Off the wall way to add drama to your home

When building, feature walls are a great way to break the flow and add some character to a home.

According to Coast Homes Interior Designer Janine Furey, feature walls are an excellent way to create a focal point to a room.

“Feature walls add interest and a certain energy to a room,” she said, adding that they could be made up of two finishings – wallpaper or paint.

Painted feature walls

According to Ms Furey, a painted feature wall works well when used as a backdrop to a piece of furniture or wall art.

“A painted feature wall is an inexpensive way to change the colour of the room,” she said.

“It also helps to tie an accent colour to the room.

“If you are unsure of what colour to use you can choose the same colour as the rest of the room but a few shades darker. This will add a subtle point of interest and direct the eye to that space.”

Ms Furey said this option let you play with colour in your space and also change it easily when you wanted to refresh the room.

“You would be surprised the difference this can make when redecorating,” she said.

Other than colour, according to Ms Furey, you can choose from various paint finishes and have it applied by an experienced painter, or to take it up a notch by applying V-groove timber panelling to the wall before painting it an accent colour.

Wallpaper feature walls

According to Ms Furey, wallpaper is commonly used to decorate rooms with a pattern or texture which cannot be achieved with regular paint.

Usually applied to a single wall, wallpaper has seen a significant resurgence in recent times.

“We are seeing a lot more textured wallpapers in subtle earthy tones and bold-patterned designs,” Ms Furey said.

“There are some amazing mural-style wallpaper designs being used now.”

Offering more options to go bold, Ms Furey said wallpaper designs often allowed individuals to suggest to their observer the way they wanted them to feel when entering that space.

“A feature wall in a study may have a wallpaper showing a classic bookshelf design, or an exposed brick design to suggest a rustic feel to the room,” she said.

Similarly, to create a statement without a bold pattern, textured wallpaper can be used to add warmth and interest.

“These can be used in larger areas as they don’t dominate a room,” she said.

“We tend to keep the bolder designs to smaller rooms of the home.”

Not only visually appealing, wallpapers are functional too, with the medium being used to easily cover up imperfections in the wall.

CONTACT Coast Homes, 6241 6766, www.coasthomeswa.com.au