One of our most frequently asked questions is how to achieve the scalloped wall colour block that's popping up all over Instagram and Pinterest accounts! It’s not hard to see why this is one of the biggest interior trends of the moment. It’s such a simple way to create a soft and playful feel in any space. 

Sounding like something you fancy giving a go? Well, you’re in luck! We decided to pop together this handy guide to show you all just how simple this project is when you know how! 

In this guide we’ll cover:

• Measuring out your border line
• Our favourite tool for creating the scalloped shape
• Avoiding a harsh paint edge in your scalloped design
• Our secret tip for drawing scallops into corners and door frames
• The ultimate brush to make painting your scallops a doddle

If video tutorials are more your thing, you can watch our handy youtube tutorial here for painting a scalloped wall in your home! 

Banish the nerves 

I know a lot of you have been admiring this interior trend from afar but assume it’s going to be a bit too tricky to try out for yourself. I’d be lying if I said the thought of tackling this project wasn’t a little bit daunting at first. Thankfully I surprised myself with just how easy and effective this scallop wall was. 

The only things you need are a few decorating essentials and a slightly steady hand; so make sure to limit yourself to one Baileys to steady your nerves and save the rest to help celebrate when you’re done!

Top Tips Before You Start:

Don't feel scared or worried about something going wrong. The worst that can happen is a slight mistake and this can be very easily fixed! After all, it’s only paint. 

Do see this as an opportunity to get creative and have some fun with your space. It's so easy and cost-effective to create a real statement in your room so why not go all out? 

What you will need:

• Your chosen paint colour! Shop any shade, finish and size you like with our colour match paint!
• Low tac masking tape OR sensitive masking tape. (if you’re painting over a freshly painted wall with your scalloped colour block then you’ll need a low tac, sensitive tape like the masq sensitive tape. If your wall was painted a while ago (longer than 7 days) then the pro dec advanced precision is a great low tac masking tape.)
• Axus Pointed Precision Brush. These brushes are amazing for achieving the rounded shape of the scallop. I like the middle sizes of 15mm or 20mm. 
• Covermasq - as always this is a fantastic product for protecting your skirting boards and flooring.
• Sanding pads - the coarse pads are imperative for avoiding a harsh paint line!
• Measuring Tape
• Plate (trust me!)
• Pencil
• Cardboard (you’ll see why!)

The colour we used on this project is a designer colour match shade which we code NTB295, you can just type this into the colour match box on the website if you want to order the same shade! If you’re not very confident in choosing colours just remember our team is a message away!

First up, Time to Prep

>The prep is never something I really look forward to because I just want to get stuck in with the painting. It was such a relief knowing the prep for this project could be completed in 3 super easy steps. 

1. Use the Covermasq to protect your woodwork and flooring. 
2. Measure the height you want your scalloped border to be and use your masking tape to create a line. I cheated and marked a very light pencil line to then follow with my masking tape. I measured at regular stages from the floor to my preferred height before then masking along my line of dots/faint line. (You may also want to get your spirit level out here if you haven’t got a laser level for a level line!)
3. Give your paint a good stir before pouring it out into your roller tray

Easy peasy!

 

 

Creating the base 

It’s finally time to get that all-important first coat of paint on! We found it easiest to start by cutting in and then filling in the centre which is just a straight line colour block at the moment (we’ll get to the scallops in a moment!). Make sure to wait for the appropriate recoat time and then get the second coat on for full coverage. Once that’s dry to the touch it’s time to remove the masking tape and allow the wall to fully dry. 

Once your straight line colour block is dry it's time to use your sanding pad (I find these less abrasive to work with as they have the spongey centre) to gently sand that blocked line to it's not a harsh edge. 

 

 

Scallop time 

Now it’s time to create that scallop effect. Start by grabbing your chosen plate shape (dinner plate, side plate, any plate you like!) and determine how big of a scallop you would like. This may be at the halfway point of the plate but for me I liked it at pretty much a ‘10 and 2’ position like you should have when you’re driving. I marked this position with a piece of tape so I could draw the scallop from the 10 until 2 position exactly the same for each scallop. Once you’re happy you can start drawing around the plate with a pencil to create a guide. We started in the centre of the wall and worked out from each side of this as we were just doing one feature wall of the scalloped colour block. 

 

 

Now its highly unlikely that you’ll get to the corner or a door frame exactly where your scalloped shape would end. This is where your cardboard comes in! Draw your scallop shape onto some cardboard and cut it out. You’ll find that you can then bend this into the corner to draw your shape. Technically you could do this the whole way around your room but I find the plate so much more robust and therefore I’m less likely to make mistakes. 

 

 

 

Now for the time consuming part (let's be honest but it's so worth it!) painting in your scallops. This is where the Axus Pointed Precision Brush really came into its own. I tried flat head brushes first in small ½” size but they aren’t as easy to draw around the scalloped shape so it was taking a lot of time. The pointed nature of the sash brush makes it the perfect choice for something intricate like this and I was a whizz at it after my first few scallops!

 

 

Admire your work 

Ta-da!. Can you believe you now have a surprisingly simple yet effective scallop effect wall! It’s such an easy and cost-effective project once you know how to do it. Now pour yourself a well-deserved glass of Baileys and take in your beautiful creation. 

 

 

I hope this guide has given you the inspiration and confidence to try this stunning interior trend in your home. If you’re still not 100% sold here are some gorgeous inspiration shots of the beautiful effect done in completely different colours and ways to hopefully persuade you to just go for it! 

 

 

If you’ve recreated this look make sure to tag us @decoratingcentreonline and as always don’t hesitate to get in touch we’re always happy to chat over any additional questions or advice you need!