Paint a scallop feature Add interest and character to walls with this easy-peasy technique

‘I’m quite impulsive when it comes to decorating. I just woke up one day deciding to paint black scallops on the kitchen wall!’

Cut out a circle from a piece of card the size you want your scallop to be. Draw a line along the middle and cut the card in half so you have a semicircle. This is your template. Scallops are essentially half circles, so the smaller the circle, the more scallops you will need to draw out and then paint.

Using a spirit level, draw a level line along the length of your wall up to where you want the scallops to sit. Place the flat edge of your template so that it is sitting on the line and draw around the shape in pencil. Then repeat along the wall until you get to the end.

If you want to go around a corner, press your template into the space and allow it to follow the contours of the wall, then draw around the whole template as it sits against the wall, so that you have a full scallop shape.

With a small brush, paint around the edge of the scallops, covering any pencil showing. Fill in the shape with a bigger brush, and then roller the wall below. For a good finish it’s best to keep a wet edge while painting, so do this in sections if you have a large wall. Move onto the next section and keep going until the wall is complete. Depending on the finish and quality of the paint, you might want to do a second coat.

‘I originally wanted scaffold shelves in here, but during lockdown they were like gold dust, so we had to settle on timber from Homebase. I created the scallop effect by drawing around the lid of a pot over and over, and then painted the shapes with a watercolour brush as the design is quite small and intricate. The units and flooring were already in the kitchen when we moved in, but it felt a bit stark until I added my unique accessories and crockery. It’s a mix of high-street buys and things that I’ve found on Etsy or at local flea markets. The small metal chest of drawers was a find on Facebook Marketplace.’

‘ This little shelf unit, from HomeSense, is supposed to be hung on the wall, but it’s good countertop storage as the kitchen’s so tiny we need all the storage we can get. I really enjoy taking time to draw on this blackboard wall. I’d definitely recommend it as a stress reliever. The wall hanging is from Pinfold Creations on Etsy’