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Wall D�cor: Decorating Your Walls to Express and Impress

5 Steps to Direction, Decision and Design � resulting in Perfect and Personal Wall D�cor for your Home.

So you�re looking at a wall in your home and wondering �what went wrong here?� There�s not much to say about it, but that it�s boring; it�s blank, bare and unbearable any longer. So where to go from here? Paint or Paper? The traditional remedies to alternative wall d�cor � and lately, even these seemingly limited use alternatives can be gloriously manipulated and creatively enhanced to dramatically dress up your home wall without breaking the bank or bringing in a professional home decorator.

Even if you are not creatively inclined or don�t feel you have a bountiful imagination strong enough to muster up a color to even paint your walls, or maybe you just have issues with making decisions and the wallpaper choices to decorate your walls are just too immense, because you have trouble deciding between wheat and white toast in the morning � well, fear no more � your wall decorating fears are going to be stifled and your wall d�cor prayers will be answered.

Before we jump into the5 easy steps to perfect and personal wall d�cor for your home, let�s look at 6 key aspects of wall decorating that virtually make up the 5 steps that will complete your wall transformation.

Color
Style
Texture
Expression
Function
Comfort

Color

Color is key in home wall decor fashion. What color are you? With the sure fire 5 step method to determining your wall d�cor style, you�ll soon find out. Are you a dramatic red? Red is a striking color that most people feel is way too harsh and wild for their living space � but you�d be surprised on how even one red wall can dramatically accent and dress up an otherwise dull room d�cor scheme. �I thought my husband was crazy,� says Celeste, a homemaker, gardener and home decorating intermediate consultant, �our � bath was so small, you had to go outside to change your mind and a dark-deep red would just close it in even more�.� But after Celeste was convinced by her parents to give her husband Brian a try, she was pleasantly surprised. The red actually worked; not only did it take a dull, small bathroom and turn it into a dramatic, cozy thinking space to re-fresh and revitalize, but it proved to be the best color for her pre-determined design scheme with dark wrought iron accent�s, pewter Kohler furnishings, pedestal sink and rustic small black and white city photos with dark wood frames. �I would have never chose red for that small space, but it worked,� she said, �but what really convinced me to try it was the fact that after all, it was just paint and easy to paint over again.�

See what she said there? Paint is re-paintable. So don�t be shy about a color, any color for any wall � if you don�t like it� paint it again. It�s really as simple as that. Wall decorating is easy, just jump in and do it � be daring, branch out, open your mind and try, try, try again.

Wall color, whether you are painting, tiling, staining, wallpapering, grouting, splashing, tearing, picturing or whatever you choose to do, it�s the basis of all your wall decorating, but again, don�t be shy, we�ll figure it out here and by the end of this article and with a little alone time of thought on your part, you�ll be well on your way to the wall d�cor scheme of your dreams.

Style

What is your Style? Wall d�cor style will cast an overall style on entire room in your home, in fact, one wall d�cor scheme could set off an entire home d�cor menagerie, but don�t fear this choice either � home decorating styles change like the latest hair styles and tennis shoes, and you don�t have to do much to change the �style� of your wall d�cor, sometimes only a new, inexpensive wrought iron wall d�cor panel over a door can set off a brand new look.

Traditional, Classic, Modern, Contemporary or Rustic Natural, whatever your wall d�cor style, you can keep the same style throughout the years, just by changing up a few things here and there, which will keep you up to date with the times. Wall decorating is so easy to change, no matter what design and decorating changes arise in the industry, wall decorating is the easiest way to keep up with HGTV and update your overall home d�cor scheme without breaking the bank.

Textures

�I thought textures only had to with wall paper?� Far from it; in today�s ever expressive society, wall texture has gone from too much glue underneath your wall paper to dramatic tearing effect, woven fabrics literally covering your walls, leathers and textured resins intertwined with bronze and silver metalics all working together to present a unique and extremely personal wall and home decorating style. Sounds crazy huh? But I assure you it works and I�ve personally witnessed it time and time again � almost jaded now, I expect to see the �outrageous� and be pleasantly surprised by how good different colors and textures go together to deliver and overall wall d�cor and home decorating scheme that is deliciously delightful. Texture can also be had by adding a wrought iron wall d�cor panel, or iron hook, or wrought iron mirror to a flat wall, for instant texture and depth. Love, just love the textures, so don�t think you are leaving them out!

