Design Inspiration. Planet Stencil Library.

How To Stencil; Classes For Beginners And Improvers, Spring/Summer 2018

Do you want to know how to use a stencil like a professional? A few times a year we host a stencil day for beginners and improvers. We have two dates for Spring this year. The day includes lunch, a tour of the stencilled home and practical sessions where the students learn to cut a stencil and apply it to surfaces using various media including water-based paint, oils sticks and gilding materials. Also, a small piece of fabric will be stencilled. Measuring and planning for a successful decorative scheme will be discussed and we will see many examples during our walk around the house. Students should gain a working knowledge of how to use stencils for many applications along with the confidence and inspiration to get started. The fee includes a vegetarian lunch, dessert and coffee. Materials needed for the day are provided and each student is given brushes and stencils to take home after class (retail value approx £45.00).  So, if you fancy joining us, the dates are:

STENCIL TECHNIQUES; full day class with tour and lunch 9:45am - 5pm  £80.00  Saturday, April 7th*, 2018. Sunday, May 20th, 2018.

*The class on April 7th is followed by an optional 'Stencil Techniques for Furniture' day class on Sunday the 8th. This is to help people that are travelling a distance to attend 2 classes consecutively.  There is a discount on the combined price if you attend both classes on this weekend. Details of the schedule and other important information are on our website.

STENCIL TECHNIQUES FOR FURNITURE - day class 9:45am - 5pm - April 8, 2018. £95.00

Students will experiment with a collection of corner, border, repeat and spot motif stencils to create panels, circlets and overall pattern. Special attention is given to corners, symmetry and contrast panels. Simple fantasy finishes will be demonstrated. Students will practice with paint and metal leaf. Many of the skills learned will apply to larger projects too. Participants should gain skills and confidence to customise pieces of furniture and other small-scale projects. Students take home more than £50.00 worth of stencils and completed samples of work. Lunch and refreshments are provided.

 

 

General Information for students and visitors:

The classes and tours take place in a private home, there are uneven floors and stairs. The house can be cold, even in summer, wear layers!
These classes are limited to a maximum of 6 students. We can also host private classes or tours on other dates by request.

All classes and tours must be booked in advance; full payment is required with your booking and confirmation will be sent upon receipt. Cheques made payable to The Stencil Library at the address below. Credit card payments are accepted by phone or PayPal. In the event of customer cancellation, no money will be refunded unless 14 days notice is given or we can fill your place in the class. We will endeavour not to cancel a class unless unavoidable, but reserve the right to do so.

The Stencil Library, Stocksfield Hall, Stocksfield, Northumberland, NE43 7TN, United Kingdom
Telephone +44 (0) 1661 844 844 - Email: sales@stencil-library.com

New! Dates of tours at The Stencilled Home. Spring/Summer 2018

If you have been meaning to take a tour of The Stencilled Home at Stocksfield Hall book it now! Here are the new dates for Spring and Summer 2018.  This year we have added a new 'make, take and bake' tour of the house, ideal for a small group. Read on for dates and details.

TOUR OF THE STENCILLED HOME
All of the rooms in Stocksfield Hall are decorated with stencils. It is the home of The Stencil Library partners. The house has been featured on television and in many books and magazines. The tour visits most of the rooms and the decoration of the different surfaces is explained and discussion is encouraged. After light refreshments, a demonstration of basic stencil techniques is given. Tours last about 2.5-3 hours.
DATES: May 25 2018 7pm, June 24 2018 10am, June 27 2018 7pm, (July 7 2018 10am FULL), Sept 7 2018 7pm. PRICE £12 per person.

**NEW** TOUR OF THE STENCILLED HOME, TEA & STENCILLING A CUSHION
A variation on our standard 'Tour of the Stencilled Home'. You get the full guided house tour around The Stencilled Home, Northumbrian Afternoon Tea, and instead of the demo, everyone gets to 'Make and Take' a stencilled cushion cover (they take little room in luggage). Ideal for a treat to yourself or a group of friends. Allow 3-4 hours.
DATES: May 23, 2018, 1pm. June 7, 2018, 1pm. July 8, 2018, 1pm. PRICE: £38 per person.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
The classes and tours take place in a private home, there are uneven floors and stairs. The house can be cold, even in summer… wear layers!
Classes are limited to a maximum of 6 students (4 on Chinoiserie and Fabric due to the size of the projects) and House Tours to a maximum of 15 persons, House Tours with Cushion Making a maximum of 8 persons (minimum 4). We can also host private classes or tours on other dates by request.

All classes and tours must be booked in advance; full payment is required with your booking and confirmation will be sent upon receipt. Cheques made payable to The Stencil Library at the address below. Credit card payments are accepted by phone or PayPal. In the event of customer cancellation, no money will be refunded unless 14 days notice is given or we can fill your place in the class. We will endeavour not to cancel a class unless unavoidable, but reserve the right to do so.

The Stencil Library, Stocksfield Hall, Stocksfield, Northumberland, NE43 7TN, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)1661 844844 email: sales@stencil-library.com

Helen.

How to stencil onto fabric; stencil a festive pillow....or two

During the recent festive tour of our stencilled home at The Stencil Library, I showed visitors how to stencil cushion covers. We used some inexpensive cotton covers from IKEA and stencilled them with paints from Liquitex, Golden and Lumiere, all are excellent on fabrics. Fabric should be washed, dried and pressed before stencilling. Do not use fabric conditioner or additives other than soap powder. The stencil used was 251 Festive Garland from our Holiday range. This is my tecnique for stencilling cushion covers, pillow slips and tote bags.

Firstly, spray a light mist of repositioning adhesive onto a piece of heavy paper that is cut to fit inside the cushion cover or bag-type shape.

Once inserted, smooth the fabric onto it,  the paper stops the two sides of the cushion cover from slipping against each other. The 251 Festive Garland stencil is in two layers, select the first layer. Lightly spray the reverse of the stencil with the adhesive and press it into position on the cover.

I applied a dark brown paint through all the holes in the stencil. After taking a small amount of the paint onto a medium/large stencil brush work the paint in circles onto a wad of paper towel. This works the paint evenly through the bristles of stencil brushes and it lessens the paint on the tips of the bristles.

The paint should be damp when applied through the stencil. Wet paint will leak. Gently swirl the paint through the holes in the stencil as if stirring a cup of tea. Build up the intensity of the colour by going over the shapes again, this will keep the imprint clean and sharp. This technique is much faster than trying to clean up mistakes from paint bleeds. If different colours are desired then a clean, dry, stencil brush for each colour will be needed. I added some black paint around the edges of some of the larger leaves.  I dusted highlights of bright gold made from adding a rose gold powder to my usual gold paint and stippling it onto the fruit shapes in the pattern.

Before removing the first layer of the stencil I adhered a piece of masking tape to the fabric underneath both the registration marks. I stippled paint through the marks so that they appeared clearly on the tape. The second stencil layer was positioned to match the registration marks.

A red acrylic paint was used to stencil the ribbon shape, we have a few to choose from in our range of paints. I added a little shading with Ivory Black paint to some of the edges.

