Wooden Shapes

The wooden shape to decorate is the simplest entry point into creative hobbies. A surface, two sides, no volume constraints: you can paint, glue, cut, and assemble. It’s the format that requires the least technique for a clean result and offers the most freedom in decoration. Available in raw wood or MDF medium, our shapes and flat supports come in geometric patterns, silhouettes, seasonal cutouts, and assembly pieces, in sizes ranging from small decorative elements to panels for hanging.

Geometric shapes, silhouettes, and cutouts

• The geometric shapes, circles, squares, hearts, stars, and ovals, form the base. Naturally neutral, they adapt to all projects and easily combine with each other to create a broader decoration.
• The wooden silhouettes add a figurative aspect. Our wooden animals to decorate are the most common example, but you can also find characters, plants, and seasonal motifs. They are particularly popular in workshops because the subject is already there, and all that’s left is to add color.
• The assembly cutouts take it a step further: several flat pieces fit together or are glued to create a volume or composition. They are suitable for older children and projects that require a bit of patience.
• Finally, the small formats, which are thinner, serve as finishes and details. Our wooden embellishments fall into this category, frequently used in scrapbooking or as decorative elements on larger creations.

All techniques on the same support

This is the advantage of the format: the flat surface accepts almost everything.

• Painting remains the reference technique, with acrylic paint being the go-to, achieving a covering result in two thin layers. On raw wood, a diluted stain reveals the grain for a more natural finish.
• Varnish-gluing patterned papers, like Decopatch, quickly dresses a large surface and adds a texture that paint alone cannot provide. Adhesive papers offer an even quicker alternative, with no drying time.
• Mosaic and pebble collage take advantage of the stability of the flat support, which can bear weight well and allows for flat work during the entire setting process.
• The pyrograph, used only on raw wood, allows for engraving patterns and inscriptions directly into the material.

A light sanding before starting improves adhesion and softens the edges of the cutouts.

Projects for the home

The flat shape easily transforms into a useful object. Collage, framed mirror, notepad, coasters, decorative panels, door signs: most of these projects start from a cutout to which an accessory or hanging system is added. For a project with a message or name, wooden letters to decorate can be glued directly onto the support, avoiding the need to paint the text by hand. The customizable door signs offer pre-defined formats for hanging. The wooden slates follow the same logic with a writable surface, useful for kitchen or entryway projects.

Composing and assembling your shapes

A wooden shape takes on another dimension once combined with other elements. The natural wooden beads can be glued in relief or threaded onto a cord to suspend the piece, while the sticks and wooden rods are used to build a frame, a stand, or a hanging structure. For a more natural look, pairing with wooden logs works well: the painted cutout contrasts with the raw material left exposed.

Seasonal shapes and hanging decorations

Some cutouts follow the calendar: trees, stars, and snowflakes for winter, hearts for Valentine’s Day, eggs and rabbits in spring, pumpkins and bats in autumn. Drilled with a hole, they can be hung directly; placed on a base, they create a table decoration. Our wooden Christmas decorations to decorate gather the end-of-year shapes, the period when demand is highest and creations are often made in series to dress a tree or give as gifts.

A staple of creative hobbies in workshops

Wooden shapes are among the essentials for activities with children, and for good reasons: they are sturdy, easy to hold, with no dangerous edges, and the result is immediately visible. Everyone decorates their own and leaves with it. The large cutouts are suitable from a very young age, using wide brush or finger painting. Finer shapes and assemblies are more interesting for older children. Always plan for a few spare pieces in a group session. For other supports to work with the same techniques, find all our wooden supports to decorate.