A secret to well-designed rooms are often in the wall detailing. Wallpaper, wood paneling, and even tile can add a layer of
interest and finish the room's polished look.
Wide Stripes
Wide stripes are a popular trick for adding character to a plain wall. This one takes a subtle approach, with stripes of a
single color in matte and gloss finishes.
Show Your Love
Think beyond paint and paper: If there's a fabric you love, consider having the walls upholstered in it, for a softer effect.
This pear print was also used for window treatments in the adjacent kitchen.
En Vogue
Paneling is back in vogue. It lends warmth and texture to a room -- particularly when the surface is as intriguing as the
pecky cypress of this sitting room.
Decorative Wood
In this alternative take on paneling, wood strips have been applied to the wall in a decorative pattern, then painted to match.
The pattern plays off the railing and the tansu-style cabinets built into the stairs.
Hand Painted
The paneling of this dining room was hand-painted to mimic traditional scenic wallpaper, giving the room its elegant ambiance.
Craft Supply
For a unique look, these walls were coated with brown kraft paper from the office supply, applied with wheat paste.
Neutral Look
For subtle interest in this neutral bedroom, squares of grasscloth in two different shades were applied to the wall in a checkerboard
pattern.
Mosaic Niche
A paneled niche makes it seem as if this mosaic-tiled wall is floating in front of a wooden one. A shadow line in the recess
furthers the effect.
Shades of Blue
Tile is unnecessary in a powder room, where the walls are not likely to get wet, which makes these brilliant blue walls that
much more surprising and entrancing -- especially as glimpsed through the arched doorway.
Stone Tablets
Any stone available as counter slabs can also be had in tile form -- and is often drastically cheaper per square foot. Here
the honed granite from the kitchen's perimeter counters repeats as a backsplash.
Wallpaper Tile
When using tile in an oversize wallpaper pattern like this one -- or any striking tile, for that matter -- why not go ahead
and tile the whole wall?
Outdoor Tile
A tile backsplash makes as much sense in an outdoor kitchen as indoors. This one uses large ceramic tiles in earthy colors.