Remove the tape, admire your handiwork, if the paint manufacturer recommends that you heat set their paint onto fabric then do as they ask. Also, take notice of the fabric laundering instructions and recommended heat settings.

Before finishing the demonstration a black pillow cover was stencilled with the same design.

This time we used a metallic brown shade and added green, red and gold colours. All were from the Lumiere collection of metallic paints. I added a little of our rose gold powder for extra bling. I use 3M Spraymount as the repositioning adhesive for my stencil projects, readers in the USA may find the repostionable spray from Stencil Ease is a good alternative.

One of the great things about the Gurly cushion covers from IKEA is their low price, another is that the backs of the covers are as good as the front...which gives me another surface to stencil onto. When the season changes I can just flip the cushion cover!

Helen.

 

 

 

A Christmas event at The Stencil Library.

Our annual Christmas themed tour of The Stencilled Home is almost fully booked but if there is enough demand we will host another later on the same day.

The tour and demonstration will start at 10.am on the 9th of December 2017. We will take a look at the stencilled decoration in twelve of the rooms at Stocksfield Hall; many will be adorned for the festive season. The demonstrations of techniques for stencilling will have a Christmas holiday theme and so will the refreshments. The event takes around two to two and a half hours which will give you time to explore other areas and events near to us. There are many wonderful restaurants and speciality shops within 5 miles of The Stencil Library and we would be happy to make recommendations to make your visit even more interesting. 

The Stencilled Home is less than 10 minutes walk from bus and rail and there is plenty of parking for cars.

Our Christmas tours have been described as a 'visual feast!' and a 'Christmas tradition'. Stocksfield Hall is an old house, it has stairs and some of the floors uneven. Please bear this in mind when booking. 

Tickets are £10.00 and must be booked in advance. If the 10.am tour becomes full we will consider hosting another at 2 pm. Please contact us for information, there is contact information on the top photograph or click ABOUT on the top right-hand side of this page.  You can always leave a private comment for us on this blog.

Helen.

 

 

 

 

 

What is the best and worst thing about loaning your home for a photo shoot?

What is the best thing about having RE, the hugely stylish homeware company use your home for a photo-shoot?

Well, apart from the RE team being the most delightful people to have around everything they placed on my furniture, walls, floors and bathtub looked perfect in their new surroundings.

My home was instantly more colourful, fun and shiny. Follow the links to see the product and finished photos on RE's website. A brightly hued haul of shopping baskets took a short sojourn in my attic bathroom, 

and African print cushions snuggled up on my sofa.

A jungle sprouted in the main bathroom and another grew in our drawing room. A resin menagerie of money boxes populated every surface they could lay their paws and bottoms on.

Budgies, crows and fake feathered birds for every nook and cranny? I think so.

Did it look weird? No, it looked normal...for us. My home looked for all the world as if it was their home too and that was also the worst thing about having RE use your home for a photo shoot, everything was a perfect fit....so, after the shoot, I had to go shopping.

My previously quirky, colourful home looked a little bereft of both quirk and colour once the flamingos, monkeys, budgies and crows flitted back to their packing boxes. Immediately, I ordered a red flamingo of my own and a tall black candlestick.

I am still pondering on the resin monkeys because I am creating singerie stencils at the moment, therefore, a monkey or two is relevant…maybe essential.

RE is a most entertaining and engaging store. It is known worldwide and is based in the small, picturesque village of Corbridge in the Tyne Valley, Northumberland. Find the RE store at Bishop's Yard behind the petrol station in what would have been the vehicle workshop. Corbridge sits halfway between The Stencil Library in Stocksfield and the market town of Hexham. It is close to Hadrian’s Wall and masses of other historical gems.  If you booked onto our December 9th tour of The Stencilled Home you may want to add lunch and a shopping spree in Corbridge to the day. If you are nowhere near Northumberland then visit RE's website 

I have a gift voucher and RE is hosting an event for local people this evening...can't wait, we'll have a ball!!  

Helen.

Snapshots by me, styled photos by RE  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tours of The Stencilled Home 2017

By popular demand, we have scheduled a couple of final dates for 2017 for tours around the stencilled home at The Stencil Library. We have scheduled Wednesday evening 15th November at 7 pm and Saturday morning 9th December at 10 am.  The December 9th tour will have a bit of a Christmassy theme. Bring friends!  Booking is essential.  If the December morning tour fills, we will add one in the afternoon.  We take a  max of 15 people.  Telephone 01661 844844 or email us to book.

The tours last about 2.5-3 hours.  Tickets are 10.00 GBP per person.  You get a tour of and chat about the stencilled home from top to bottom, refreshments by way of tea/coffee and biscuits and a demo on how to stencil with different mediums and on different surfaces.  Please note that the house has staircases to negotiate. The tour is relaxed, inspiring, full of information and fun.  People come time and time again.  If you have never been, it is a treat.

Rachel.

Miss Doughty's Hat

I saw a vivid green and blue feathered hat on a vintage trading site. I bought it to compliment a long skirt that I stencilled a few years ago. If the style didn't suit me I would display it in my dressing room instead of wearing it. When the parcel arrived the hat was a perfect fit, however, the packaging in which it was delivered was almost as thrilling as the contents. The original box had been sent by post from the millinery department of Bobby's of Bournemouth to a Miss Doughty on the 30th of April 1963.

I learned that Bobby's existed from 1915 until 1972 when it was rebranded as a Debenhams store. Just twenty years before Miss Doughty purchased her hat Bobby's took a direct hit from a German bombing raid that devastated the town of Bournemouth. The history of Bobby's was fascinating and could have spent more time reading it.

I then turned my attention to Miss Doughty and her address, Bowlish House, Shepton Mallet, Somerset.  I don't know whether Bowlish House was Miss Doughty's home or whether she was working there or just visiting, what I do know is that Bowlish House is gorgeously, gloriously Georgian and is now an hotel.

 

I had mistakenly thought that Bowlish House was open for tours this Wednesday and asked the current hotel owners about booking tickets it but the tours are at 'Old' Bowlish House which is a private home and one can book tickets through Invitation to View. Goodness, if the new Bowlish House stems from the 1730's how old must Old Bowlish House be?? Anyway, this new information took me off on a tangent looking at lots of wonderful homes that host the occasional tour via the 'Invitation To View' website. Recently, I was visiting an imaginatively decorated home at Holland Park Avenue as part of the OpenHouseLondon weekend. They recommended another in Great Dunmow called Talliston and I saw that you could book tours of it through Invitation to View. 

My home is highly decorative too and is open for tours on Wednesday, Nov 15th and Saturday, Dec 9th this year. It is not part of the offering from Invitation To View. Pre-booking is needed and there is more information on our site. Contact us for tickets.

A giddy hour later I realised that I had to get my work finished and dinner made. I told my husband about Miss Doughty's hat and the Georgian house in Shepton Mallet, he looked at the photo of Bowlish House on my screen and said: "I think we stayed there in 1982, we were on our way to Glastonbury".  

I felt even closer to Miss Doughty and her delicious hat.

