Singaporebrides | Home & Travel
June 2011
Home Sweet Home Pt IV – Wow With Your Walls
Is staring at your blank wall literally driving you up the wall? Are you yearning to make your wall a masterpiece but don’t really know how to? A blank one adds no oomph! in your life, while a well-decorated or well-utilised wall can bring about smiles of pride and satisfaction each time you walk by. In our last Home Sweet Home installment, our expert shows you how to make your home more interesting.
Feature walls stand out from the rest of the room to draw the eye. The easiest way to create a feature wall is to have it painted in a different colour or have it wallpapered so it stands out among the other walls in the room.
To enhance this effect, you can use a distinctly unique and well-designed piece of furniture to display collectibles or books, or create your own personal wall of art by hanging picture frames of family or friends in different sizes to form a collage. Remember that lighting also helps to accentuate feature walls so consider spotlights as well.
Besides photos and art, what else can go up on walls? Most people tend to choose photos and pieces of art but if budget is a concern or you’d prefer not to have holes in your walls, then consider wall stickers – they are an easy and cost-saving way to decorate walls. Textiles can also be used as decoration for your walls when complementary designs are cut and sewn as panels to be hung down side-by-side. With textiles you can wash them and change them about for a different look and feel throughout the year. It’s almost like having a new room each time!
Certain lights can also create interesting patterns on the walls. Or you can also mount small shelves on the wall and have a mix of nice ornaments and art or little trinkets and souvenirs picked up from your travels to create an interesting wall feature. You can also dress up a blank wall with small mirrors arranged in an interesting pattern. It helps to reflect light to make the room look brighter and bigger.
In The Bedroom
Feature walls are also not limited to the living room. You can create one in your bedroom where the headboard of the bed is, to welcome you when you enter the bedroom. It will dictate the mood you would like to have every time you come into your private sanctuary.
In The Kitchen/Pantry
It is good to keep items in the kitchen in closed cabinets to keep out oil and dust. Use glass door cabinets to display nice dinnerware and glasses to create a feature wall, and it’ll be easier to find what you are looking for. Staggering wall cabinets on a wall also makes it interesting and gives you extra storage space.
In Awkward Corners and Areas
You’re considered lucky to have blank walls to play around with, while the others may have to contend with awkward corners and odd spaces that really require some real creativity. Most people tend not to realise how many things they can accumulate over time and underestimate their need for storage space. These areas are great for creating that additional storage space that one can never have enough of. To maximise the space of odd-shaped spaces, buy the right shelving units with the right depth so that no space is wasted.
Got a sloping roof or wasted space under a staircase? Can’t find a bookcase that fits under? Don’t fret. Simply look for shelving units that can be built according to the space you need them to fit into. Sometimes, a display feature can fit perfectly under a slope of stairs. Glass doors and a play with lighting using spotlights can add a lovely finishing touch.
A small space is actually conducive for thinking, so consider having a work area under the staircase. Look for desks that offer extra storage space to keep the mess away. Don’t forget a work lamp as well. Or, you can create a reading corner by adding a comfortable armchair and a standing lamp. A tall vase with artificial flowers is another easy and inexpensive way to make a tight corner look good and a series of medium to tall potted plants under a sloping wall can make the area look less stark.
Your wall is your canvas – decorate! Let your creativity flow and you’ll certainly have a wall of a time!
Credits: Specialist knowledge: Amelia Chan, First Interior Designer (IKEA Tampines) Images: Courtesy of IKANO Pte Ltd, © Inter IKEA Systems B.V. 2011
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