BUDGET-FRIENDLY WAYS TO MAKE BLANK WALLS BEAUTIFUL

The walls of your home can be, well... just walls, or they can tell a beautiful, creative story about your life, your interests and of course your fabulous taste. Here’s how.

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Even the smallest living space can be brightened up by creating areas of interest on the walls. Depending on your personal style, you might want to use photographs, paintings, wall hangings, tiles, plants or just clever ways with colour. Unleash your inner decorator!

CREATE A GALLERY WALL
Create impact by filling a wall with paintings, drawings or posters that reflect your interest, such as movies, comic books, plants and flowers. You can also use framed drawings by your kids or family photos in black and white to personalise the display artistically.

Expert décor tip: Hanging multiple pieces can be tricky. The simplest way to do it is to trace the size of each piece on paper (old newspaper will do), cut them out and arrange them on the wall, using sticky tape or Prestik (or a similar adhesive), until you are happy, then drill holes as required.



CREATE A FEATURE WALL
A well-known and cost-effective way to accentuate a wall is by painting it in an accent colour. If the room is large with plenty of natural light, you could go for a deeper, darker colour. Lighter, brighter colours work better for smaller spaces with less light, creating the impression of more space. Another option is to stencil borders instead of painting the entire wall (stencils are available at craft and stationery stores). A novel idea, too, is to create a feature wall with texture instead of colour. For this, look for a large woven wall hanging like a beautiful tapestry or macrame work.

Expert décor tip: An heirloom piece such as a needlepoint or embroidered tablecloth can also work beautifully.

Related article: Budget-friendly tips for decorating small spaces



BRING THE OUTSIDE IN
A wall-mounted terrarium (indoor glass garden) or shelf filled with pot plants with hanging creepers and lush foliage can make a beautiful focal point on an empty wall. Or you could simply wall-mount a few pot plants for a similar effect. Most garden centres have a range of options for wall mounting pot plants. For a fun, quirky touch, you could add a few bird, butterfly or insect wall stickers to your indoor garden. (If you can’t find stickers, most craft shops sell a wide range of affordable stencils of plants, animals and beautiful designs.)

Expert gardening tip: Be sure to choose plants with similar light and water needs for easy maintenance – you don’t want a light-loving plant next to one that wants shade. Consult a garden expert if you aren’t sure.



PAINT A MURAL
You don’t need to be Picasso to take a brush to your walls. Mark out an area on a wall and fill it with stripes, splotches, patterns or any subject matter of your choice. This can be a fun activity to get kids involved in, to create a piece of truly personalised wall art.

Expert décor tip: Use inexpensive cornicing to create a border around the mural to act as a frame. (Traditional cornices were mouldings used to decorate the tops of interior walls, but these days you can buy very affordable polystyrene versions that are light and easy to install – all you need is glue – at DIY or building suppliers.)

Related article: Transform your home with Pantone’s colours of the year

MAKE A GAME OF IT
Paint a giant square on a wall with chalkboard paint (available at DIY suppliers). Play games of checkers, noughts and crosses or snakes and ladders on it using chalk.

Top DIY tip: Make sure your wall is smooth before painting (use sandpaper to get rid of bumps) and wait a few days for the paint to dry completely.

Related article: How colour affects your moods



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