7 Inventive Ideas for Your Walls

LA Cottage Style

Designer Jackie Terrell created a fresh take on Mission Revival style for the Cottage Living Los Angeles Idea Home. With creative and inexpensive ideas, Jackie helps answer the age-old question, "What should I put on the walls?"

White on White

In the kitchen, Jackie chose to display a collection of white crockery on the white open shelves. By color blocking (using white on white), she took advantage of "an art opportunity."

Stuck on You

"Every household needs a message wall to stay organized," Jackie says, "but who wants to fuss with a chunky bulletin board?"

Instead, she painted the wall in the butler’s pantry with magnetized wall primer. To-do lists and notes are easy to display, and the wall makes for an always changing art installation.

And the Statue Goes to…

In this dark blue room, white accents (including the curtains, rug, and accessories, plus the trophy sculptures on the bookcase) brighten the space and give it a modern look. When placed on the dark shelves, the spray-painted athletic mementos take on completely new lives as beautiful white silhouettes.

Add a Little Art

Jackie wanted to put something on the right-hand wall, and because the laundry room is narrow, she opted for artwork instead of more shelving. By placing baby T-shirts and socks in white frames and mats, Jackie created inexpensive art that is fun and bright. "It’s a room you go in all the time. Why make it dreary?" asks Jackie.

Bottoms Up

To regulate the light and add privacy throughout the house, Jackie used her trademark window treatments: traditional roller shades (always in a color or pattern) mounted from the bottom of the window.

Tile Tale

Not many bathrooms have such creative and chic tile as this one. Inspired by old Spanish-style houses found near Los Angeles, Jackie used bright glass subway tiles (floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall) to function as a waterproof design statement. "If you have to tile the wall, why not pick something cheery?" says Jackie.

Two Stories of Light

The home’s dining room (with walls ascending two stories) was initially a challenge for the designer. To help soften the large windows, garden lattice was cut to fit the shape and help complete the room’s Moorish appeal.

The designer also used large furniture with industrial aesthetics to fill the space, including a custom-made dining table constructed from movie camera tripods and cobalt blue Sunbrella fabric. As a finishing touch, large nail head trim gives the piece polish.