The Mercury

5 WAYS TO SPICE UP DULL WALLS WITH DECOR

- SACHA VAN NIEKERK sacha.vanniekerk@inl.co.za

IF YOU’RE in the throes of decorating or redoing a part of your home, you may be at a loss for what to do with all the wall space. Because, as you may have realised by now, furnishing a home is one thing but decorating it is a whole different game altogether.

Bringing bare walls to life doesn’t have to require a creative eye – there are plenty of decor hacks that will take you from drab to fab with minimal effort.

From decals to tapestries and knotted artwork, it really is the most simple elements that help pull a room together.

Wall decals

Decals are an easy way to decorate without damaging walls with hooks, double-sided tape or paint.

Apart from walls, they can be applied onto other smooth, nonporous surfaces, like furniture, doors, windows and mirrors. It’s the ideal temporary decoration, suitable for those who enjoy keeping up with the latest trends and are constantly updating their decor, plus, since it’s inexpensiv­e, it won’t have you emptying your pockets.

From bold flowers flourishin­g above the headboard to intricate designs running concurrent­ly up and down the wall, decals add an element of charm to otherwise dull spaces and they have the ability to completely alter the feel of a room.

Tapestries

Tapestries are an ideal form of textile art as they have the ability to depict engaging colours and patterns like a painting, but with the added element of soft, flowy texture.

There are a plethora of designs, patterns and colour schemes that people have been playing with, ranging from tie dye to intricate mandalas.

Whether hung above a bed in place of a headboard, or draped behind a couch, these artsy pieces fill spaces with colour, texture and

pattern, serving as the perfect way to make a statement.

Macramé wall art

Macramé, an elaborate form of textile, became popular in America and Europe during the 1960s and ‘70s when fashion magazine Vogue released a book about it, bringing it to the forefront of fashion.

The textile is produced through various intricate knotting techniques. By repeating knots in a certain sequence, patterns are formed. Whether the piece is hung from a wooden rod to complement the earthy tones of the yarn used, or made into a captivatin­g dream catcher, the designs make stunning statement pieces that add unique textures to your space.

Gallery wall

Don’t have a place for all the beautiful family portraits and artwork you’ve accumulate­d over the years?

Why not display them all on a gallery wall. If you already have a statement wall that’s painted a different colour, a gallery wall will help it stand out even more.

Instead of having a bare wall, you can add so much excitement to the area in a way that is meaningful.

Use mismatched photo frames with ornate carvings and mirrors to fill in any empty spaces.

The overall result is colourful, vibrant and full of life.

Shelfie

For walls with less surface area, you can use it to show off all your decoration­s, artwork, antique heirlooms and bizarre finds on a “shelfie”.

This decor trend hails from Pinterest and the ever-growing need people have to show off their prized possession­s in new and trendy ways. So, dust off all your favourite books and that ukulele you haven’t touched since last Christmas and have it all displayed creatively on a shelf.

This way, you’re putting otherwise displaced items on display and hiding yet another stark wall.

 ?? | Unsplash ?? CREATE a gallery wall for all the artwork you have accumulate­d over the years.
| Unsplash CREATE a gallery wall for all the artwork you have accumulate­d over the years.

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