by Regina Garay

Let’s put the alphabet to creative use, with our Decorative Painting and Surface Design Expert, and Contributor Regina Garay. Regina blogs about her artistry and inspiration
at Fauxology.

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In the midst of creating a warm space for themselves, many homeowners decide to bring in a more personal touch with lettering designs.  These can include important quotes, the family crest or monograms.  And businesses need to display their logos, but some are choosing to do it in a more artistic manner.

To make this process easy and seamless, many different companies offer multi-use Mylar stencils and one-time use vinyl patterns, for homeowners and artisans alike.  Beautiful lettering can add flair to many surfaces .  Let’s take a look – shall we?

Here we see some examples of beautiful lettering done by California artisan, Jeff Raum. An inspired Theatre Room, and good wishes in the Kitchen. The lettering for both projects were provided by the Say What? Custom Lettering company.

Children’s Rooms are excellent places to use lettering in a creative manner.  Here Nashville artisan Brooks Tucker of Bell and Tucker created a cowboy-themed room with hand-lettering on wood, and window treatments, for a lucky boy named Zane.

Brooks also created a work of art with lettering for the stairway of another space.

I love the use of monograms in design — in fact, I practically dance in place when the idea comes up during the design phase.  Here, Massachusetts artisan Carol Leonesio incorporated initials in an elegant way in the library of the Daniel Webster House.

She did a diamond pattern in gold and at the meeting points, placed the DW monogram.  Artisan Chris Smith helped complete the room, which was designed by Bordet Interiors.

Our own Garay Artisans completed this monogram for a professional athlete’s Theatre Room ceiling.

The designer, Leigh Gunn of Florida’s Group 4 Design, put together the colorations that were to be used with the flat Venetian plaster.  The monogram was provided by Modello Designs.

Flooring is also a beautiful surface to bring in that personal touch.  Here’s Artisan Brooks Tucker’s work again, as he brings about a “T” in the flooring design.

Here’s a closeup view:

Businesses have artisans install their logos, as was the case for Ohio artisan and studio owner, Ann Onusko of Great Lakes Decorative Arts Studio.  Below is the client’s graceful logo she added to the main counter.

Mirrors provide a new surface on which to play with lettering and monograms.  These two are samples our firm produced.

Here’s another mirror we created for a fashion boutique.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these examples.  Say What? Custom Lettering has a nice gallery to look through for more ideas.

Some Tips:

• Make sure you correctly measure the space your chosen lettering format will be placed upon.
• Always use a level to ensure that your quotes and monograms are lined up correctly.
• Burnish the edges of the stencil format you are using to avoid your material seeping under.
• I usually wait until the material is dry before pulling up a vinyl stencil.  If it is a mylar stencil, I do suggest lifting it and cleaning it immediately.

Please feel free to post any questions or comments — and I hope you do take the time to visit the websites of the wonderful artisans featured.  Until next time!

Regina Garay is an accomplished artisan with creativity and energy to spare. A specialist at all manner of decorative painting techniques, she shares with us tips, how-to’s and trends in surface design, as well as inspiration from the design of public spaces.

Owner and Creative Director for Orlando, Florida’s Garay Artisans, Regina also pens the popular Fauxology blog.

Tell us! How have you used lettering in your decor?