Expression

Well, we�ve touched on it heavily in the sections above � wall d�cor success depends on your personal expression, more than any other attribute in this home decorating article. One wall can cast a mood on the entire room � mood is expression � what �mood� are you looking for in a particular room? Is your room a small breakfast nook with lots of windows and a view of a green lawn and a 100 year old oak tree? Well, maybe you won�t want to paint it dark blue and hang iron accents of nautical memorabilia and rustic wood framed battle ship painting � but would this expressive style work in a den or study? Possibly, but it all depends on the expression and/or mood you are looking to cast from your walls of a particular room. Maybe a nice subtle yellow would further brighten up the walls of your breakfast area, not too bright too take away from your beautiful garden view, and possibly you could add a floor to window border of painted wood or natural wood covering � how about a taupe or brown woven fabric? Sounds crazy? It works, I tell you it works � you may not ever be a famous artist, but your home walls are your canvas to express your style, likes, desires and dreams � and please don�t skimp on your dreams � you may not fulfill all of your goals, dreams and aspirations in your lifetime, but decorating your walls is certainly an attainable goal, so make decorating your wall more than just simple wall d�cor, make it a project of expression and accomplishment, mood and motive � be proud yourself and your creation.

Function

Wall d�cor function is easy, not just because a wall�s function is easy to discover, of course, it�s probably assisting in holding your house up, we know that, and I know that most walls can hold pictures and windows and doors � when we talk about �function� in wall decorating, we are referring to design functionality � does the wall color, style and expression work with the overall function of the room? Do the rustic wood framed black and white pictures of my children match the eclectic wrought iron floor lamp with thick amber shades in the opposite corner? Who cares? You like it right, and of course they can go together no matter what � matchy smatchy � who cares if the wood color and iron accent and iron lighting color matches � it really doesn�t matter, what does matter is functionality � not talking about feng shui here, but that would be cool too to incorporate, if you are into that kind of thing � we are talking about eye to eye functionality. Does is flow? Does it feel right? Does it feel good? You know, when you walk into a room and your feel an overwhelming sense of style, peace and contentment� that, my friend is functionality.

Do you have an entryway with piled up shoes and an empty hall closet just to your right? How about when you walk further into your home, does your dining room table resemble an office desk with piles of unopened mail, 4 month-old community newsletters and your children�s grade-school lunch special calendar from 1988? Do your family�s coats end up on the back of the kitchen counter breakfast bar stools? Maybe you should think about some home management and �functionality� techniques, that really extend from your wall d�cor functionality, I�m not kidding (and look for an upcoming article on �realistic home management, design and function for working parents and kids.�).

Comfort

Last, but certainly not least is finding �comfort� in you wall d�cor. Surely I�m not talking about the comfort of a down-filled couch or contour foamed mattress, I�m talking about the comfort that is derived from visual wall effects, wall design and wall d�cor that feels comfortable to you � wall d�cor that adds to the overall comfort of the room � wall d�cor that makes the color, style, expression and functionality of a room, �comfortably� fit together. Expression is how you want the room to make you feel or enhance upon the feelings that you get when you enter a room � Comfort is how you feel about everything, the overall feeling of how you decorated your walls, the personal comfort of having everything in it�s place, even if your wall decorating scheme is chaotic eclectic confusion, you have the comfort of knowing that you made it that way and it makes you and your family feel warm, inviting and comfortable to be in there.

Now to the meat of this article on wall d�cor design, which, incidentally, will be shorter that the latter. The confusing stuff is out of the way, I promise � so put turn off the right side of your brain and click on the left � or is it the other way around? I don�t exactly know, but what I want you to do is take a deep breath, open up your mind�s eye and I promise you that your creative genes will emerge. Just follow this 5 step guide to decoration your wall and the end result promises to be simply satisfying and beautifying.

5 Easy Steps to Decorating Your Walls and Creating a Perfect and Personal Wall D�cor Scheme:

Step 1 � Identify your Room

Sounds simple and it is � what is your room called? Dining, Kitchen, Bedroom, Entryway, Den, Family Room � what is it? More than that, drill down the definition of the room your want to decorate, you know the one, the room with that ugly white wall with three pictures of your spouse�s cousin-in-laws and an unframed picture, hung to the wall with a plastic clear tack of a multi-brown hairy mutt of whom you have no idea from whence it came. In any event, I apologize for digressing, back to your wall decoration project � who�s room is it anyway? Yours, your husband or wives, your kids, your son�s, your daughters, your den has turned into your 3 year old�s play room, your in-laws, just a random guest room, you only go into it when guests are there room, your game room, who owns this room? And finally, what do you do in this room? Nothing? The walls have no d�cor and are blank because you never go in there. Does your family go in there once a week to play board games? Do you eat pizza in there? Does your husband or wife play poker in there once every other week? Do your kids watch TV in there? Do your kids do their homework in there?

