Spell It Out: Words of Inspiration for Your House
A favorite quote can enhance a room the way an inspiring idea engages your mind. Here’s how to add word power to your interiors
Jess McBride
January 3, 2016
Houzz Contributor. Custom decorating professional and content creator for the home design industry with a lifelong passion for color, pattern, and texture of every "stripe"
Houzz Contributor. Custom decorating professional and content creator for the home... More
Words and design are two of the most powerful mediums for self-expression, but they often orbit different worlds: Words exist on a page (or a screen), while design is often more ambient and visible. You can merge the two with any of these 20 creative ways to season your home with cherished quotes for daily inspiration.
1. Vinyl decals. Part of the magic of quotes and short poems is their ability to pack a complex idea into a pithy expression that’s easily remembered, like a mantra or slogan. Vinyl decals allow you to plaster your walls with your favorites. Putting your quote decals in guest quarters is sure to spark conversation and inspire your visitors. And because the decals aren’t in a heavy-traffic area, your cherished mantras won’t grow stale with daily exposure like an overplayed radio hit.
2. A steady hand. Have beautiful handwriting? Here is the world’s cheapest DIY project that will add a personal touch to your bedroom. For more professional polish, hire a calligrapher to DIFY (Do It for You). Your quote will sing in a minimally decorated space like the one pictured here. Try a snippet of your wedding vows, a lyric from your wedding song, or any inspirational or funny line that will start your day with a smile. I once painted a line from a Dire Straits song — “All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme; Juliet I’d do the stars with you any time” — on my bedroom wall.
3. Framed quote. This approach adds a modern graphic edge to a space, and it’s less of a commitment than words applied directly to the wall in vinyl or paint. Very short expressions will be easiest to quickly digest on your way out the door and will lend the most graphic impact to the room. Choose something cheeky over a trite cliché.
4. Framed chalkboard. This is a great way to cure the ails of commitment-phobes who want the flexibility to change their daily inspiration, well, daily. Naturally, high-minded quotes are not the only words worth sharing with members of your household: Ordinary to-do lists and quick notes are elevated into something like art when attractively framed.
5. Roller shade. Are you noticing a trend here? The written word affords a multitude of clever DIY opportunities to those with a literary bent. Jen Chu, the artist responsible for this high-style project, explains how deceptively simple it was: “I manually cut the text out of contact paper (it only took about four hours) and stuck it on a vinyl roller shade from Home Depot. It works great. None of the letters have ever fallen off!”
6. Gallery wall. The hardest part of using quotes in your decor is choosing the one you’d most like to display. The designer of this pared-down contemporary bedroom shows off a collection of sayings with a tightly organized gallery wall that has graphic appeal. The lack of proper punctuation and the character of the selected lines reflect a refreshing repudiation of design that takes itself too seriously.
Budget Decorator: A Most Affordable Gallery Wall
Budget Decorator: A Most Affordable Gallery Wall
7. Stencils. When adopting this technique, be sure to very carefully measure and lightly pencil straight horizontal lines as a guide for placement. Also consider the scale of the letters in proportion to the wall, so they’re as readable (or not) as you’d like them to be. The stenciled letters here are 6 inches tall, for example.
8. Tiles. Using mosaic tiles to spell out an artsy French tag line was a bold, risky move, but the reward is evident: This bathroom is moody and artistic.
9. Comic book style. Life imitates pop art with this nod to comic book thought bubbles. This charming painting is so much more fun than a traditional headboard, and it deftly expresses a free-spirited inclination as light and fresh as the feather-white walls and bedding.
10. Fireplace surround. Creating a stylish focal point, this living room’s fireplace surround is wrapped in a wallpaper that mimics the look of reclaimed wood and is covered with the names of famous writers. The beauty of this design is that it can be adapted to reflect one’s music or fashion tastes, or geographic locations that carry a special meaning to the homeowner.
11. Pillows. Fabric is as much a canvas as wall space is and can be appliquéd with a similarly vast array of artistic media. Whether decorated with embroidery, hand-painted lettering or iron-on transfer patches from the craft store, pillows and cushions are always the seat of great creativity.
12. Oversize art. Even the shortest of quotes can make for large-scale art. The texture and color-blocked effect of the oversize piece above the bed lend dynamism to the room, and the particular quote chosen provides a note of humor in this seriously sophisticated space.
13. Type. A special vintage typewriter becomes a design theme all its own in this stylishly appointed corner that recruits typographic art to celebrate the machine’s patina.
14. Chalkboard paint. Those hesitant to mark up their walls with painted quotes may prefer the unexpected touch of chalkboard paint on a door.
DIY: Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint
DIY: Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint
15. Wallpaper. Another comic-book inspired wall treatment drives home the playful whimsy afforded to those willing to take a design risk with their wall coverings. The result is an inviting and personal expression of eclecticism.
Discover more comic book-inspired designs
Discover more comic book-inspired designs
16. Upholstery. This approach offers one more venue for wordy decor. Although you can readily find furniture with French script fabrics and the like, half the fun lies in putting your own personal stamp on your pieces.
You could mark up your fabric before sending it to the upholsterer, update a flea market find or paint wooden pieces to breathe new life into your dullest furniture.
How to Work With an Upholsterer
You could mark up your fabric before sending it to the upholsterer, update a flea market find or paint wooden pieces to breathe new life into your dullest furniture.
How to Work With an Upholsterer
17. Furniture topper. Layering texture and subtle detail is paramount to a successful monochromatic color scheme, especially for neutrals. A calligraphic coffee table may be that missing piece you’ve been searching for.
18. Exterior treatment. A windowless facade can easily intimidate and repel a passer-by, but that’s not the case with this Australian abode, which has a friendly greeting inscribed in brick. I will gladly go on record saying that this may very well be the most inventive use of the written word in architecture that I have ever seen.
See more of this house
See more of this house
19. Bookshelves. We’ve seen plenty of examples of how words can add silliness to a space; here’s a textual detail that is anything but. Stately enough to adorn the most prestigious academic libraries, the French word for “library” instead graces the still-to-be-filled bookshelves of this Parisian home.
20. Light fixture. Ingo Maurer’s iconic Zetter’z light fixture features notes from its owner’s friends and loved ones, adding a personal yet sophisticated touch to this designer dining space. Ironically, whereas the paper-clad fixture looks like the most homemade thing in the room, it’s actually the art on the walls that was created by the talented homeowner himself.
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I loved looking at the writing on the walls. I read a book years ago, called Rest and Be Thankful by Helen McInnes. Beautiful book, with a beautiful story. I still plan, when I renovate my bedroom, to write 'Rest and be thankful." on my wall. This was a good reminder to do just that.
May I suggest artwork with text, e.g. my painting Capricorn to be found at
https://bluethumb.com.au/artworks/search/Lesley%20Taylor
Subtle text on the painting suggests personality traits a Capricornian may have.
or try Cancer for bolder and more obvious type.
Oh dear. NO!