Helen

Information about Bobby's from Wikipedia, Dorset Life and The Bournemouth Echo, the latter was the publisher of the photo of Bobby's. Photo of Bowlish House by Bowlish House

I bought the blue and green feathered hat from Trendlistr The stencil on my skirt is LTL11-Wisteria from The Stencil Library and was the reason for buying Miss Doughty's hat

 

 

 

Marianne North and the gallery at Kew Gardens.

There are many reasons to visit the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew near London. I posted a few of them after my visit last year. Nestled in a corner of Kew Gardens is the Marianne North Gallery which houses Britain's finest collection of botanical art, all painted by North during the latter half of the 19th Century.  Even if you did not like the paintings it would be hard not to admire the room that she built with the architect James Ferguson to display her work.

I think its fabulous from the tiled floor to the black and gold picture frames to the stencilled cornices and friezes to the ironwork on the upper roof-lights.

It was built in the style of a Greek temple with light channelled from a light well in the roof, which prevents direct sunlight fading the paintings. The display is orderly excess; in the best way. The walls resemble the pages of a stamp album... remember those? The paintings are collated by countries and regions, each of these is named in lettering around the cornice work. Wood from 246 different trees can be seen around the lower portion of the room. 

Marianne North was the eldest daughter of a wealthy MP and spent most of her time with him until his death. She did not care to marry, in her words 'Marriage was a terrible experiment' and she avoided formal social occasions wherever possible  Her elevated social status prevented her from pursuing a career as a singer which had been her passion; then during her art class, she discovered oil painting which she described as 'A drug'. When her father died Mariane inherited the wealth to travel the world painting hundred of pictures of the vegetation in the countries that she visited.  

These plants were often in the most inhospitable places which meant climbing mountains, trekking jungles and navigating rivers. Many of the species that she recorded are now extinct. Unlike plant hunters, Marianne did not dig up the specimens, her detailed, naturalistic paintings were returned to Britain where they were welcomed by botanists, scientists and other learned groups of the time.

Also, Marianne recorded the flora in relation to its surrounding often adding creatures that relied on the plant, therefore an ecosystem was being recorded. Vessels, buildings and people of the time appeared in some of the pictures. Because Marianne's work was in oil paint rather than watercolour these records have not faded and still offer a fascinating insight into our world during the 1800s.  She found it hard to be contained and travel companions to be 'tiresome'.  She saw most of the world, alone, carrying paints and paper and wearing a long frock. Which I think is admirable.

At The Stencil Library, we have designed several stencils of flowers and plants. On my first visit to Kew in the 1980s, my husband and I photographed urns, planters and lemon trees at the gardens which found their way into our Architectural range of stencils and into a collection that we called Garden Room. A version of the gallery idea can be seen in the black panelled living room at The Stencilled Home.

All 23 stencils featured in the room were inspired by ancient botanical engravings, each one can be ordered from our Gothic, Medieval and Tudor range of stencils. They are the perfect panel or furniture size and make an excellent cushion cover.

The Gustavian style bedroom that I featured in a recent post about half price stencils showed several botanical prints corralled into a framework of stencilled borders of Laurel, another idea that I think Marianne may have approved of...and the room features large-scale stencils of flowers. The classical Greek style borders that Marianne North chose have been fashionable throughout the ages and you can find similar in our Empire and Regency style stencils. All our stencils are made to order so sizes can be scaled to suit your project. 

More information about Kew, their work and their visiting hours are on their website.

Helen 

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How to make a tented canopy bed

A simple addition of a canopy over a bed can give a theatrical touch to a bedroom. Here are three examples from my home and they all employ the same basic structure for assembly.

The first and third examples show the canopy attached to a wooden baton which is screwed into the wall. The lower end of the canopy is suspended over an arrangement of tall, decorative spears which stand on the floor and allow a pole to be cradled between them. The beds in the Ottoman Room have the lower end of the canopy suspended from hooks in the ceiling. A cradle made from a pair of curtain tie backs hold the pole suspended like a trapeze. The pole was a broom handle that was wood stained and gilded but a length of wood doweling would serve the same purpose. I attached curtain finials to each end for decoration. Make sure that the length of fabric is generous enough to look good when draped and be warned that it can weigh a lot.

The fabrics used for each of the bed canopies were stencilled with metallic and acrylic paint, the stencils came from various ranges in our web site including Empire and Ottoman. 
The 'bed head end' of each canopy is fastened to the wooden baton on the wall by means of a length of hook and loop tape such as Velcro. The hooked portion of the tape adheres to the wood and the loop side is sewn along the hem of the fabric. I peel away the fabric from its anchor when I need to launder them.

One of the boards on our Pinterest pages is called 'Tented' and there are more examples of tented (and sometimes stencilled) projects to be found there.

All the cloth was bought at Factory Fabrics which is located close to The Stencil Library.  Another local company, Fionda Furnishings sewed the canopies for me; they made the tented ceilings in the Napoleonic style bedrooms too, but that can be another post!

Helen.

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Upcycle furniture, floor and fashion

‘Up-cycling' Is a word that I loathe but the concept appeals to me.  'Up-cycling' or 'creative reuse' as I understand it is to adapt an existing item and customise it to benefit my purpose and style...often for a relatively small financial outlay. I dislike chucking things away when they can be 'repurposed'...another horrid word.

Our attic guest room is full of recycled, repurposed and up-cycled pieces. The floor mat used to be one of my paintings; I no longer wanted it on the wall and was ferrying it between attic and garage depending on the available storage space in either location. I cut it from its frame and coated both sides of the canvas with emulsion paint, I decorated it with stencilled coach lines then added several coats of acrylic varnish; the varnish makes the painted canvas hard wearing and easy to clean. Also, it adds weight so that the mat does not slip under foot. The creative reuse of this piece means that it is being enjoyed rather than travelling between storage places. I must stress this was one of my paintings not an old master.  An old roller blind has made a suitable floor cloth in the past by using the same varnish and paint technique.  

A veneer table was ruined when one of our work experience students rested a hot iron on it. The damage was beyond repair so the table was filled, painted white then stencilled with Willow Pattern motifs from The Stencil Library's range of stencils for furniture. It now sits under a large mirror that we gilded with an imitation gold leaf called Dutch Metal. The colours featured on the stencilled wall were reused to paint large tin boxes which became useful lamp tables with storage. With the exception of the mahogany table all items were given a more glamorous reincarnation than they had in their previous life. 

When redecorating the attic bedroom I used Anne Sloan Chalk Paint on the walls, the floor cloth, the tin boxes, the iron beds and both the tables. The Chalk Paint gripped to all the different surfaces making them easy to cover. The use of paint gives infinite possibilities for mixing and matching colour and a piece of furniture can be further updated by changing knobs and handles or adding trim.