So here is the key to step one in decorating your walls:
1 � Name the Room:
2 � Owner of the Room:
3 � Function of the Room: (What Do You Do in This Room?):

Step 2 � Pick a Wall� Any Wall

Pick one wall � maybe you only have one wall that you wanted to decorate in the first place, well then, you�re job is done here, move onto number 3. For those of you that are looking at 4 blank walls, read on and for those of you that are looking at 5 rooms of 4 blank walls, well, walk forward, turn right and walk into the first door you come to � if the room you just walked into contains even one wall that is on your list to decorate, this is your room � your (or mine, you can blame me, it�s all right, I can take it and gladly take full responsibility) decision is final.

Finally, for those of you that are standing in your designation for design room, and are staring at four black walls, turn away from the wall with a window � left or right, it doesn�t matter. Walk forward and look up � this is the wall you will commence on decorating today. �What? No? That�s not fair�� you say, �There�s that first bedroom I�ve been trying to get to for months � my mother-in-law is coming next Spring for my son Joshua�s birthday and I can�t bear the glares she�ll give me if I don�t throw some paint on those walls and nail a couple of pictures of her and her son (my husband) in direct view from the line of site from the bed as she lies awake in the morning, plotting and planning her day against me, ready and most willing to criticize every meal, my choice of attire, and gosh knows what else��

Quit your blubbering, you�re going to decorate the wall in front of you and that�s final. Believe me, once you decorate one wall, the others will fall in line like clockwork. Wall decorating is easy; it�s just starting the project that makes it so difficult in the beginning. Furthermore, wall decorating is much like that first batch of chocolate chip cookies, they sometimes don�t turn out exactly they way you wanted, but to be sure, that next batch will be soft, chewy and simply delicious � the same goes for wall decoration projects � start on a room that is less used, especially by your in-laws � and if you only have the one wall or one room to do, it doesn�t matter anyway, remember � you can always do it over again.

3 � Start with a Blank Pallet

Vincent Van Gogh would never have started a painting on dirty canvas or would Monet start one of his famous works of art on a half painted canvas that Van Gogh had left behind. Start fresh, start anew � strip your wall of anything and everything. Go ahead, don�t be shy strip it down, wash it off and let it dry.

If your wall is already white, just purchase some Spic and Span or a knock off (it�s all the same and I�ve even seen the Spic and Span brand in the $.99 Cent Store), follow the directions on the back for mixing up a batch of wall cleaner and clean your wall. If you don�t want to buy the Spic and Span and you can see that your wall really isn�t visibly dirty, than just get a pain of warm water, a ladder and rag or save your back and arm strength and use and old mop, ether kind of mop head will do � sponge or string � and wash down the wall � you won�t hurt it, don�t worry. No need to soak it to death, but even then, walls are extremely resistant, you�d be surprised how much so, so if you soak it too much with water, you�ll have to wait an extra day or so to start the next step of the wall decorating process � no biggie, unless you�d planned to finish it in a weekend, they hopefully you�ve started this on Friday night and maybe by Sunday you�ll be able to dive in, if not, oh well, work a bit on it each night of the week, just a half and hour or so, predetermine your time, or you�ll be mad at yourself for spending too much time on your wall or not enough time at all. Or heck, you�ve waited this long, just wait until the next weekend and don�t worry, you�re wall won�t be dirty enough in one week to care about cleaning it again, so for all of you borderline compulsives out there, don�t over-clean your wall, and please don�t do it twice.

What if I have wallpaper and/or tile and or other kinds of things stuck to the wall? Simple solution, tear off as much as you can by hand � especially easy is wallpaper, if there isn�t a seam loose, make it looks by cutting the smallest corner with an exacta knife or just chip it up with your fingernail, I�ve never seen a wall of paper that didn�t have at least an inch of loose seem. Now tear it up and off and down and more and more and more. Do the same with tile � most tile on walls can be easily pried up with a screwdriver. Then, to get off the remaining paper and glue and residue, use wallpaper and/or tile remover � sure, apply it right to the wall, right over the paper � any store like Target or Kmart will carry it and of course Home Depot and Lowes � get the cheapest stuff they have, it�s really all the same and don�t let the sales people talk you into some contractor industrial stuff, you don�t and won�t need it � just be patient if it doesn�t come off right away, wallpaper remover needs to soak and sit.

