Creating a feature wall is one of the easiest ways to add character to a home and it can also be one of the least expensive. Interior designers liken their role as a scarf to fashion - an easily changeable accessory. So what if you're renting, or have a penchant for paisley? When it's time to move on, or the mood has passed, a wall treated simply can be restored easily to its original state.
Feature walls can be functional or decorative. If it's a look you're after, take a leaf from the design book of husband and wife team Geoff Fuller and Michelle Koller, managing director and creative director respectively of home and lifestyle store Tequila Kola, who have created wall treatments that add warmth and individuality to their home.
In the television room, the couple hang out with Marilyn Monroe - or at least an oversized, black and white stencil of the actress that they bought in Paris for HK$100. They have also made features out of photographs clustered together and from mirrors.
'Feature walls add dimension to a room, making it more stylised and interesting,' says Fuller.
Apart from paint, probably the easiest and cheapest way to create a feature wall is wallpaper, a medium enjoying a renaissance. Design bloggers who've hailed its arrival in powder rooms and on accent walls expect to see entire rooms papered in the coming year. One design that has everyone talking is the vintage-look bookshelf wallpaper by Young & Battaglia. It brings the feeling of a library to a home and, according to interior design blog Chic Tip (chictip.com), it's part of the trend for photo-realistic wallpapers that add a trompe l'oeil dimension to decor.
Joyce Baker, senior interior designer of Joyce Baker Design, looks to create feature walls in surprising places - under a stairwell could be just the spot to hang a length of framed vintage fabric, or an artist's portrait. She loves having something on the wall that exudes a craftsman's touch, comparing the visual effect to 'listening to live music, rather than a CD'. Another of her tricks is to play with forms, lines, patterns and depths. An alcove in a bathroom, for example, can be recessed and highlighted using different lighting effects. 'I like to play with material - like an exposed brick wall to create a New York feel - or mix up different materials to create a focal point.'