I saw this chest of drawers in a skip at our local charity shop but it looked nothing like this when I found it. The wood was warped and split. I thought that it was too damaged for me to restore or even paint but I liked the dimensions of it and the shape of its feet. My solution to revive the chest was to have glass cut to fit all the facings and new handles were sourced. Bombay Duck, Anthropologie and Chloe Alberry are good places to look for these. I stencilled each piece of glass on the reverse side, applied aluminium leaf on top of the stencilling and burnished it to a mirror finish. Aluminium leaf gives a soft mirror finish similar to silver leaf but does not tarnish.The decorated glass was then fixed to the drawers with screws. The stencil work and leaf are protected behind the glass. The result is unique, it was not a cheap solution but it has given me a lot of pleasure. My intention was to sell the piece in our shop, but decided that I wouldn’t part with it and decorated a guest room around it instead. I now teach this gilding on glass technique at our workshops.

The chandelier is made from a broken beaded curtain.

The chair was glued, re-covered in fabric, painted, waxed and stencilled in an afternoon. It was stencilled with oil sticks and the pattern of GMT54 Pomegranates matches the fabric.

Some of my other up-cycling projects include clothing; curry spices staining a white linen shirt might no longer be a disaster if you can apply painted decoration over the offending spillage. The same goes for cushion covers, table cloths and curtains.

This sisal matting floor got so badly stained one year that I was going to have to replace it. Rather than throwing it away I thought I would see if an allover stencil pattern might save it.  I applied a the GMT43 damask pattern stencil to it using paint and stencil brush; this camouflaged the evidence of chocolate cake and red wine. Some of our 'up-cycled' transformations are given further exposure under the 'Projects' section of this blog...and I am sure that we will bring more to you in the future.

Helen. 

 

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60 minute makeover! Customise a cushion with stencils

The stencilled cushion project took less than an hour from having the idea to completion

I bought a car full of these pug cushions from Tesco a few years ago and they have sat happily as a family on our sofa but it was time for a change.

The pugs are taking a holiday except one and he gets a new home in the kitchen..after a bit of jazzing up. The cushion had been washed at some time in the past, it is important that the item has been laundered at least once if you intend your stencilling to be washable in the future.

The paints that I used were from Jacquard, Liquitex and Golden. They are three makes of paint that are always in my drawer and I sell Liquitex and Jacquard; all are washable on fabric.

I had employed stencil number 298RoseGarland to decorate a dress that I wore to visit Russia earlier this year so it was on hand and was a perfect fit for this project...although the pug looks a tad dubious about it. Our stencil design is inspired by painted canal boats and similar folk art, we have others on the same theme on our web site.

A clean, dry stencil brush is needed for each colour used. I recommend the use of 3M SprayMount repositioning adhesive when stencilling onto fabric, a light misting of adhesive onto the work surface will hold the fabric in position and another misting on the back of the stencil is advised. Because the cushion cover was ready made the two surfaces of fabric would slip against each other so instead of applying SprayMount (TM) to my work surface I sprayed a piece of heavy paper with the adheshive and inserted it into the cover then smoothed the fabric over it to stop it from moving whilst it was stencilled.

Colours were applied by stencil brush through the pattern of holes on the first layer of the stencil. A small amount of paint is taken up by the stencil brush then rubbed in a circle onto the paper towel, a bit like stirring a drink. This distributes the paint through the brush and dries the paint so that it is damp rather than wet when put through the stencil.

When the first layer is completely coloured put a mark through the registration points cut into the stencil. Rather than mark the fabric I stick green stencil tape onto the material directly below the registration marks, that way the tape gets marked instead of the fabric.

Remove the first stencil and position the second so that it aligns with the marks on the tape from the previous layer. Once the second layer is complete remove the paper and the pieces of tape.

Heat an iron as hot as the fabric will take and press on the reverse of the painted side. Some paints need no heat setting; check with the manufacturer's instruction.

Finished! Re-insert the cushion, plonk it on an armchair and take delight in the result of brightening up a corner with colour and silliness.

Helen Morris

 

 

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The Blue and White Dining Room at Stocksfield Hall, The Stencilled Home

The stencilled decoration in our dining room was inspired by eighteenth-century blue and white china, this part of the house dated from the 1700's so we tried to recreate the feel of Georgian simplicity but with a twist. A deliberately plain, glass topped table revealed the patterned floor below.  Stencils of plates, pots and teacups graced the walls in linear rows.

This is where my students ate lunch on our stencil courses and all family dinners were held.  It looked simple and homely by day and with the help of dimmer switches and dozens of candle lanterns, it was glamorous by night. I am writing in the past tense because this room no longer exists but I have snap shots and the stencils are still available. Some of the following text was adapted from my book The Stencilled Home.

Stencils with overlays were used in this room which give an appearance of hand painting.

Using multi-layers or overlays on stencils is similar to printing; you use a different stencil for each colour that you apply. The images become more elaborate as each layer of stencilled shapes are applied. A great deal of stencilled pattern in historic buildings is built up in this way. It is common to see this technique used on the walls and ceilings of churches.

The stencilled images of plates, cups, teapots and coffee pots have between two and five layers and are arranged formally on the walls within panels defined by a narrow band of mushroom-coloured paint. The stripe was made by positioning masking tape and painting along measured lines. A stencilled pattern was overlaid onto the stripe and it featured a simple oriental style border in copper paint. There are twelve different blue and white images and each is separated from its neighbour by a little honeysuckle motif, also used in the decoration of kitchen next door. A trellis and leaf effect border sits at the top of the walls on a dark blue background; the blue provides a perfect complement to the metallic copper and aqua paint. The designs were mainly based on eighteenth-century English porcelain patterns.

The sanded wooden floor was painted in the same dark-blue emulsion paint which is also found on the kitchen work tops in the room adjoining it. A square stencilled ‘carpet’ formed a centrepiece, flanked on all sides by the trellis which again was stencilled with copper and aqua then bordered each side by a narrow stripe of putty-coloured paint. A dinner plate design bearing pheasants and peonies appears in each corner.  A huge circle made up of four quadrants of ribboned flowers was applied around the centre of the floor and frames a larger pheasant plate 125cm (50in) in diameter. Everything was stencilled with large stencil brushes using emulsion and acrylic paint. We added generous amounts of a copper colour to give warmth.

The room is not overly cold or overlooked so curtains were never considered. A large fireplace with an oversized mantle dominates one wall – its tiles which were once brown have been given a facelift with tile primer, blue paint and then satin varnish.

I am hoping to redecorate this room again soon, at present it is stencilled in the arts and crafts style; the lights blew just before we hosted one of our tours around the house,  the ceiling may need surgery then repairing. However it is a perfect shape and height for decoration so a stencilled ceiling may feature in the next decorative phase of this room.

It just occured to me as I finish this post that all the pictures that show someone working feature my husband, all pictures that show someone loafing feature me...funny that. Photos from The Stencilled Home and OK Magazine(blue shirt) are by Colin Poole, photo from Ideal Home (green dress) is by Marianne Majerus

 

 

How to stencil; a film clip from our publisher

This five minute video may help you to stencil walls and fabric with even greater success than you achieve already.  It is a film clip via Vimeo and shows me stencilling a repeating pattern with metallic paint onto silk I then demonstrate how to stencil a free form pattern of geese in flight; they fly from the curtains onto the walls. It shows a simple method of creating perspective in the mural. It was filmed by the publishers of my book Stencil It by Helen Morris. It also appears on YouTube

The book is no longer available in the UK but there are several foreign editions including an American version. Amazon.com will post to the UK; All the books have different covers and different spelling but the content and free stencils are the same in all the publications.

