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3 great ways to liven up your walls Check out these solutions to take "wallpaper" to a whole new level. BY MEGAN KAPLAN UNTIL RECENTLY, wallpaper was a bit of a wallflower in the world of interiors. Paint available in an array of colors and decorative finishes had all but pushed it aside. “We were wallpaper-starved,” says Thom Filicia, New York City designer and host of Dress My Nest. “And now we’re a little obsessed. The idea of bringing interest back to our walls is undergo ing a real renaissance.” The upshot: wall coverings that are more sophisticated, less difficult to work with and cheaper than ever. So long, fusty cabbage roses! “Wallpaper has finally caught up with people today who want to express their creativity without destroying their walls,” says Sharon Hanby-Robie, the spokeswoman for the Wallpaper Council and author of Decorating With out Fear. Decals, digital photo murals and 3-D applications are the trends leading the way. Read on to discover how they are redefining the category and helping to enliven walls, the quick and easy way. DECORATIVE DECALS Distant cousins of the stickers you plas tered on notebooks as a kid, today’s wall decals are grander in scale and design. “More than ever, people want to put a stamp on their interiors, and now they can dress up their walls by spending a hundred not thousands of—dollars,” Filicia says. A flock takes flight, from Blik’s Re Stik line of reusable wall decals. 22 USA WEEKEND • Dec 14-16.2007 For truly unique appli ques, look to Paris-based de- sign firm Domestic. Its collections which include surrealist landscapes and stylized skyscrapers made from vinyl are created by up-and-coming artists and graphic designers (from SSO at domestic.fr or greenergrassdesign .com). Stateside, dVider has made its mark with bold vinyl silhouettes of bees, race cars you name it in a range of colors (from sl6 at store.dvider.com). Besides good looks, decals attract fans because they’re incredibly easy to use. Many are peel-and-stick, which means they are made to go up (and come down) in a snap. “I have clients who freeze at the thought of a permanent pattern on the wall,” says L.A. interior designer James Swan. “But there’s no downside to trying out a decal just remove it next month.” Or try it in another spot; simply select a reusable decal such as those in Blik’s Re-Stik line (from $25 at w T hatisblik.com). LARGER-THAN LIFE MURALS Innovations in digital tech nology and printing have taken the mural to new heights literally. “We are not restrained by that 2754-inch roll size any- more,” Hanby-Robie says. “You can have an image blown Even better, the oversize op tions are virtually endless. Select a nature scene for your living room (from $l5O at grahambrown.com). In your child’s bedroom, opt for a football %iji: mm " " \ v V* % * % Or , ► ■**• - •' * * | » * S» , '» t* <• 4» | » Ik *» '•’•» *• ’*'* * ■HHV * * i|S~: 'tti up 19 feet high to cover an en tire wall.” line of scrimmage or a kitschy beach scene (from $199 at pbteen.com). And if you’d rather pick from your personal photo archives, go custom. Murals Your Way (muralsyourway.com) will take on such jobs. Just send in a hi-res digital file and it will be enlarged and trans fered to fabric-backed vinyl, which is a 3-D EFFECTS If you’re looking to add architectural interest to your digs, consider install ing a three-dimensional wall covering. Lightweight designs don’t even require paste application. Wood cutouts from Wallter, for instance, come with a strong adhesive backing (others affix to the wall with adhesive tabs or double-sided tape for a semi-permanent installation). Wallter’s pieces resemble fanciful pic ture frames, effectively bridging the gap between art and wall treatment (from $42 per set at wallter.com). For an all-over textural application, wall tiles made from recycled cardboard or bamboo pulp are a good bet (S2B for