If you really want to get it off quick, easy and chemical free � Steam it off � yes, that�s right, use a steamer. If your already have a garment steamer, it will work, just set it on high and run it up your paper, you�ll be surprised at the results � there are also wallpaper steamers available for rent at most hardware and/or do-it-yourself home d�cor stores like Home Depot, but if you have one of those garment or home cleaner steamers you received for a gift one year and never knew what to do with it, this is your chance to use it. Ask around, one of your friends are bound to have one, and they would probably be more than happy to know that there was finally a use for their steamer too!

4 � Now to the Good Stuff � Pick a Color, Any Color

While your wall dries, look at the resulting answers from Step One in this Wall Decoration process. What is your purpose for this room? How are you going to utilize it? And who is going to use it? With those questions answered, it should be easy to pick a color and go. Whatever you do, you are not leaving it white � not this wall, maybe another in the room, but not this one � this is your first one � the �breakthrough� wall � you�ve got to throw some kind of color on it. You want to just measure the wall and apply some woven brown fabric to fit the entire wall? I�ve seen it done and believe me, if you are going for a natural, rustic to contemporary look, it can work. Maybe you only want half the wall in fabric and half painted, or maybe a textured paint or wait, maybe paint the wall a light taupe and sponge it, there are a variety of sea sponging tools, on the cheap too, available at Home Depot, and even Kmart, Ace Hardware or any home improvement store � the staff at any of these stores will be more than happy to help you with the tools and supplies for your home wall decorating needs.

But you are still not sure on what color scheme to go with to decorate your blank walls, okay. For those of you that are completely stumped, let�s make the decision together. You�ve got to start somewhere and again, if the wall doesn�t turn out feeling �comfortable� to you, splash on some spick and span (and probably some paint remover at this point) and start over again � remember, nothing worth while ever comes that easy, it just doesn�t folks, it�s a fact of life, so don�t beat yourself up about it, just try and try again. What does Donald Trump say? �Persistence is the Key to Success and Failure along the way is Inevitable � if you don�t fail, you know you are doing something Wrong.� � I think the real meaning of that quotation has to do with taking short-cuts, cutting corners or NOT taking the road less traveled � let�s do this right, let�s do it until you get it right and your feel great and proud and your family is happy and/or all that good stuff that goes along with great accomplishments.

With that said, let�s choose a color:

1 � If the room is more in the back of the house, write down the number 1, if the room is more in the front of the home, write down the number 2

2 � if the room is upstairs, write the number 1, if it�s downstairs or a single story write the number 2 � if you live in a single story apartment, condo or town home, same rules apply, number 1, if it has two stories, regardless of what floor of the building you are located on, write down 2.

3 � Write down the number next to the style that most describes you, not what you want to be or vision the room to be, what you personally reflect and feel:

1 � Victorian 2 � Modern � 3 � Natural

4 � Frequency of Use: 1 for everyday � 2 for every so often

5 � Who�s (mostly) using the room?: 1 � for under 20 � 2 for over 20 - 3 � Family (all)

Now add up your score:

5 � 7: Here are your wall color choices: Reds & Yellows
7 -10: Here are your wall color choices: Blues and Grays
10 � 15: Here are your wall color choices: Browns & Deep/Dark Greens

There are still choices, yes, but it should be a no-brainer now, in fact, try out both on the same wall � it works, I promise you � I�ve been decorating walls for almost 25 years now and these colors work together and you can vary in shades, multi-shades on the same wall, it will work. Color a wall green and accent it with some wrought iron d�cor panels of deep dark browns and blacks, giving it texture and depth.

Now you�ve got the 4 steps in decorating your wall out of the way, you�ve decided on a color scheme and so where to go from here? How do you fit texture and expression and style into you wall decoration venue? And step 5 is, as you probably guessed it, all up to you, and as the Nike saying goes: JUST DO IT!