Most of the stencils featured in the Stencil It book are available for sale at The Stencil Library including the ones that we designed for the pages and did not make the final edit. I hope that the film clip and will help you get fabulous results when stencilling with paint and stencil brush, the book features stencilling onto other surfaces and contains tips on using stencil crayons, texture paste and spray paint along with the use of rollers and sponges. If you happen to be a UK stockist of Stencil It with some copies for sale by mail order let me know and I will put your shop details in the comment section.... I have no copies left.

Helen Morris

At home with Carl and Karin Larsson.

In 1998 an editor of a popular British home decorating magazine gave my husband and I a book. She had written in the frontispiece ''To England's Carl and Karin Larsson'
The editor was featuring our home in her magazine and she and the photographer had spent a couple of days with us. At the time I did not know about the Larssons but her dedication was a compliment and whether true or not it is one that I enjoyed; even more so now that I have visited Lilla Hyttnas the home that Carl and Karin Larsson created by a lakeside in Sweden more than a century ago.

The editor compared Chips and I to the Larssons because most of the decoration of our home had been made by ourselves or our group of friends. We decorated our walls, ceilings, fabric, floor, rugs, and some of the furniture with designs from our stencil company and other designs for carpentry, lighting, iron work and soft furnishings were completed by our friends. They were a talented bunch of the 'You draw it and we will make it variety' and I doubt that we would have created our home without them. The Larsson dwelling was furnished and decorated for the most part with their own design and skills, they too called upon friends and artisans to help them realise their vision. Like my home theirs was personal, colourful and unusual... unlike mine theirs became a model for Swedish domestic design and spread the international success of the 'Swedish style'.  Without knowing about the Larssons I had been influenced by them. 

The cabin bed that I'd had made for a guest room was very similar to one Carl built for Karin in 1909 and the colours and decoration of our own bedroom owed more than a nod to the duo.

When my husband and I moved to our present home the landlord's agent remarked that there was no where to put a bed in the room we had elected to sleep in. "It will go in the centre" We said and I think the agent thought we were crazy. Whilst visiting the Larsson's house I noted that Carl's bed is in the centre of the room too.

His was positioned so that he could talk with Karin who slept with the babies in the adjoining room; ours was postioned for a view from both windows. Carl Larsson published sets of watercolours and illustrated books featuring his home and family. These paintings and books were the viral hit of the day and it was because of their popularity that the artistic couple's home became so familiar and emulated.

Carl was a highly skilled artist commissioned for monumental work as well as portraiture, watercolour and illustration. They were a pioneering team, at the time their style was unusual especially Karin's contribution; she was ahead of her era.

When the editor visited us a book about the decoration of our home had just been published.

The Stencilled Home was written by me and featured the rooms in our house, it explained how we achieved some of the decorative effects in them. The publication is still available in hardback form for the USA and paperback from the UK.

A few times a year we host tours of the stencilled rooms at our home; Lilla Hyttnas is still owned by the family of Carl and Karin Larsson and I went on one of their tours.

Visitors were not allowed to take photographs in the house and I expected that there would be loads of postcards of the interior decoration for sale in the gift shop that I could buy and show you...there wasn't. So, I shall have to leave it to you to research further images and a little more about them. The Larsson House is in Sundborn near Talun it is 3 to 4 hours drive from Stockholm. I visited it with a great friend who had helped us to stencil our home around the time of the editor's visit and my discovery of Carl and Karin Larsson; another nice little link in the chain.

Helen Morris.

 

Swedish Style Chinoiserie

There are many decorative buildings that I would like to see, one of them is Drottningholm Palace in Sweden. I should be in Stockholm next month and am rather excited that there just may be a chance to visit the palace.

 When I moved to my present home in the mid 1990 I knew that I wanted a room based on 18th cenury Swedish Interiors...I got two.

The kitchen features our FS4 Tree of Life stencil on the walls. The design is based on Chinoiserie style walls in a dressing room at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre.

The colours were earthy which is in keeping with the original; however Chinoiserie painted walls were often brightly coloured as this version of the same stencil design shows.

The other room in our home that was inspired by the Gustavian era was a bedroom and I used floral stencils from our range called Garden Room Stencils. I painted it in 1997. 

This room still exists at the moment and can be seen on our tours of Stocksfield Hall and on our stencil day class. The repeating stencil pattern on the floor and the fireplace is BW25. The flowers are from The Garden Room collection and the border stencil that frames them is ER16 a Laurel Border.

The first picture in this post is a collage that I made from images of the walls in a dressing room at Drottningholm Palace Theatre I found the pictures on Pinterest but I think a couple of them originated in World Of Interiors magazine.

My forthcoming visit to Sweden will be very short but if you have a recommendation that is a 'must see' please share it, I hope to enjoy a longer visit in the future

Helen.

Dyeing to change. My sofa gets a makeover with dye and stencils.

I spent a weekend decorating sofa covers and cushions using dye, paint and stencils. The once white, cotton sofa covers had been discarded at a property that I was decorating and I thought I recognised them as Ektorp from IKEA. I have an Ektorp sofa and decided to scrub up the covers and make a project of them.  Goldfish Orange from Dylon Dyes seemed to be a perfect complement for the sage green walls of my sitting room... and the colour made me smile.

I underestimated the amount of dye needed, I should have bought four packs not three. As it turned out having less dye was a fortunate accident but for future reference I would pay closer attention to the manufacturer's instruction along with the weight and content of the fabric. I treated the sofa covers to stain remover and a very good wash before the dye powder was added. They were rather yucky when I found them.

Two wash loads were needed, one for the loose cover and one for the four seat cushions; both were a little too full for my small washing machine. I split the three packs of dye evenly between the two loads and added the required 500gms of salt to each.

My hopes for an even dye between the pads and the cover were not high, the loads were unequal and I could not see how I could get a consistency of colour because the drum was packed tight with fabric and there were few gaps for the dye to circulate.  An evenly coloured background was not essential for my purpose of stencilling the fabric BUT the result exceeded expectations, it looked great and the colour was constant throughout.

Originally, my intention was to stencil all the orange fabric with a light beige colour to match the limed wood coffee table;  I did this along the bottom of the loose cover using a border stencil from our Ottoman Collection. Already everything looked as though it had been made for the space....a site specific sofa! Because the seat pads were too pale to provide a strong contrast with a beige stencilled pattern I mixed a deep orange colour using acrylic paint and stencilled it onto the seat pads. This had the effect of making both fabrics look like partners.

I used Pyrole Orange acrylic paint with a touch of Cadmium Orange to stencil the seat covers.  Both the paints are colour fast when washed on a medium heat so nothing needed to be added to the paint. However, I wanted transucent colour so included some fabric medium to the mix to make it less opaque. I sell the acrylic paints but not the fabric medium, I buy that from Golden Paints

The cover and seat pads were finished and I was happy with the project so far. I might have punned "Sofa, so good" but would I do that? Of course not.

