, stencils you can find here are often country in style, cheesy themes, or they're small in scale. I haven't found one source that comes close to Stencil Library, which is based in the UK, of course. Their online shop is so extensive, and you'll find stencils of all sizes, including some super-sized stencils you could use on your floors, graphic patterns, and intricate designs that have that Tord Boontje whimsical vibe.
A few favorites from the Stencil Library blog that show their stencils in action:
Still loving Chevron zigzags everywhere.
Wow, it's hard to believe this bathroom design is just a simple stencil. The diamond pattern sure looks like wallpaper, but it's just paint.
Stencil Library's chandelier stencil is like a big wall decal in scale — but you can stencil it whatever color you want. The navy stencil on yellow is a winning color palette. I also thought this was a smart idea: hanging necklaces off hooks in a way that plays with the look of crystals hanging off chandeliers. What a pretty way to show off your favorite necklaces.
And below is a peek at a few of my favorites from the Stencil Library shop: blossoms, feathers, tartan plaid, diamond floors, rainbows, swallows, chevron stripes, and tapestry florals.
{photographs via design inspiration}