It�s easy, really, I haven�t been wrong yet, have I? And if I have, you don�t really know yet because you haven�t actually decorated your wall yet, you�ve been too busy reading this article on how to decorate your walls. I�ll help you a bit more though, by reviewing some of the different wall decoration techniques and products you can use to achieve your overall goal. You�ve done the hard part � believe it or not, narrowing down the actual wall, prepping the wall for your wall d�cor and picking out your wall decorating colors is the hardest part of all. Now you have an actual blank pallet � don�t feel cheated here, you didn�t think I was going to do it for you, did you? We�ve opened up your mind and you have a vision, take a chance, don�t be shy, it�s your house, it�s your wall, do what you want to with it. Get crazy, really, everything these days is in.

Before we close out this chapter of wall d�cor instruction 101, let�s check out some different wall decoration options, techniques, tools and other room options and products that could possibly further enhance your wall d�cor project from the professional decorating trade:

Wall Treatments

Madonna�s newly adopted son has one. So does Andy Roddick. For years, decorative wall murals have been popular and cost-effective ways to change a room�s appearance. According to Todd Imholte, president of Environmental Graphics which produces the Murals Your Way line of wall murals, this trend will continue to gain strength in the coming year. �There�s no better way to customize a home or office than by adding a decorative wall mural,� says Imholte. �By reflecting your individual tastes and interests, it creates a very distinctive look, plus fosters a warm, comforting living environment.�

The Murals Your Way Web site contains over 5,000 images licensed from world-renowned artists and photographers. Also available are custom murals that can be made from personal photographs, artwork, or illustrations. To learn more, visit www.muralsyourway.com.

Ellen Sideri, founder and CEO of ESP Trendlab, also recommends hand-painted murals, printed murals, wallpaper, upholstery, wood paneling or walls clad with a �skin� of tiles or mirror. She sees �wrapping� or �enveloping� rooms as one of the hottest trends in home d�cor, as it adds texture, warmth and glamour to even the most minimalist setting.

Functional Design

Today�s consumers are seeking a look that�s beautiful and sexy, but also practical for daily living, says Scott Yerkey, ASID, of Scott Arthur Yerkey Design, Inc. Rather than having a certain style imposed on them, consumers will continue to design their homes to reflect their individual habits and lifestyles. Trevira decorative and upholstery fabrics will be popular options, as they�re full of life and texture, yet also user-friendly and functional.

Furniture

Well-designed rooms are about finding the �wow� factor in combining seemingly disparate finishes, materials and textures in new ways, according to Furniture.com lead designer C. Davis Remignanti. Grain, imperfection, age and character will continue to dominate wood finishes, with a focus on time-proven styles rendered in finishes that emphasize the natural quality of wood.

Cabinets

Don�t just keep cabinets in mind for your kitchen, cabinets can enhance and project beauty to a wall and a room, as well as provide a vast amount functionality to any room; i.e. game room, as in, storing your games. Paula Peterson, ASID, of Interior Viewpoints, predicts kitchen and bathroom cabinetry will continue to boast a more customized, furniture approach. Cabinets will take on a more casual look by receiving painted and glaze finishes, and may also feature a combination of wood, glass, stone and metal (including wire mesh in cabinet doors.)

Metal Influences

Stainless steel�s dominance as the �in� metal is over, says Frederick Miller, ASID, of HKM Architects + Planners, Inc. Warm-toned, oil-rubbed bronze and copper will become more prevalent in hardware, plumbing and lighting fixtures, and will also take center stage in both large and small appliances. In addition, the shiny, mirror finish of chrome will make a strong comeback, appearing in unexpected places like decorative accessories, vases and small furnishings.

Wrought iron and its influence in decorating is astronomical and dates back to 1000 B.C., believe it or not. There are so many wrought iron products to choose from to decorate any wall, anywhere in your home � over the door wall panels, wrought iron window treatments, cast iron statues and fixtures, wrought iron paper towel holders, plate holders, book holders, wrought iron candle sconces, iron floor candle holders, wrought iron candelabras and so much more, the possibilities are limitless.

Environmental Influence

Finally, I�ll leave you with �green� Influences. The availability of green products is increasing dramatically, thereby allowing professional and amateur designers to create aesthetically pleasing homes and workspaces, while minimizing their environmental �footprint.� Home d�cor and wall d�cor accessory products made of wrought iron, for instance are considered �green� as wrought iron is a renewable and sustainable resource, and wrought iron is, or course, as all metals, completely recyclable.

About the Author: Brent Casmel, Professional Home D�cor Designer for the �Real Person� � specializing in alternative wall decoration, organization and functionality for families and working parents.