I was enjoying myself so I stencilled cushions to match both this cover and the two others that I have for this sofa.

When I attempted to put my new and zingy orange coloured set onto its new host I realised that it was not made for a two seater Ektorp from IKEA as I had believed.  My husband and I cajoled and coaxed the cover over the sofa frame then beat the seat pads into submission, they were totally the wrong shape for each other. It was exhausting. Normally, it is quite easy to dress an Ektorp!

Whenever one is stencilling fabric I recommend that it is fastened in place so that it does not move when the paint is applied. Often I spray my work table with a light mist of repositioning adhesive and smooth the fabric onto the slightly tacky surface. When there are two surfaces to prevent from moving such as pre made cushion covers, pillow cases etc I cut a piece of heavy paper, card or stencil film just smaller than the cover so that it will fit inside it.  Then I apply the spray lightly and evenly to the insert and place between the two layers of fabric. Smooth the fabric onto it before stencilling. If using the spray read the safety instructions on the can. I use even less adhesive than they recommend.

Because the seat pads were packed so tightly in their covers I just stencilled directly onto them.

I chose border stencil OTT17 and stencil motif OTT23 because they feature on the stencilled walls of this room. Both patterns were combined on the loose cover and the largest of the cushion covers. The stencil motif was the sole decoration on the remaining cushion covers. The colours were chosen to complement the red and the green sofa covers that will alternate with this one. Spray adhesive was applied to the reverse of the stencil and when the design had been postioned accuratley I pressed it gently into place.  The orange paint was applied through all the holes in the stencil before other colours were added.The paint must be almost dry before applying trough the stencil. Do this by taking up a small amount of paint onto a good, non-scratchy stencil brush. Work the paint onto paper towel, use a circular scrubbing motion rather than wiping. Place low tack tape over any parts of the design that you do not want to include.

When the paint is evenly distributed on the bristles and is damp rather than wet apply it through the holes in the stencil. A stippling, tapping motion can be used but as my fabric is held securely I can circle the paint through the stencil allowing greater control in the blend and intensity of the colours. The red and the green shades were stencilled over the leaves and flowers. The cushion cover should be dry enough to place onto the pad within a minute.  In the example of the dark green velvet covers the orange colour was replaced by gold paint but all the other actions are the same. The gold paint ties in with the gold of the organ pipes and on dark fabrics it allows colours to be applied over it with sumptious results.

The green, velvet cushions were stencilled around twelve years ago.  Now I have a cheery, happy looking sofa for the winter months, when Spring arrives I will put the plain pale green covers back. Dyeing to have a go? Visit Dylon for other colourful ideas.

Helen

The festive tour of the stencilled home

The annual festive tour of our stencilled home will be next Saturday, the 12th of December. To book tickets please contact me.

The festive event  differs from our usual tours ...expect baubles, snowflakes, greenery, goldery, Christmassy themed stencil demos and festive refreshment. As usual we will visit the stencilled rooms at Stocksfield Hall, questions are welcomed and you can bring your note book and camera. The stencil demonstrations will concentrate on seasonal projects however the technique that is used for cards, wrap and napkins is similar to the one for walls,furniture or fabrics on a larger scale. So if you are wanting decorative inspiration for the new year you should still be informed and inspired by your visit.

Tickets are £10.00 each booked in advance. The doors are open at 10.15 and we start our tour at 10.30; the event lasts 2 to 2 and a half hours...just in time for lunch. There are several eateries within a few minutes drive.

Contact details are here or contact us on through this blog,our Facebook page or Twitter.  Maps will be provided with tickets. We are on the River Tyne at Stocksfield in the Tyne Valley of Northumberland. Postcode NE43 7TN. We are half an hour from Newcastle by train or car, 40 minutes from Carlisle and a few minutes drive or train from the delightful village of Corbridge.  There are a lot of picturesque things to see and do in the vicinity of The Stencil Library. I hope to hear from you, the tickets have only just gone on sale but we can not fit too many people in! 

Helen.

 

Shaker pegs and a stencilled curtain

This stencilled curtain hanging from Shaker pegs is a talking point on tours of our stencilled house because it appears to be a solution for many problem windows. My problem was that I did not want curtains in the attic bedrooms at all, but my guests did.  The window recess is deep and low making it awkward for all but the most agile of visitors to operate a pulley system on window blinds.  I am not sure whether to call my solution a curtain, a blind or a window shade but no matter....it works.

It is made from two squares of fabric sewn together, one side was an old linen sheet and the other was blackout lining. I bought the lining from Factory Fabrics.  Both fabrics were a joy to stencil. One surface was decorated using the JA52 Wave pattern and the other re-used the Willow Pattern stencils that had been applied to the walls. A border stencil of F20 Chinese style fretwork frames the pattern on the front and back of the curtain. It was used on the furniture too. I used the same paints as I had used on the walls and diluted it 50/50% with fabric medium from Golden Acrylics. Recently I saw the perfect shaker pegs for this project from Creamore Mill. See their web site for your nearest international stockist, you can buy the product plain or painted 'off white'. My own were old and made by a friend.

The curtain hangs from the pegs by clip on hoops from IKEA, they have them in a few finishes. The hoops are easy to adjust along the length of the fabric and are unclipped when the fabric needs laundering. The curtains were easy to make and provide a practical and decorative solution; I am now tempted to make a longer 'winter' version of them.

Helen

 

The Coral Bathroom; before and after

Recently, I stencilled a shower room at home. I painted over the existing leopard print, mosaic and sun face stencils.

The Versace-esque decorative scheme was stencilled around 15 years ago.

The shower room walls had been painted, stencilled then varnished. Despite having no ventilation in the room except an open door the paint work had held up very well....until now. New shower panels were installed and so the room had to be redecorated  A Farrow & Ball paint colour called Charleston Grey was a perfect match to the new panels. I telephoned F&B and asked about the suitability of their emulsion paint in our tiny, steamy room and was advised to use their Modern Emulsion paint which has a semi sheen. The Farrow & Ball web site suggested colours that worked well with the Charleston Grey so for ease and speed I picked two of their coordinating colours. Creating a sample board is a good idea to make sure that you are happy with the colours before ordering paint in large quantities.

I decided that the green would be used for the stencilling only; so a little tester pot was all that I needed and larger quantities of pink and grey. After a scrub and light sanding of the walls I set about painting them.

Firstly I tamed the gold paint with Zinsser Primer. I painted panels of contrasting colour using a low tack masking tape to make a border between the different colours. In some places the paint came away with the tape revealing the plaster. This tape has not let me down in the past and I don't feel that it can be blamed; the room has been painted for 18 years and all that steam must have been going somewhere! I sanded and repainted the damaged areas, then sanded, repainted, sanded and painted again, each time the paint stuck to the tape. I was getting exasperated.

Salvation arrived in the form of some green, low tack tape that we'd had made for a customer, this tape is so unsticky that I worried that we would not be able to sell it but it proved to be perfect for masking the damp, flaky walls. The un-sticky, sticky tape stuck to the paint without removing it and allowed me to paint a nice crisp line. Hurrah! If you would like some I am selling it.

