Deploying decoupage for depth and design

For years, Janna Howell's two-bedroom Wallingford apartment was drab, painted institutional white and gray with pink accents. Fluorescent lighting didn't help.

But Howell, who sewed for a hobby, adopted a new pastime about four years ago — decoupage — and in the process, transformed her apartment into a showcase for this increasingly popular craft.

Decoupage is the craft of cutting out pictures and pasting them onto surfaces with several top coats of varnish to resemble painting or inlay work.

Howell's apartment is an homage to the craft, with intricate cutouts pasted on nearly every available surface.

Her kitchen features vivid blocks of color with black-and-white cutouts of Victorian-style kitchen scenes, flatware and other utensils. Even her refrigerator had a makeover, with pictures pasted onto magnetic sheets to make them removable.

Decoupage also covers tables, shelves and the television in the living room.

"I got into it, and a whole new world opened up," said Howell, 49.

Expect the unexpected

It started innocently enough. Howell began by practicing on her kitchen cabinets. She made copies of pictures she found in magazines and books, cut out the images with an Xacto knife and the help of a magnifying glass and learned about different types of glue.

But once she started, she couldn't stop.

While decoupage covers expected places in Howell's home, like walls and cabinets, images of lemons, for example, also cover green shelves, white plastic storage bins and even a white trash can.

Howell turned one bathroom into a watery underworld, with shimmery blue patterns pasted onto the doors and walls. Another bathroom is elegant and almost Renaissance-like, featuring scenic paintings and corner molding with jeweled details that she added to the corners of the ceiling.

But Howell relishes her bedroom the most, which is rooted in a burgundy and olive-green color scheme. She cut out an elaborate pattern for a border on the wall, and pasted intricate pictures from Nepalese greeting cards, adding patterned frames. Gold craft foil cut into different shapes and embellished with jewels covers uneven edges and adds a glittery touch to the room. Patterned paper punches up a dresser and side tables, while a sparkling tapestry shows off her sewing skills.

"I was always attracted to lush fabrics and intricate design," Howell said. "That translated into decorating."

A handy gift

The decoupage décor in her apartment, which actually is a rental (her longtime landlord approves of her hobby), is now almost complete. So she keeps up with her craft by creating decoupage on boxes, adding up to 50 layers of varnish to make glossy presents for friends.

Howell, a secretary at a Madrona church, is strict about her budget, scouring eBay for wallpaper, cards and other patterns. She either finds furniture, or her boyfriend builds pieces for her, and then she lavishes her handiwork upon them. Her father builds the boxes.

Decoupage is intricate, time-consuming work, but Howell finds it relaxing.

"It's my magical little wonderland," she said. "You walk in the door, and it just perks you up."

Nicole Tsong: 206-464-2150 or ntsong@seattletimes.com