Take down your curtains and create a focal point with paint around your windows.
Creating interesting window treatments can extend way beyond a set of curtains on a curtain rod. For your next home decor project, try working with a few different paint techniques to bring your windows to life. Painted molding, stencils and other painted designs can perk up an otherwise boring portal to the world.
Stenciled Borders
Stencil a border in the theme of your room around your windows.
One of quickest, easiest and least expensive ways to apply a creative finish around a window is to stencil a border around it. Stencils come in all shapes and sizes and can be customized with the paint colors of your choice. Whether you're into frogs, flowers or teddy bears, a trip to your local craft store or a quick search on the Internet will give you numerous stencil designs to choose from.
Decorative Molding
Add painted decorative wood corner blocks to your windows for a creative touch.
Decorative moldings are a beautiful addition to any home. You can also add them around windows to match moldings around your doorways and then paint them all to bring additional interest to your space. Instead of plain window trim, add multiple layers of molding to your windows. Try decorative wood corner blocks and paint the different pieces of molding in different colors as a creative window treatment.
Mosaic Designs
Paint a mosaic design around your windows.
If you are artistically inclined and want to create an intricate design around your windows, try hand-painting a mosaic design around your windows. The pattern can be a simple square tile design or a cracked tile look for an antique appearance. Tape off the area around your window, then draw your mosaic or trace it from a pattern. Once the design is on the wall, use decorative acrylic paints to create a colorful mosaic for the price of paint instead of expensive tile.
Trompe L'oeil
Use a trompe l'oeil painting technique to create faux shutters around a window.
Trompe l'oeil painting is the art of creating faux finishes to create an illusion that fools or tricks the eye. The sky is the limit when using this painting technique, as you can paint any subject matter you desire. A couple of options for using a trompe l'oeil painting technique around a window would be to paint a set of shutters on the sides of the window or faux stone around the window border.
