Deck the walls with art or graffitti

If the walls could speak ... Well, sometimes they do! Wallcoverings can tell part of your story. They can say “Welcome!” or, “How are you?” and set the decorative style of your room.

Are you ready for the latest trends? The good news is you can buy already designed wallcoverings or design your own.

In the world of decor, wallcoverings are known for their enormous impact. If used on only one wall, they can make it a focal point. If used all over a room, sometimes including the ceilings, they can awaken our senses. Besides the matter of animating a wall or creating a well-decorated room, wallcoverings can convey an overall mood or give you the sensation of traveling somewhere else.

Remember: Life is a dream

Original, fanciful and also dreamlike, the magical world of artists such as Piero Fornasetti and Cole & Son can capture your interest and make your room unique. Other artists, such as Andy Warhol, have licensed some of their works to Flavor Paper as wallcoverings. Let the universe of artists speak to you, surprise you and decorate your day to day.

Prepare your passport

Before your eyes, vintage maps can be used on their own as wallcoverings or digitized in new, large formats, inviting you to experience the sensations of adventure and freedom experienced by naturalists and explorers.

If your passion is travel, maps might speak to you, reminding you of places you have visited or arousing your imagination about the discovery of other worlds. What will your next destination be?

A flash from the past

Antique documents and illustrations can also be used or converted to wallcoverings. Some can be realistic renditions of botanical prints or vintage magazine illustrations. Trompe l'oeil or faux finishes can produce the optical illusion that what is represented is real. This approach to wallcoverings can be used for graphic or photorealist depictions.

Apart from the interpretation of the subjects, reproductions bring a retro touch to the decoration and create an enveloping atmosphere.

Planned déjà vu

Find a wall in your house that you see often, and turn it into a story that makes you happy. An image of a village or a picture of different architectural buildings can be used as the basic design for your wallcovering. Your favorite vacation picture, which can transport you to cobblestone streets rich with cultural heritage, can be enjoyed in your home over and over again as a wallcovering.

Graffiti enters home

As crazy as it may sound, how about a wall of graffiti in your home? Graffiti, now recognized as a form of art capable of immortalizing popular culture, warns viewers with a direct message that speaks to anyone who wants to hear.

Street gang symbols, frustrated messages, environmental warnings and political criticism are all fair game in the lexicon of graffiti. This art form is very graphic. Los Angeles designer Kelly Wearstler created a very stylish graffiti-inspired wallcovering.

Create your own world

Digital images allow you to create your own world. Where there was only one wall, now you can have a window opening to a nonexistent garden, which visually expands any space and makes it unique.

You can also print yourself a library or collection of art to wallpaper your living areas. Your walls can say virtually anything you want them to.

• Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida.

© 2019, Creators Syndicate