Give your walls some personality
Give your walls some personality Last updated: 18th May 2023 2023-05-18T17:03:12+01:00 2023-05-18T13:17:46+01:00 MyBuilder
Most of us are happy to leave our walls well alone (as long as they hold the roof up properly). But does that mean we’re missing a trick?
Instead, why not think of your walls as a blank canvas for your home? What could you do with these large flat surfaces that can transform the spaces around them, both indoors and out.
Divide with colour
We know: giving your old, tired walls a fresh lick of paint is hardly a revolutionary idea. But bear with us – there are some creative decorating ideas that can have a big impact.
One of this year’s hottest trends is ‘colour zoning’, which means using your wall colours to mark out different parts of an open plan living area. This can mean painting different parts of a room in different block colours. But rather than a chaotic colour mix-up, you use the different coloured zones to reflect how you use your home.
Maybe you want to separate your dining room from your kitchen so they feel like different rooms. Or create a welcoming entrance area inside your front door. Or simply carve out a space in your home as a quiet spot to sit and relax.
Once you’ve chosen your colours or patterns, a professional decorator can help you bring them to life.
Put in some internal walls
Hang on – why would you want to add walls when open-plan homes are so in vogue? Well, ‘broken plan’ homes have really taken off in the last few years. This means breaking up a space without dividing it into pokey little rooms.
It’s a great chance to be imaginative with your dividers. We’ve seen some great temporary results using movable partitions – things like furniture, freestanding bookcases and paper screens.
Or if you want to make a more permanent feature, you’ve got loads of choices. You could let the light through with glass bricks or Crittall windows. You can divide a space with half-height walls and dividers, which break things up without feeling too claustrophobic. Or you could get a carpenter to craft sliding screens and built-in open shelf dividers.
Freshen up your finishes
A simple change to a wall’s surface can make a big difference. For example, a fresh coat of render over tired brickwork or a re-skim over lumpy old plaster. Give it a crisp coat of fresh paint and you’ll barely recognise your wall.
But if you’re keen to get imaginative, the only limit is your imagination. We’ve seen indoor walls clad in wood, tile, brick effect, bamboo and more. You can even choose acoustic panels if you want to change how your home sounds.
You can add a decorative covering outside too. We’ve seen some clever uses of all sorts of materials from wood and composite cladding to tiling and even metalwork.
Open things up
Adding a window or enlarging an opening are striking ways to transform a room.
If you’re looking for inspiration, how about turning a regular window into a full-height picture window? Or adding bifold doors that will flood a room with light in the winter and open it up to the outdoors in the summer? Or for a retro touch, how about a serving hatch between rooms?
If you’re planning on a big transformation you might need to factor in some structural alterations but it’s a great way to add some wow factor.
So maybe it’s time to stop thinking of walls as just structural elements and start to see them as a blank page. Don’t be afraid to get creative…but always remember to seek professional advice before starting any major project involving your walls.
