Walls encompassing the exteriors and interiors of a home are essentially the skin that forms the house. Bricks in alignment begin the formation of the wall followed by a layer of cement that bonds the bricks together. After which once dried, plaster is applied and sanded as the final prep layer before decoration finishing can begin. The myriad of wall design possibilities are endless then just a slick of white washed walls. This issue we take a look at the design possibilities for walls.

Paint

The most basic out of the list but commonly used in every home is paint and with good reason. Paint is the most versatile way of recreating the look of a room or space. With brands like Nippon and Dulux providing an array of color palettes, it’s hard not to be spoilt for choice. On top of that, paint stores offer color mixing services if a specific shade is required. Wall paint also comes in a variety of finishes and purposes – matte and gloss, indoor and exterior respectively. A point to note with color charts is that while they are a good guide, a sample shade may differ when the paint is painted directly onto the respective wall. It is thus useful to paint a small section of the wall first before continuing on especially when picking bold or dark colors. When planning feature walls, opt for a contrasting color that differs from the accompanying walls for that right amount of pop. While brilliant across all themes, modern themed homes especially turn to paints to create that much needed balance of a minimalist color explosion.

Stucco

The use of stucco in architecture has dated back to historical times. In the era of the 18^th and 19^th century, stucco was used ornamentally especially in exterior walls. In present day however, this cement plaster is used both internally and externally. Stucco is applied to walls to achieve a textured look. Contemporary wall designs of today are far from the intricate sculpture ornamentation of the past relying heavily on seamless patterns. A dash finish for instance which looks much like granules is commonly used in post-war exterior walls and even tropical themed interior feature walls. Similarly other effects such as wave patterns or smooth-rough wall contrasts can be achieved either mechanically or by hand with different tools such as brushes and sticks. Painting stucco after further enhances the dimensional effect of the wall.

Tile

Another commonly seen wall finishing are tiles. With countless options available in the market like homogeneous, ceramic, marble and mosaic just to name a few mixing and matching more than one tile is not uncommon.  The usage of tiles is especially popularly applied to bathrooms and kitchens. However tiles are a great option for feature walls with stone tiles as a popular choice. Tiles can be laid out full or half wall, both creating a different effect for the space. As it is more expensive that the other options, wall tiles are hardly ever seen being heavily used throughout a house. A useful tip is to keep spare pieces of the tiles in the event that replacement is required.

Moulding

Plaster mouldings much like stucco was commonly seen in historical European architecture. Thus, plaster mouldings can be an ornate accompaniment on painted walls especially for colonial and European themed homes. As with most historical European architecture, it is all in the details which translates beautifully in present day interiors. The beauty of mouldings is how well they blend into walls as though they were moulded on as a single form. Mouldings can be placed anywhere from the bottom to the top of the wall or even as a combination of pieces. Ranging from simplistic to intricate, placement is an important factor as too many elements can easily shatter the beauty of wall.