Gone are the days when all the rooms of the house used to be painted in monochrome and wall decor meant to have the family group photograph hanging in the middle of the wall with very little of anything else for company :) Wall decor has become an art in itself, with mind-blowing new styles and designs available in the market to help you set up your home. So what are you waiting for? Read ahead and check out the latest trends! I will touch upon few of the trends which are currently making waves.

Main points

1. Candle Wall Sconces
2. Wall Murals
3. Wall Architecture
4. Wall Plaques
5. Textured walls

Candle Wall Sconces

A very easy yet unique way to change the look of your dull walls is to go for Candle Wall Sconces instead of the regular electric ones. Candle holders have come a long way and it’s amazing to see all the latest designs they are available nowadays with. Use an artistic wall sconce with scented candles. They are pretty and damn cool and kind of give us a break from all that designer lightings which we see so much everywhere. Innumerable varieties are available in the market ... starting from the simple ones which you can put besides your entrance door to the large elaborate ones which can even cover one whole wall! These are not only for lighting up, but they serve as individual pieces of art as well. Imagine relaxing in the evenings to the scented candle... or having a candle light dinner with your loved one, with some soft music. Romantic... isn’t it?! :) These can be used in your living rooms as well as bedrooms.

Wall Murals

A comparatively less explored way to spruce up your walls is to go for Wall Murals. Wall Murals if used properly can work wonders to the look of your room. These look particularly great when used in kids’ bedrooms or play-rooms. Kids love colorful pictures. So if you are still undecided what to do about those big walls in your kids’ room... here is your solution. Use some vivid colors to paint beautiful wall murals for them. As far as designs are concerned... well...ask your kid...You can have Barbie dolls or tigers or racing cars or even Tom n Jerry!!! Bet your kids are going to love it! :) Nowadays even stickers (wall applique) are available in markets which can be used along with these wall murals. A very important thing to keep in mind is to decide on the design and the colors based on where you are going to have the mural and what mood you want to achieve. For example, murals for your bedroom will be different from the murals in your living room. Even the wall near your stair cases (which we generally leave vacant) is good for this purpose. Don’t be afraid to experiment with various styles and colors.

Wall architecture

Wall architecture is one of the oldest ways to decorate your walls and ceilings. If you happen to visit old ’havelis’ you would see this form of wall decor being used pre-dominantly. Although this style is old... it’s definitely not outdated. They provide a relief from the boring plain walls which look the same from top to bottom. They are of 3 types generally: corbels, niches and moldings. These look especially good on the long walls of corridors (sometimes in combination with paintings) although you can use them anywhere you want. Also you can have breaks in the walls themselves to make place for holding flower vases etc. But remember less is more. Don’t overdo it :)

Fine metal plaques

Fine metal plaques are hot! Choose an intricately designed piece of art for your walls. They are different and they are beautiful. They force you to give your attention to them. You can have plaques with animals, birds, flowers...almost anything. You can have it in the traditional way or the contemporary. You can also go for combination of iron and glass plaques. The wall behind the fireplace or next to your dining table or just behind the sofa...are some of the areas where you can have a wall plaque instead of some boring painting or wall hanging. Go for a striking design and be sure to grab and keep the attention of your guests.

Textured walls

Textured walls have been around for a while. But still they are not much explored when it comes to use them for the interiors of your homes. However believe me...they are one of the easiest ways to completely change the way your walls look. Companies are coming up with textured paints, which are like do-it-yourself kinds. For starters you can go for these. But for the more daring types amongst you, I would suggest go for a brick-look or a bamboo-look. If you are not very sure, try with one wall. And use complementary colors on the rest of them. Some textures can be very bold. So I would suggest taking some expert advice on this before you start.

  Another really innovative way is to Go-Personal. This one is my favorite! Say for example you 
  have a hobby of collecting coins/ feathers/ leaves. Instead of keeping them hidden...you can 
  put a small exhibition of them on one of your walls. Or if you are a fan of Rock Music, you can 
  decorate one wall with the covers of the records of various artistes. This is up to you. You got
  to think what you like and do it yourself. But be sure to share your innovative ideas with us.
  

Some of the other time-tested ways to go for are:

1. Oil-paintings
2. Designer mirrors
3. Tiles
4. Collection of family photographs
5. Tapestries
6. Funky wall-clocks
7. Japanese hand fans
8. Puppets
9. Designer shelves, cabinets, book-cases
10. Wall-papers

So guys, the ’wall’ is your canvas...paint it well and paint it beautiful :)

Until next time... ciao!

Live in Style!