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Issue Date: December 16, 2007
3 great ways to liven up your walls
Check out these solutions to take "wallpaper" to a whole new level.
By Megan Kaplan
Until recently, wallpaper was a bit of a wallflower in the world of interiors. Paint -- available in an array of colors and decorative finishes -- had all but pushed it aside. "We were wallpaper-starved," says Thom Filicia, New York City designer and host of "Dress My Nest." "And now we're a little obsessed. The idea of bringing interest back to our walls is undergoing a real renaissance." The upshot: wall coverings that are more sophisticated, less difficult to work with and cheaper than ever. So long, fusty cabbage roses!
"Wallpaper has finally caught up with people today who want to express their creativity without destroying their walls," says Sharon Hanby-Robie, the spokeswoman for the Wallpaper Council and author of "Decorating Without Fear." Decals, digital photo murals and 3-D applications are the trends leading the way. Read on to discover how they are redefining the category and helping to enliven walls, the quick and easy way.
-- LARGER-THAN-LIFE MURALS
The world of wallcoverings is undergoing a renaissance right now.
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Innovations in digital technology and printing have taken the mural to new heights -- literally. "We are not restrained by that 271/2-inch roll size anymore," Hanby-Robie says. "You can have an image blown up 19 feet high to cover an entire wall."
Even better, the oversize options are virtually endless. Select a nature scene for your living room (from $150 at grahambrown.com). In your child's bedroom, opt for a football line of scrimmage or a kitschy beach scene (from $199 at pbteen.com). And if you'd rather pick from your personal photo archives, go custom. Murals Your Way (muralsyourway.com) will take on such jobs. Just send in a hi-res digital file and it will be enlarged and transfered to fabric-backed vinyl, which is a lot easier to paste up than the floppy, old-fashioned stuff.
Keep in mind, whether it's one-of-a-kind or mass-produced, a mural makes a big impact. "That's why you don't want one on every wall," Hanby-Robie says. "Select a corner or dedicate a single wall. In other words, find your focal point.
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A room with no view? Create a vista with PBTeen's Beach Dock mural.
-- DECORATIVE DECALS
Distant cousins of the stickers you plastered on notebooks as a kid, today's wall decals are grander in scale and design. "More than ever, people want to put a stamp on their interiors, and now they can dress up their walls by spending a hundred -- not thousands of -- dollars," Filicia says.
For truly unique appliques, look to Paris-based design firm Domestic. Its collections -- which include surrealist landscapes and stylized skyscrapers made from vinyl -- are created by up-and-coming artists and graphic designers (from $50 at domestic.fr or greenergrassdesign.com). Stateside, dVider has made its mark with bold vinyl silhouettes of trees, race cars -- you name it -- in a range of colors (from $16 at store.dvider.com).
Besides good looks, decals attract fans because they're incredibly easy to use. Many are peel-and-stick, which means they are made to go up (and come down) in a snap. "I have clients who freeze at the thought of a permanent pattern on the wall," says L.A. interior designer James Swan. "But there's no downside to trying out a decal -- just remove it next month." Or try it in another spot; simply select a reusable decal such as those in Blik's Re-Stik line (from $25 at whatisblik.com).
A flock takes flight, from Blik's Re-Stik line of reusable wall decals.
-- 3-D EFFECTS
Touch, please. Inhabit's popular Braille Wall Flats add a tactile element to your interior.
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If you're looking to add architectural inerest to your digs, consider installing a three-dimensional wall covering. Lightweight designs don't even require paste application. Wood cutouts from Wallter, for instance, come with a strong adhesive backing (others affix to the wall with adhesive tabs or double-sided tape for a semi-permanent installation). Wallter's pieces resemble fanciful picture frames, effectively bridging the gap between art and wall treatment (from $42 per set at wallter.com).
For an all-over textural application, wall tiles made from recycled cardboard or bamboo pulp are a good bet ($28 for 12 PaperForms at mioculture.com; $86 for 10 Wall Flats at inhabitliving.com).
"What's great about 3-D papers is they are eco-friendly, and there are no rules," Filicia says. "Turn the pieces in different directions, design a band around the room, paint them all one color or each a different one."
No matter how you apply them, the raised abstract patterns are bound to attract the eye -- and some may even please your ears. Mio's Acoustic Weave wall tiles ($30 for a 12-pack at mioculture.com) are designed to diffuse sound and reduce echo. These tiles will help you to improve your interior's acoustics, as well as aesthetics.
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