They form the largest available surface area in our homes, but walls can often be bland and boring, covered with a lacklustre coat of magnolia paint and consigned to the practical task of holding up the ceiling. But these underrated blank canvases can totally transform your home, with very little cost or effort.
Paint
Paint is an obvious starting point – simply adding a fresh coat can do wonders if your walls are starting to look a little scuffed or faded. Don’t be afraid of choosing a strong colour, which will inject a vibrant energy into a room. But if you prefer to stick to neutrals, make sure that they’re interesting ones such as soft stone, warm sand or chalky white. Buy tester pots and paint a decent section of wall (at least 50 centimetres square), then live with it for a couple of days before making any final decisions.
Not that you have to limit your choice to one colour. You could paint different walls in varying intensities of the same colour, use complementary colours such as a soft sage green and a gentle duck-egg blue, or make a statement by using contrasting colours at opposite sides of the colour wheel, such as electric blue and tangerine orange or regal purple and sunshine yellow. Contrasting colour to style can also be effective – for example, using a contemporary shade in a period property will bring it right up to date.
Paint effects are making a comeback, too, so if plain isn’t your thing, then consider retro techniques, such as rag rolling or even stencilling, or printing patterns over the whole wall or a section of it. These effects aren’t hard to learn and can create visual texture and interest without costing a fortune. For a modern take, use a spray gun to create softly graduating stripes and build up an on-trend ombre effect.
Another classic way to add interest to walls is to divide them horizontally and cover each section with a different colour or material. You might paint a darker colour on the bottom half and a lighter one on the top, or use a patterned wallpaper two thirds of the way up from the ground and plain paint above. You could even do three or four horizontal segments, making a chunky stripe effect.
Paper
If you want something a little more intricate, you’re best off with wallpaper. There are thousands of designs available, in every colour and style that you could hope for, and each one will create a different effect. For example, slender stripes will lengthen, so use them horizontally to widen a small room, or vertically to give height to a low ceiling. Papers with sheen will bounce light around a darker room, while textured styles, such as flock, add depth and contrast.
If you’re not sure that your room can carry off a full complement of wallpaper, try using it on one accent wall, then paint the rest of the room in a one of the paper’s secondary or accent colours. Feature walls draw the eye, so think about where you want people to look first when they enter the room. For a real wow factor, you could have a custom mural wallpaper printed, turning one wall into a city skyline or a beach scene. Or why not use chalkboard paint to create a noticeboard area in the kitchen or a reusable drawing wall in the kids’ bedroom?
You don’t have to cover an entire wall to make a feature, though. Use wallpaper or a contrasting paint colour or effect to visually section off parts of an open-plan space. For example, if your living room contains a study corner with a desk, you might want to segment this area with its own wall decor.
Another possibility for adding design to a section of wall is using a wall sticker or decal. These come in a variety of monochrome and more colourful designs, from very small to artwork size to large enough to reach from floor to ceiling.
Other ideas
If paint and paper aren’t quite interesting enough, why not consider cladding? This can be used to half or full height and works particularly well in bathrooms and kitchens or rooms decorated in a beach or country theme. But cladding comes in many styles, materials and colours, so shop around and see whether there’s something that suits your look. For a more classic look, you could have full wood panels or create a similar but much more cost-effective look by creating panels using sections of architrave, and paint the whole lot with a paint from a heritage collection.
Tiled walls tend to be found mainly in bathrooms and kitchens, and, again, there’s an incredible amount of choice available. Whatever your preference, you can use your chosen tiles full height, on feature walls, splashback sections or wherever else you want to create an effect. Rectangular metro tips have been popular for a while now and are ideal for modern apartments, or you could be brave and choose a graphic-patterned look using small triangular tiles or intricately painted Moroccan-style ceramic tiles.
Leaving one or more walls finished in bare brick is perfect for a loft-style apartment or industrial conversion, but in the UAE, where these are in short supply, you can always cheat by using brick-effect wallpaper or even slim brick tiles. The latter is more expensive, but will give you an authentic look. Another very modern industrial effect is leaving one or more walls with nothing more than bare plaster or even peeling paint. It’s not an easy look to get right, though, so be sure to do your research and perhaps call in a designer if you’re set on having a go.
Finally, there are plenty of things that you can put on your walls to add interest, such as artwork and photographs. Think carefully about how you want to lay these out. An oversized print can make a dramatic focal point, while formal groupings suit traditional properties. The modern trend, however, is to create more ad hoc arrangements using mismatched frames to mix things up a bit and inject a little design tension.
Display shelves are another great way to make your walls sing and will allow you to display your treasures at the same time. These need not be ornaments or other traditional accessories. Instead, why not show off your best crockery in the lounge or kitchen or even your favourite high heels in the bedroom?
Whatever you choose to do to your walls, there’s no excuse for leaving them languishing under that boring magnolia paint.
