Five home decorating tips to help your walls carry their weight

Your walls might be doing their fair share of the work, you know, holding up your house, but that doesn’t mean you should leave them to simply stand there. 

There are plenty more ways you can make your walls pull their weight, adding functionality and beauty to every room of your home. Here are five to get you started.

Geoskin Textured wallpaper. Photo: Annandale Wallpapers

1. Add texture

“If you think of a wall as something other than just a flat surface, you have the opportunity to think outside the box,” says Jane Brown of Jane Brown Interiors. “Think about what textures you like the feel of, and how you want to feel in your house.” Using lightweight or soft textures will create light and romance, while more subdued options provide a more snug feel.

Wallpaper can inject feeling and personality into any room.  “There are some great wallpapers around to add some texture,” says Brown, who’s currently in love with some very edgy designs. “They’re like animal prints, crocodile skin for example, and they feel like animal fur on the wall; they’re incredible.”

Fabric can also make a beautifully textural statement. “It looks really opulent and lush, and it’s a cheap alternative,” she says.

Leopard print wallpaper. Photo: Annandale Wallpapers

2. Know your artwork

No, we don’t mean you need to have the next great artist’s work on your walls – but you do need to have some personality there. “Your walls are like a blank canvas,” says Rebecca Astrinakas from Nathan + Jac, “and your artwork is a way of expressing who you are and transforming a room.”

Astrinakas’ number one tip for your artwork is to hang it at eye height. “Most people hang their artwork too high, which puts the balance off for the rest of the room,” she says.

But there are other ways to display your artwork too. “Some people are leaning artwork on the floor or on a sideboard rather than traditionally hanging it,” Astrinakas says.

Experiment with leaning artwork against a wall, instead of hanging it. Photo: nathanjac.com.au

3. Use ordinary ideas for amazing results

Think about functionality: how can your walls help you store or beautify everyday items?

“Mirrors are great,” says Brown, “you can not only use a wall-leaning mirror to add light to a room, but to primp yourself before you go out the door.”

While your walls can be filled with handy storage options, sometimes it’s the unexpected things that will work the best, especially when you’re attempting to live large in a small space.  

“I had one client who used a pushbike, but he didn’t have enough room in the apartment for his bike,” Brown explains. “So we made the bike an artwork on the wall. There was a rack on the wall and he’d hang his bike on it so it became a piece of functional art.”

Your home should tell the story of who you are. Photo: nathanjac.com.au

4. Tell your story

You want your home to reflect who you are. Take something that’s really personal to you – perhaps a family heirloom, a travel memento or a special piece gifted to you – and create a wall hanging or framed artwork. “This means it’s not just a picture, it’s your personality,” Brown says.

This type of personal touch can become a conversation piece when visitors drop by. It also reminds you of a special person or a special time whenver you look at it: a worthy emotional use for a wall.

 Greenery can literally liven things up. Photo: Pinterest

5. Create liveliness

While vertical gardens are possible, they can be difficult to care for inside a home. Instead, get creative on a smaller scale. “Hanging baskets are making a resurgence,” says Brown.

“You get the three-dimensional movement on your wall, as well as oxygenation in the air from the plants.” Using your walls for greenery can literally liven things up, without taking up more space in your home.