Inspiration

Faded Romance Decoupage Blooms

This chalky-pastel living room is a wistful, romantic and dreamy way to use the oft-maligned art of decoupage to create a look which is truly contemporary. There’s something of the New Romantics about this unfussy update to the Victorian decoupage tradition.

Floral Decoupage wall created by Annie Sloan with Chalk Paint® and napkins, in pastel pink and baby blue

Where traditional decoupage involves arduous cutting and varnishing, this surreal, blended, otherworldly version demands much less time and effort – and gives a rather more sophisticated end result. Substitute time spent fiddling with scissors to cut precise shapes in the much more rewarding pursuit of sourcing truly beautiful images to decoupage.

You can use wallpapers, dedicated decoupage papers from specialist stores – or even napkins, as were used here. The wall was given a fresh coat of Chalk Paint™ in Svenska Blue as a base. The cut-out napkins were then arranged across the wall using white tac to help envisage the end result and decide on best placements.

Living room painted with Chalk Paint and floral decoupage. Sofa in Linen Union in Antoinette + Old White

Then, one-by-one the back of each image was sponged with Image Medium, which is a combined glue and varnish solution, and placed it into position. Image Medium fixes the decoupage to the wall and gives a luxurious, slight sheen reminiscent of Venetian egg-wash. A wash of watered-down Chalk Paint™ in a complimentary colour will not only serve to seal the decoupage layers, but will create the knocked-back misty look which is so beautiful here. It’ll also blend the decoupage with the wall beneath, blurring the lines of any less-than-perfect scissor work. Any paper peeking through will add to the slightly rough, textured effect. A very soft mix of Chalk Paint™ in Antoinette and Old White diluted about 50:50 with water was used for a wash. Remember; it’s always preferable to add too much water and apply an extra coat if necessary.

The rest of the room has been tastefully transformed in complimentary muted pastel tones so as not to compete with the wall. The sofa is upholstered in Linen Union in Antoinette + Old White – all of Annie’s fabrics have been developed to perfectly match the Chalk Paint™ palette. This makes choosing either a beautifully contrasting or a perfectly matched fabric for accent cushions, curtains and upholstery as easy as possible.

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Floral Decoupage wall created by Annie Sloan with Chalk Paint® and napkins, in pastel pink and baby blue
Annie Sloan Paint Swatch Svenska Blue

Svenska Blue

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Annie Sloan Paint Swatch Antoinette

Antoinette

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Annie Sloan Paint Swatch Old White

Old White

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Annie Sloan Image Medium 120ml pot

Image Medium

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Linen Union in Antoinette + Old White fabric by Annie Sloan

Antoinette + Old White

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