Damask: Decor Ideas

Once considered a pattern fit for formal, if not stuffy, sitting rooms, damask has come full circle as an accessible modern pattern you can use just about anywhere in your home. With a fresh onslaught of color combinations, designs and textures, damask can be incorporated into many different styles of decor. Flocked, tone-on-tone, two-tone and multi-colored varieties can be found. Whether you choose to commit to a full room of damask wallpaper or to add it in bits and pops, damask is a versatile pattern well worth a peek.

Wallpaper

Feature walls are a great way to experiment with bold damask patterns. Try a black and red flocked damask for a dining room, paired with a drum pendant chandelier in white silk with dangling crystals. Or try a dusky purple and grey damask for a bedroom with layers of texture and color. Include lavender and silver in the design scheme for finishing touches and accent pieces.

Shadow boxes – boxes formed with trim or molding to act as an architectural feature on your walls -- are another way to experiment with damask wallpaper. Dress up a hallway, foyer, stairwell or any other room you have in mind with a series of shadow boxes. One way to pull this off is to paint the room a shade of cream, the shadow boxes white and paper the inside of the boxes with a tone-on-tone taupe colored damask wallpaper.

Cupboard doors can be papered with your boldest choices of damask wallpaper. Pull out the teal, dove grey and lemon damask wallpaper and line the insides of your cupboard doors. How cheerful will you be whenever you open your cupboards to find a bold splash of pattern and color in an other wise neutral room?

Use leftover pieces or remnants of damask wallpaper to liven up shelves. One idea is to wallpaper the inside of a vintage armoire that has seen better days. You can also line drawers and bookshelves with damask wallpaper.

Design a vivid backsplash for your kitchen or bathroom using damask wallpaper and panels of glass. Paper the space between the counters and the cabinets and affix a glass panel on top of it for an inexpensive yet striking solution to an innovative backsplash.

Textiles

For a colorfully painted bedroom, choose black and white printed damask bedding to add visual interest to the decor. Another thing you can do is choose all white bedding and add throw pillows with a damask pattern into the mix. Repeat the pattern in at least one other place to unify the look.

Silk drapes with a tone-on-tone damask print will class up any window in your home. Metallic shades of silver, charcoal, gold and kelly green will add texture to the design scheme without adding too much flash.

Choose damask fabrics to upholster chairs and sofas or a headboard. A dramatic damask style with a bold color scheme will bring instant life to a refinished piece of furniture. Use it on an accent chair to finish a living room or complete a whole set of dining room chairs.

Accessorize a dining area with damask printed cloth napkins or a classic damask tablecloth. Add throw pillows with a variety of damask prints to a solid colored sofa or arm chair.

Stencils and Decals

A plethora of damask stencils are available online and can be used to stencil patterns pretty much wherever you see fit. Large-scale stencils can be used to create dynamic wall art, or use small-scale designs to add visual interest around doors, windows, on bulletin boards and anywhere else that requires a little something extra.

Vinyl decals come in a range of dynamic damask prints. Once you tire of the decals they peel of without a trace. Use the decals to dress up a bathtub enclosure, a window or a wall.

Damask can be a rather busy or bossy pattern and should be treated as such. Always pair it with solid colors and rich textures to avoid the room of choice from becoming overpowered by the print. Experiment with placement and quantity to attain a perfectly patterned balance for your home's decor.