Six Ways to Wall

Get Creative with Wall Coverings

• Bold wall colors, murals and wall coverings can be a risky design choice, which is why many tend to stray away from them (especially in this day in age when the minimalism trend still dominates). When done right, wall coverings can bring character to your home without overwhelming the space. Our advice? It’s all about careful space planning — determine how you want your accent wall to function. What mood or atmosphere are you trying to achieve? What elements will your walls need to withstand, how durable will the wall covering need to be? These questions will inform the wall covering type and application that’s best for you. When designed with intention, bold walls can make an incredible impact in any residential or commercial space. Here we share some of our favorite and most creative wall covering applications!

• 1. Cover a Wall Bed

  Just because your bed disappears into the wall doesn’t mean it has to look inconspicuous! Wall coverings and murals are great ways to instantly liven up a wall bed. Clad the outside panels of your bed in a bold wall covering to create a striking accent wall during the day, or wallpaper the inside of the wall bed for a fun pop of color and pattern at night. We covered the inside of our Ulisse Dining wall bed with a photo-realistic, textured brick wall covering by Norwegian manufacturer ConcreteWall to bring an unexpected industrial touch to our LA showroom — check it out in the image carousel below!

• 2. Get Creative with your Kitchen Backsplash

  When you imagine your dream kitchen, a wall motif isn’t likely the first thing that comes to mind — but believe it or not, the right wall covering can make for a truly unique and artistic backsplash. This recently remodeled Vancouver condo chose a photographic concrete-patterned wall covering, also manufactured by ConcreteWall, to create a modern-industrial backsplash. While wallpapers do require special care when used in kitchens — as homeowner Malae Blakeley put it, “you wouldn’t want to use this type of wallpaper if you’re frying chicken every day” — ConcreteWall is, in fact, waterproof, and cleans easily with a damp sponge. And considering how costly and laborious it can be to achieve this same look with tile, it’s definitely worth mentioning the cost-benefit of wallpaper alternatives!

• 3. Delineate Areas of the Home

  Wall murals are great for delineating areas of the home, especially in an open concept floor plan. Bold wall colors or murals create a sense of distinction from one space to another without taking up the valuable floor space that a physical partition might. Integrate an accent wall in your dining room, for instance, to separate it from the adjacent living room and kitchen.

• 4. Transform a Retail Space

  Whether you’re a shopper or a retail business owner, you understand the importance of proper space planning in a shop. Store interiors need to feel intentionally designed — with clear walking paths, good lighting and well-organized merchandise. At the same time, there must be some degree of visual interest to draw shoppers’ eyes into and around the space. Incorporating an accent walls in retail spaces not only draws attention, but can actually create the illusion of more space. To achieve a sense of cohesion, coordinate the colors and textures of your feature wall with your furniture and your merchandise.

• 5. Spice Up a Drab Office

  We spend a good deal of our waking hours at the office, so it’s worth investing in our work station. Feature walls are a simple and relatively inexpensive way to completely transform the atmosphere of a dull office space, which can have a considerable impact on your overall mood and productivity. Plus, they give your tired eyes something interesting to look at in between long screen-time sessions.

• 6. Bring the Outdoors In

  Wish you could incorporate more greenery in your space? If you’re living in a concrete jungle, or if you can’t keep even the hardiest indoor plants alive, a botanical mural may be the perfect feature wall for you. We love the Botanicals wall covering collection. This striking collection of floral motifs are photographed with a 700 megapixel camera and can be printed up to 16 feet tall with no repeating patterns, creating a dramatic, hyper-realistic organic wall mural. The best part? The Botanicals wall coverings are water-resistant, fire-retardant and lightly textured so they absorb light rather than reflect it.