Interior Design Musings

Many times in remodels, it is our first instinct to remove and quickly dispose of old existing wallpaper, never to be seen again. Take a moment to find the beauty and artwork in that original wallpaper. If possible, try to salvage a large sheet for a future craft project. My favorite project is to mat and frame a piece of vintage wallpaper as artwork to be leaned on a mantle with pride. You may find the color and pattern you originally found so unappealing, a lot more appealing in a smaller proportion and will link you to the past of your home.

Plastered walls can soften a room, create an old-world appeal, add depth and texture to your walls without the use of wall-papers. If you love the sound of this gorgeous wall covering and you have a room that needs a little warming up, consider doing it yourself with American Clay Plaster. I love this website– it explains the eco-friendly materials that are used in their product and the look of each finish. Still not feeling confident? You can also purchase a video that will walk you through the process. Also- look for classes in your neighborhood. Sounds like a fun weekend project!

Create a striking visual impact with this large cityscape photograph. It comes with everything you’ll need to hang it in a prime focal point area. For added effect and depth, create a frame around the photo with molding from your local hardware store. More wall murals are available through HomeVisions.com.

Surround yourself with personal and happy memories with this unique home decorating idea for your walls! Photowow.com will take your family photos and digitally alter them to create custom pop art peices for your walls. There are many contemporary, fun, and even nostalgic wall decoration options for you to choose from. If contemporary pop art is not your style, consider their creative collages for reunions, aniversay parties, and babies rooms.

WallPaper is in? No, Wall Coverings are in. Yes, the old vinyl wallpapers with large floral prints are still available and still giving wall coverings a bad name. More and More options are becoming available to add texture and fun, touchable surfaces to your home creating warm and contemporary environments. Think grasses, suede, silks, mettalics, even cork and bamboo. All are available and will add unique touches to your home. Use these materials to further enhance accents walls. For example; behind the Masterbed headboard, above a fireplace mantle, or on a focal wall under a soffit. The natural materials will create a unique warmth and connection to nature. The photo shown here is a woven grass wall covering by Phillip Jeffries.

The look of several framed photographs on one wall is impressive and, lets face it daunting. The perfectionist few out there that can level all of their frames perfectly with each other are enviable no longer with the fast and easy template and kit supplied by The Perfect Picturewall Company. Now, get creative. Paint an accent wall behind the frames to really make them pop. To give it a designer touch, make all of the photos black and white. There’s even a diagonal template to hang over the stairs. Hanging up a beautiful display of your loved ones photographs is quick and easy leaving you more time to spend enjoying them! To see the many colors and options offered, visit www.thepicturewallcompany.com

Modern technology meets Modern art in the creative and captivating artwork of dna 11. By taking a swab of your DNA, the founders of dna 11 are combing their “scientific knowledge, and art appreciation” to create fantastic modern peices that are sure to be the highlight of conversation. Pick your canvas size, the color you’d like and send in your DNA sample to www.dna11.com to get your very own, very personalized canvas.

There are some art pieces that stay with you. For me, it was seeing the time consuming work of San Diego artist Claudia Cano in her woven photography. By weaving the pieces of each image together Claudia creates a third dimension that adds a fascination to her photographs. According to Claudia, it takes her a committed 8-10 hours of cutting and weaving for each photograph to create a visually compelling piece of artwork. I urge you to visit her website for more examples. The three dimensional effect is dimmed on the web, but take my word for it as someone who has seen it in person, if you can appreciate art and an innovative vision, you can appreciate Claudia’s work. Also, these pieces can create a great focal point, especially in your kitchen due to their rich color and culinary themes.

If you are like me then you have tons of pictures of friends and family you’d like to have framed and visible, but a lot of frames can seem cluttered.  Here’s an idea: Go to a local architectural salvage store (maybe even your garage) and find and old window frame- it’s your choice whether to keep the glass in or not.  Hang your photos in a cluster on the wall, then hang the window on the wall encompassing all of the framed pictures.  The window frame will focus the clutter and make it appear to be one framed picture at first glance.

Ever want to change the look of your wall? Maybe go for a wild or trendy print but you were afraid it would mean a permanent decision untill your next remodel? A company called blik has made a fun and flexible product for all you commitment-phobes out there. These “stickers for adults” are self-adhesive wall decals that simply peel and stick on walls, windows, floors or ceilings. Design a game room with pixilated Space Invader-esque decals or make a fun and easily altered baby room with the cute and cartoony girraffes. Possibilities are endless! Stop buy WhatIsBlik for more info. You can buy them through Amazon too. Be creative!