There is a fat and thin version email me for details.

I was told by the builder that the silicone seal around the shower panels could be painted..... He was wrong so I had to buy wood beading and paint it to disguise the join.

Have you an alternative solution to mask the silicone? I still need to cover the join at the ceiling.

The border stencil used to frame the panels is Wonky Dots from our Stencils For Furniture collection.

The circles are deliberately misshapen so that they look hand drawn.

If perfect circles are preferred try F12 Formal Dots 

The stencil within the panels is VN133 Coral no 2. It has two overlays and is set up to repeat in all directions.  The stencilling was quick to do, it was the masking tape fiasco that took the time. The gilded tiles near the shower tray were painted with Ronseal's tile paint in black, so was the toilet seat along with a round mirror bought from a local charity shop.

Is the room finished? Well, no....The steam produced from each shower stains the paint on the walls so I shall need to give them a thorough wipe with a damp cloth to lessen the contrast; when dry I shall re-varnish the walls, this was not what I'd hoped for but it will fix the problem. I shall post a 'how to' about the stencil work when I have edited the pictures. If you would like to see more of our mosaic stencils put mosaic into the search box on our website, the same goes for stencils of coral.    

Colour me nasturtium! Green, red and orange rooms

This morning I took a picture of a nasturtium and buttercup in our garden....they reminded me of a couple of rooms in my home so I photographed those too.

On another day, I'll show you our nasturtium stencils!

Helen

My Arts and Crafts style stencilled dining room.

Soon I will be redecorating the arts and crafts style dining room at Stocksfield Hall. At the moment I use the room as a venue for stencil classes and as a painting studio more than I do for hosting dinner parties but I will re-decorate and re-stencil with entertaining in mind a rather than creating a purely functional space.

Three of the walls carry the stencil design DE76 it is a repeating pattern of birds and bamboo, we used a combination of household paint and copper leaf to colour the stencil. Panels of copper transfer leaf were stencilled onto the lower half of the room and I stencilled DE155 a lily flower onto it. If the paint does not adhere properly it may be that oil from your skin is present on the metal leaf. Simply add a tiny bit of soap or dish detergent to the paint and try again.

The pattern on the fireplace wall is DE83 and I stencilled the same pattern onto the velvet of the table runner.  I used a handful of colours on the wall and blended them in a fairly haphazard way for a soft and informal look. A post published on DesignInspiration in 2007 showed and described how to stencil the walls, floors and fabrics to create an Arts & Crafts look similar to the one at Stocksfield.  Inspiration for our stencilled room included The Morris Room at the V&A Museum cafe.

I have bought furniture from the local charity shop to house the stencil supplies for our classes as well as dinner plates and glasses. I will be sad to paint over the decoration in the dining room but excited to create a new interior.

The floors were affected by a flood six years ago and that is the main reason for the re-do because the paint is chipping away in areas.

The main thoroughfare through the room is traversed many times because it is the route from the kitchen to our office. Originally more layers of varnish were applied to that area of floor and as a result it has held up better than the less trodden places. Chips and I are discussing plans for the new decoration, nothing is formalised yet but I think that I'll make stencilled mirror to set into the window surrounds which should boost the light from both sun and candles. I have employed this stencil and gilding technique in other rooms.

I would like another richly patterned, stencilled floor or an ornate, painted ceiling....maybe both!

Helen. 

New page, new dates, new stencil classes.

The new dates for our stencil classes are now on The Stencil Library website. We start with the 7th and 8th of March. The subject on Saturday is stencilling techniques for various surfaces including fabric and the Sunday class concerns itself with stencil techniques for decorating furniture and smaller scale projects.  Both days are suitable for beginners and those that have experience. To book places phone or email us.

Helen

New dates for classes at the Stencil Library

Recently I taught a new class covering stencil techniques for decorating furniture and small scale projects.

I demonstrated finishes that resembled Lapis Lazuli and Malachite along with decoupage techniques. The students learned how to fit corner pieces, coach lines, borders and repeat pattern together. Handy tips for measuring surfaces and placing motifs were explained and undertaken. We completed two painted sample boards using all the knowledge that we had accrued. Although we all enjoyed the classes it was a lot to achieve in four hours so I have adapted the class to be a full day with lunch. I am very excited to offer the longer class as it will offer the opportunity to extend the techniques and complete another sample board.

The new Stencil Techniques for Furniture workshops will take place on Sundays to follow our Stencil Day; This offers better value for those that have to travel far.  A student does not need to have completed our Stencil Day class before booking the furniture class but if an entire weekend can be spared it is well worth doing both together. 

What can we expect from the STENCIL TECHNIQUES FOR FURNITURE day? To gain the skills and confidence to allow you to customise pieces or furniture and other small scale projects.  Using paint, metal leaf and acrylic glaze students will experiment with a collection of corner, border, repeat and spot motif stencils to create panels, circlets and overall pattern. Special attention is given to corners, symmetry and contrast panels. Simple fantasy finishes and decoupage will be demonstrated. Most of the skills learned will apply to larger projects too. Three samples will be created after experimentation on paper.

Do we get anything to take home? Yes, you will take home more than £50.00 worth of stencils and completed samples of your work along with knowledge, confidence and notes to accompany the class.

What can we expect on the STENCIL DAY?  Students will experiment with different techniques, media and surfaces.The stencil day covers techniques for larger scale projects such as walls, floors and fabrics. Students will learn how to cut a stencil. Paints for walls and fabrics will be employed along with oil sticks, metal foils and powders. A tour of stencilled rooms at Stocksfield Hall forms part of our day, the class aims to be busy, fun and give a good foundation for building stencil skills. 

Do we get anything to take home?  Yes, students should leave with their completed samples, knowledge, experience, confidence and a starter kit worth approx £30.00 which includes brushes

INFORMATION FOR BOTH DAYS

Who are the classes suitable for? Total beginners and those with previous stencilling experience should benefit from either class. Also, they may be useful for those that are already teaching paint related workshops and want to add some extra skills to their repetoire.  We will start with the basic stencil skills then build. Once the techiques have been demonstrated the students will work and experiment to their own level 

Is there accomodation nearby? Yes, We are a short train ride or a longer bus ride from the City of Newcastle Upon Tyne and the historic market towns of Hexham and Corbridge. You will find accommodation to suit various budgets and public transport in those places. There is B&B accommodation in Stocksfield village too, but you will need to walk or drive from them. The Stencil Library has a car park. Newcastle upon Tyne, is 17 miles away and has an airport, train, bus and coach station.

What do we need to bring to class? Bring a note book, tape measure and an overall/apron. 

Note The workshops take place in my home, there are uneven floors and stairs. The house can be cold, even in summer...wear layers! Both classes are limited to a maximum of six students.

How do I book? Phone, postal and email details for The Stencil Library can be found here Alternatively, contact our Twitter or Facebook page or leave a comment on this blog and we will contact you. 

The cost of the Stencil Techniques for Furniture day is £95.00 and the Stencil Day class is £75.00 Refreshments, lunch and materials are provided. We offer a price reduction of £5.00 per class when both classes are attended on the same weekend.  See, there is such a thing as a free lunch! 

