Get The Look Of Fancy Molding With This Growing Paint Trend

Do you love a high-impact, low-risk dose of design fun? If your walls are feeling a bit blank, and you're yearning to add an arty, romantic, and irreverent touch to your house or apartment, you might have stumbled on the ideal DIY. Enter faux, painted-on molding. The exact origins of this whimsical paint trend aren't totally clear, but the concept is simple. Instead of mounting strips of molding, you can channel your inner child by simply painting the shape of decorative molding onto your walls. The result? A totally unexpected take on real molding, with a touch of the cartoon-esque, fantasy world about it. 

Perfectly suited to maximalist, unique spaces, this painting technique is endlessly customizable. You can use it to outline and emphasize hung art, perfectly position it around furniture pieces, or even use it to amplify and add detail to existing molding. It's also dirt cheap, and low-commitment. If you tire of the cheeky look, you can easily paint over it. If you're blessed with a landlord who allows you to paint, this also renders it a renter-friendly update. You can mimic most types of wall moldings and there are tons of ways to execute the technique, from free-handing your design and adding extra whimsical elements (like florals and bows) to using stencils, painter's tape, or a laser level to help you achieve a straight line. 

If you're one of those brave souls who's unafraid to freehand, you could simply pick up a brush and start painting panels onto your walls. Not an unrestrained artist? A great way to get the same look (but with more control) is to faintly draw the outlines in pencil or chalk, and use them as a guide to freehand over. Alternatively, you can use a laser level to give yourself a straight, plumb line to paint along, but still allow for creative freedom and the space to paint mini-mural-like moments. 

Alternatively, if you're after crisp edges, super straight lines, or geometrical shapes (hello Art Deco décor), painter's tape will be your friend. Taped outlines are ideal for simple, squared-off motifs like regular box molding. Once you've taped out your shapes, all that's left to do is paint in the lines. To avoid bleeding edges, create crisp lines by sealing the painter's tape with some of your existing wall color paint. If you want more intricate, detailed shapes, you can also consider using stencils, such as this border stencil set from Etsy for $11.53, or this floral stencil from Amazon for $5.59. Stamps are another alternative. For an even faster process, you can even try an embossing rubber roller, such as this one from Amazon for $13.99.