A Perfect Canvas

The walls of your home can be much more than just space dividers—elevate the look of your abode with these creative ideas

- Hong Xinying and Michele Koh Morollo

“The walls of your bedroom are essentially a canvas, not only for artwork or colour but also for your experience in the room,” says Alexandra Champalimaud, founder of Champalimaud Design. More than just a backdrop to your interior design scheme, a feature wall can, for instance, dramatically change the mood and look of a room and elevate the overall aesthetic.

Accent walls present homeowners with a wonderful opportunity to mix and match various surface materials, colours and textures. By combining bright glazed tiles with marble, wainscoting, stone, or metallic-effect surfaces, Hong Kong-based design duo Vincent Lim and Elaine Lu of Lim + Lu have transformed bathrooms into alluring spaces. “Combining two types of materials in contrasting colours can really give a space a burst of energy. The juxtaposition of textures and colours brings a high level of excitement to the space,” says Lim.

When choosing your paint and wallpaper, be mindful of your emotional response to colours and prints. “Choose any colour or pattern that makes you feel good,” says Champalimaud. “Make sure you’re certain about how you want to integrate a wall feature with the space. Do you want it to dominate, or is it an accent? Is the purpose of your choice to give the room personality, or not? What is it that you want to enhance?”