The Art of a Feature Wall

If you're looking to add some oomph to a room, think about adding a feature wall. We look at some budget-friendly ways to add a feature wall to a room.

25/09/2017

You can add instant impact to a space without spending a month's salary, with so many affordable choices to dress up a wall to create an accent or feature wall that is an eye-catching feature. Whether you decide to add timber or stone cladding to a fireplace, or use wallpaper, tiles or paint techniques to create a focal point, you can choose the option that best suits your budget and taste.

It's no longer about slapping on a bold colour for impact, although paint colour is still one of the most inexpensive and easiest ways to create a feature wall. Nowadays there are plenty of creative ways to style a wall into a stunning feature.

A tin of paint and a free afternoon and you can easily turn any wall into an interesting feature that will become the focal point. It's all about choosing the right colour.

Combining paint, plaster, cement-based finishes and painting techniques allow you to be even more creative when decorating a feature wall. Metallic paints and plaster finishes are still very much en vogue, and it's quite easy to combine the two to create a stunning feature. Try experimenting on a board before you apply directly to walls to ensure you master the technique beforehand.

In recent years, stencils have been a popular decorating option for adding interest to a plain wall. The downside of using a stencil is the amount of work involved. Applying a stencil design can be a laborious technique, especially detailed patterns. It can also be difficult to find nice stencil designs without having to order these from overseas.

 

 

For those that have yet to master the art of using a paintbrush, or prefer an easier option, wallpaper comes to the rescue. Forget the floral wallpaper patterns of the past, today's wallpaper is anything but old fashioned. You can choose from wallpaper with raised patterns that can be painted over, wallpaper designs that replicate aged plaster and brick, or trendy patterns and designs. Go shopping online to find a wallpaper design that you like, or check out the range at your local Builders Warehouse.

Using reclaimed materials is definitely an inexpensive way to add a feature wall to any room in a home. While this wood can be sourced for very little - or no - cost, it does take time to prepare to a condition suitable for mounting onto walls.

Reclaimed or stained wood planks add warmth and texture to a room.

To make it easy to add, or remove when necessary, secure reclaimed wood planks to battens mounted onto the wall. If glued directly onto the wall, the planks will be extremely difficult to remove and may leave behind a lot of mess to fix up.

One of the easiest ways to add interest to a wall is to add large format artwork. This doesn't necessarily have to be expensive pieces, unless you collect these, and can be your own works of art, or artwork created by a friend or acquaintance.

Digital art or wallpaper is another modern material for adding a unique feature to a wall. There are digital printing companies around the country that allow you to choose from a variety of designs, or submit your own design, for printing onto sheets that can be installed as wallpaper or art.