Wake up your walls with painted faux mouldings—no tools required! Here's how, step-by-step.

1. Apply a base coat of paint to your entire wall. This will serve as the background for your painted motif. We chose a medium beige (see right) to allow the white moulding to really pop without being too overwhelming.

2. Measure out your moulding panels. Each moulding segment should be 1 inch wide. Ensure that each panel frame is equidistant from the next for a professional and precise look. Not sure if your walls are straight? Use a laser for accuracy.

3. For a more ornate look, use the template below to shape each corner of the moulding frames. This will give it an even more custom feel!

4. Mask off the outside of both edges of the moulding lines with paint block tape. Be sure to take your time around the curved edges. Before applying any paint, ensure all taped edges are smooth and sealed against the wall surface to prevent paint bleed.

5. Using a 2-inch foam roller, apply white paint in a thin coat between the taped lines. This will ensure minimal paint bleed and prevent drips on your wall. Repeat as needed to achieve a solid white.

6. Once the white paint has dried, carefully remove tape. Determine where the light source is in your space and where a natural shadow would fall if the mouldings were three-dimensional. (The shadow will fall on the side of the moulding farthest away from the light source.) Apply paint block tape over the white moulding on the edge where the shadow would cast.

7. Mix one part clear latex glaze to one part medium-brown latex paint. Freehand a shadow. The tape will give you a clean edge against the painted white moulding, while the untaped outer edge will look natural and painterly.

8. Remove paint block tape after glaze has dried.