Wall story
I’m looking for an inexpensive way to pretty up my walls
Try decals, or patterned wall stickers. No longer just for children’s rooms, the possibilities offered by modern decals are endless. They work with any decorating style and are easily removed when you move house or get tired of them. They also allow you to create a big impact at little cost.
Decals can include words (or letters), graphics, borders, licensed images such as superheroes or Disney characters and murals. Most of them will safely adhere to any smooth surface — walls, mirrors, furniture, for example — and, if applied carefully, are re-useable.
One of the best ways of using decals is to create an accent or feature wall. An entire underwater scene in a child’s room, oversized palm prints to give a bedroom a tropical feel, an inspirational quote in a kitchen, cascading dots or bubbles in a bathroom. They can cover the entire wall or just part of it and are easily available online. For inspiration, visit sites such as yourdecalshop.co.nz, wallart.co.nz, onehundredpercentheart.co.nz and the vinylroom. co.nz, which not only offers distinctly Kiwi themed decals (fantails, ferns and pohutukawa, for example) but has collaborated with artists Brad Novak, Shane Hansen, Luke Hedley and Timo Rannali on a collection of decals based on classic Kiwi iconography (check out Brad Novak’s winged tiki). The Vinyl Room will also custom design stickers from your own artwork.
A great way of using decals is to incorporate them into the details of a room. For example, bird cutouts can ‘rest’ on light switches; animals can “skip” along the top of a cot; a floral design can replace a headboard; a photo decal can be “framed” (with a real or painted frame) above a mantel. If you are feeling creative, Pinterest is a great source of ideas.
Decals also can be used as chalkboards (many can be written on and then wiped with a soft cloth), as splashbacks, to celebrate special occasions (a Christmas tree wall decal rather than the real thing?) and to decorate furniture. They make a huge impact when used floor-to-ceiling and when wrapped around walls. Mirrored decals can add additional light to dark corners. They can decorate built-in bookshelves, baths and lampshades. Easier than wallpaper to put up, they can provide the same effect without the aggravation. Some can even be used on the floor or ceiling. Best of all, they are comparatively cheap. For example, the cost of an eye-catching floral decal big enough to cover an entire wall is $360 at yourdecalshop.co.nz. Installation should be relatively simple and well within the scope of anyone with an eye for detail.