Let's look at five fun and easy ways to use contact paper in the home.
1.) Mailbox - A plain mailbox can be given style, personality and the family name with some contact paper. Select a color that will look good on the color of the mailbox.
Use a stencil of the first letter of your last name, or a series of stencils to spell out your entire name, and mark the paper using the stencils. Cut around the lines you've drawn and apply the cut-outs to your mailbox.
2.) Wastepaper Basket - Every office and has a wastepaper basket. Most are dull and plain. Why not use contact paper to add some style to this accessory we never consider. Select a pattern you like, then measure the circumference and height of the wastepaper bin and cut the paper to fit. Adhere the paper to the basket and you now have a decorative accessory that also serves a utilitarian purpose.
3.) Candles - A decorative touch can be added to plain candles with a little contact paper. For the artistic, this can be done by drawing an outline onto the paper and cutting along the lines. Images of birds, flowers and chevron patterns work great. For the less artistic, stencils can be used to trace the pattern onto the paper before cutting. Either way, once the paper is adhered to the candle what you are left with is a beautiful decoration where only a short time earlier stood a simple, plain candle.
4.) Coasters - This is the easiest trick in the contact paper book. Simply cut out circular shapes and leave them stacked on the coffee table to be used as coasters. Want to add some flare? Use decorative paper, such as sports themes or wood grain.
5.) The stairs - One of the most overlooked surfaces in any home is the staircase. Most are made of wood. The surface of each step is often stained a beautiful color. But the riser, the section of wood between each step, is almost always ignored altogether. With contact paper, you can add style to this part of your home in a dramatic way. You can decorate each riser with a pattern or color that matches the room's décor. Or you can create a large image, using each riser as one segment of the image, creating a beautiful work of art for everyone to enjoy. This is one of the professional decorator's secret tricks, but it's easy to do with contact paper.
JM Kee is a designer and writer with Interior Place, Philadelphia's leading supplier of interior decor and gifts. We help decorators, designers and hobbyists bring their own style to each project. At Interior Place, beauty is always on the inside.
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