A Renter's Best Friend
Chic, not cheesy: Design-forward decals banish beige walls and there's nothingFathead about it
Not so long ago, making a rented space your own meant risking the wrath of the landlord with a coat of paint (messy), covering up walls with framed art (expensive) or learning to love that boring shade of beige all around you.
That was until Blik invented the removable wall graphic in 2003, earning an I.D. Design Award and a spot at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Triennial in the process.
With colorful stick-on designs that are like cake to install and remove, the wall decal movement exploded, and as a result now renters and designers with a short attention span can find everything from butterflies to bible verses vying for wall space.
But just because decals are cheap and easy doesn't mean they have to be cheesy. Designers are making decals that are closer to frameless art, eschewing the everyday in lieu of bold graphics, artist collaborations and on-trend irreverence.
Blik was the first innovator, and the company still has the best collection of decals, from minimalist tiles to video game themes to trompe l'oiel furniture. Blik also specializes in collaborations with the likes of the estate of Keith Haring, Charles and Ray Eames, Ilan Dei and the Savannah College of Art & Design. Some of their stickers can even be removed and re-used.
Just because decals are cheap and easy doesn't mean they have to be cheesy.
Looking to match a modern Scandinavian aesthetic (*cough*IKEA*cough*)? Danish design firm Ferm Living makes minimalist designs that stretch from serene nature patterns to whimsical sketches of suitcases and power lines.
For something a little bolder, Barcelona's Mira y Tu Interiors creates decals with attention-grabbing designs with inspiration from origami, geometric patterns, nature and sketch-style drawings. Best of all each decal comes in 30 customizable colors, if the pattern has more than more than one color, users can select both in the combination, plus you can select the wall color to make sure the final product matches your artistic vision.
Design geeks drool over wall images from Canada's Surface Collective. There are the popular cherry blossom and damask patterns in addition to anime and gothic-inspired styles, but other typical images are updates in interesting ways, like clouds reflected in a window-like pattern and a map of the world drawn with gem-like geometric lines.
For a dose of color that's whimsical, energetic and just a bit retro, France's Domestic has wall stickers in simple patterns ranging from fruit to ladybugs to hearts — we think Robert Indiana would approve.
If you prefer to make a more literal statement on your walls, Harmonie-intérieure offers words to welcome and inspire with design-forward typography, Romp takes youthful art to the next level by mixing wild animal shapes with vintage wallpaper prints — no kids required — and Winkplay straddles the line between decor and art with oversize prints of Audrey Hepburn and the Brooklyn skyline.
Looking for something completely one-of-a-kind? Plenty of artists and designers have taken their wares to Etsy and can offer unique or customized patterns. With wall decals for every style and budget, the blight of beige walls could finally be coming to an end.