Students may take advantage of a 10% discount when ordering stencils and equipment on the day.

Stencil days are hosted on Saturdays and furniture classes on Sundays. The dates for 2015 are Jan 17/18, March 7/8, April 4/5 and May 2/3 

I am happy to run private classes for small groups on other dates.

Refreshments are served at 09.45 we start stencilling at 10.00 and finish at 17.00  Fancy it?  Contact us.

Helen

 

Hotel Metropole, Brussels

photo: Hotel Metropole

This past weekend, Mr Egglestone and I flew to Brussels to stay with friends for a few days.  It was Mr E's first visit, but I used to live and went to high school there many years ago and have popped back regularly since.  I have always thought Brussels a very underrated capital city overshadowed by places like Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and Rome.  But I cannot enthuse about it enough and Mr E thoroughly loved his time there and cannot wait to go back.  I could wax lyrical about all sorts of places in Brussels, but today I shall write about the Hotel Metropole on the Place de Brouckère.  The hotel was opened in 1894 and as soon as you walk into the foyer, you are in no doubt that this is a grand old hotel from the Belle Epoque. 

photo: Hotel Metropole

Our flight from Newcastle left at 6:30am meaning that with the time difference you were in Brussels by 9am.  The 3am start was worth it to have a full day to start the trip.  We headed straight into central Brussels and wandered around for several hours.  At about 2pm we decided to go for lunch and I suggested the cafe at the Hotel Metropole.

"Cafe" is perhaps a bit of an understatement. 

It is as beautiful and elaborate as the rest of the hotel.  Decorative painters take note of the marble walls, stencilled columns and gilded ceiling. 

We had an excellent omelette avec frites (bien entendu) and Mr E sampled his first Belgian beer (in Belgium).  Belgium is famous for its beers and quite rightly so.  Drink beer there and it will never taste the same again anywhere else.  Despite sampling many varieties over the weekend, Mr E decided that Chimay was his favourite (so far)

whereas I was rather fond of the Zinnebir, and not because of the art deco label.

It was a beautiful setting to take a break after all the walking (it was a warm and sunny day).  It wasn't deliberate, but it was also a trip down memory lane.  Back in 1985 my friend Jill and I organised our schools autumn formal "homecoming" dance and chose the Hotel Metropole as our venue.  Not much changes.  There was a convention taking place in the basement room where our dance had been held and I went to the very same washroom I had stood in almost 30 years ago reapplying blue eyeliner and frosted lipstick whilst checking on the permed hairdo and making sure my taffeta skirt was still pouffed out (it was 1985 afterall - sadly I couldn't find a photo to share of that fashion ensemble). If you are ever in the european capital, it is well worth popping in for a drink or meal or even a stay at the Metropole.  Brussels is famous for it's art nouveau architecture so the whole city is a visual and inspirational feast if you are interested in the decorative arts and architecture (the shopping, restaurants, bars, beer and chocolate aren't bad either).  À toute à l'heure!

Rachel

All other photos: Stephen Egglestone

Adam PREst REturns to RE on Saturday

Last week, I wrote (click HERE to read) about my visit to RE in Corbridge to see florist Adam Prest in action.  Well due to popular demand, he is going to be back there this Saturday, October 4th.  He will be giving demos at 12, 2 and 4pm.  For more details check out the RE website.  If you love flowers, this rare opportunity is not to be missed.

Rachel.

One Wall, Four and a half looks.

Once upon a time in an attic room at Stocksfield Hall there lived a right hand corner. When we first arrived Rachel chose the corner and the room that surrounded it for her own. She created a champagne and cream coloured bedroom. The walls were stencilled with a diamond pattern. In the corner a chaise lounge nestled under skylight and lamp to make a perfect reading nook.  

  

The room was featured in a couple of home interest magazines and in the book The Stencilled Home.

The chaise was repositioned and Rachel redecorated with hot pink walls and a monogram stencil, the corner along with the rest of her rooms was featured in several international editions of Elle Deco Magazine.

and then came deep blue walls and turquoise stencilling. 

The gothic patterned walls stayed the same for years and her furnishings and collections changed around it. This is why I am calling the post Four and a Half Looks rather than 'One Wall,Five Looks' .

This is the half look, it's one of my favourite pictures of the room.

Rachel got married and moved away. The chaise went with her. The room is now decorated for guests and features a Japanese style pattern of waves stencilled under a giant golden carp.

Once again the right hand corner has become a reading nook. Do you have a favourite amongst the four and a half looks?

Helen

Willow Pattern Room - Fin

So this is it, the end, it’s over! I can’t believe the Willow Pattern Room is finally finished and my internship at The Stencil Library is almost complete.

The room seems to have fallen nicely into place after the larger items were decorated and it looks absolutely fab-dab, I’m so so pleased with it.

We’ve kept you up to date during previous posts about various projects and chapters of the willow pattern story and I’m ever so glad because overall it’s been such a large project that I couldn’t possibly tell you about it all in one post (I think the blog would quite possibly overload and suffer a heart attack)!

It feels like completing the attic room has taken forever but if we'd had a lump of time devoted to get it decorated all in one go I don’t think it would’ve taken very long to do at all. Of course we were working on several projects not just the Willow Pattern Room. 

In previous posts when I showed the table,

the dresser,

the floorcloth,

and various other things that I stencilled. I wrote that they each took about a day to do. Helen and I stencilled items that didn't make it into the final edit such as the peony border floral bedcovers, although they looked great. 

It’s amazing what fantastic results you can achieve in a small amount of time.

I think our willow pattern wall stencils might might look a little daunting to a novice stenciller beacuse they are so large; however they were outstandingly tame when it came to staying on the walls.  The only reason they were a little tricky occasionally was because Helen and I were working on uneven, lumpy walls and stencilling over ourselves. We applied a light spray of adhesive and some low tack tape to the stencils to hold them. The stencil designs were adapted from a repeating willow pattern design in our range of Chinese Style Stencils.

On a typical flat wall it wouldn’t be an unrealistic goal for one person to complete the stencilling in a day. 

Now that it’s done and looks so amazing, I think that I'll be sprucing up furniture that I already have rather than buying new.

Adding stencilled pattern to the furniture means you have completely unique decoration, it takes so little time and it gives a really satisfying outcome.

So, the room is finished and I am really happy with the result and knowing that I had a large part in decorating all the various surfaces. 

Emma.

Colour week, messing about with colours

I took a quick snap to show you the black, leopard, floor that Emma stencilled last week in the attic at Stocksfield Hall. 

Then I started tweaking the colour balance on the picture. 

I could be very tempted to have a turquoise and yellow scheme

I rather like the next one too!

Hhhmmmm. I'm a bit spoilt for choice now and rather like the vintagey, celadon colour, ceiling in this one.  I need to step away from the PhotoShop gadgetry before I end up repainting. I you want to recreate the stencilled floors in your own colours the code numbers are VN52 Vintage Leopard and DE314 Art Deco repeat 

Helen.