Alternatives to wallpaper
There are many ways to decorate walls without opting for wallpaper
In many ways, opting for a painted finish is better than wallpaper. You don’t get repetitive patterns, and you can precisely tune the shade.
A plain wall provides the perfect backdrop for framed pictures.
Plain walls and ceilings
Feature walls: Painting one wall a different colour has been around for over 20 years now, but it still has its place. It’s important that it serves a purpose though. A feature wall helps to zone a space, particularly in a room with more than use, like a living/dining room. It provides a focal point and is also a way of introducing a bold colour, without overpowering a room.
Ceilings colour: Matching the ceiling and wall colour is a lovely effect too. If you’re going for a mid or dark colour for the walls, then you might want a paler version of it for the ceiling. Or paint the ceiling, walls and woodwork one colour, for an intimate ‘club’ feel.
Matching woodwork: Another approach I particularly like is to paint the walls and all the woodwork the same colour. The ceilings in my own home are quite low, and this clever trick has given the illusion that the walls feel taller. It’s also a clever approach for a hallway with lots of doors, like ours, as it blends everything seamlessly. Otherwise, making a feature of many doors can appear disjointed and busy on the eye.
Panelling
This is a clever trick for a feature wall, particularly for a boring shaped room, or a wall that is irregular in shape.
Add thin wooden battens or decorative mouldings to create a feel that can be anything from traditional to ultra modern.
The battens can be fixed horizontally, vertically, diagonally, geometric shapes, or any way you want. Then paint everything one colour.
Decorating with block colour
Block colour is a generally quite a bold approach to decorating a room. It’s impactful and large scale.
But it can be done with pale colours too.
Simple colour blocking can be done by most homeowners and decorators. Simply mask the wall with a low-tack tape, and use a roller to add your colour.
Or have a go at doing something freehand. If it goes wrong, simply repaint the wall and start again.
Murals
Murals give you the opportunity to have something fun and personalised on your wall, whether in a child’s bedroom, your bedroom, or any room for that matter!
A painted mural is a very sustainable way of adding interest. They are perfect for irregular shaped walls, where a wallpaper with a repeating pattern would not work.
Katy Rose is an illustrator based in Ventnor who paints murals. I will work with Katy to come up with something beautiful and unique to you.
Having a mural is a wonderful solution for an awkwardly shaped wall. One of Katy’s murals is pictured here – she designed it for The Tea House in Ventnor.
Stencils & Indian Block Printing
If you’re not a fan of plain, and prefer pattern, consider a hand painted decorative design.
STENCILS are a fantastic way to add drama to a space, and to deal with difficult shaped walls. Long gone are twee grape and floral designs of the 1990s; today there are some fabulous and bold designs from modern geometric repeating patterns to giant mandalas 1.3 meters diameter! Dizzy Duck Designs is my go-to company for fun stencil designs.
INDIAN BLOCK PRINTING using an Indian carved wooden block, is a repeat design that is hand printed onto a wall. Although a repeating design, one printed pattern is never the same as another due to the nature of hand blocking. It is the answer to patterned walls in a bathroom where a paper wallcovering would not be practical due to the damaging effects of steam.
