What does decoupage mean?
Decoupage is the decorative art of embellishing objects—furniture, boxes, trays, lampshades—with cut-out shapes from paper or fabric that are glued down and sealed beneath multiple coats of varnish or lacquer. When done well, the applied images sit flush with the surrounding surface and can look hand-painted rather than pasted on. The word functions both as a noun for the craft itself and for pieces made by it, and as a verb meaning to decorate something this way. Derived from the French découper, 'to cut out', the technique has deep roots in Europe: it flourished among 18th-century Venetian and Florentine craftsmen imitating costly lacquerware and became a fashionable Victorian parlor pastime. Today it remains a popular, accessible craft, associated with patience, thrift, and creative reuse of printed imagery, and supported by a wide range of purpose-made papers, adhesives, and sealants.
The art or craft of decorating a surface with cut-out paper shapes that are glued on and sealed with layers of varnish or lacquer; also a piece of work produced in this way.
"Her coffee table is covered in decoupage made from antique sheet music."
Used uncountably for the craft and countably for individual pieces.
To decorate an object using decoupage — gluing cut-out designs onto a surface and sealing them with varnish.
"They decided to decoupage the drawer fronts with vintage postcards."
Rarely used in the plural; the craft sense is normally uncountable, and the countable plural refers only to multiple individual finished pieces.
"The stall displayed dozens of small decoupages, each one unique."
Decoupage comes straight from the French découper, 'to cut out' — and in Victorian England it was so popular that aristocratic ladies covered everything from screens to snuffboxes with it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of decoupage
Decoupage comes directly from the French découper, meaning 'to cut out', formed from de- plus couper, 'to cut'. The technique of decorating furniture with cut-paper motifs was refined in 18th-century Europe, notably in Venice, where artisans used it to imitate expensive Asian lacquerwork. The word entered English in the 19th century alongside the craft's growing popularity. It shares its root with other borrowings from French couper, such as coup, coupon, and coupe.
How decoupage is actually used
Both noun ('a piece of decoupage') and verb ('to decoupage a tray') uses are common in crafting contexts. The final syllable rhymes with 'garage'; some speakers also pronounce it /-pɑːdʒ/. Register is neutral, though the word appears most often in hobbyist, craft, and interior-decorating contexts.
Easily confused with decoupage
A collage is an artwork assembled from cut and pasted materials left visibly layered, whereas decoupage seals cut-outs under varnish so they appear painted onto the surface.