Decorating Guides
Textured Walls: Inspiration Beyond Paint and Wallpaper
See what happens when you cover a wall with glass, metal, leather, upholstery, or a mass of living green
So many new homes feel like plain white boxes when you first move in. Boring! Devoid of any real architectural interest, even after painting and furnishing, there can still be something missing. I love the idea of interesting textures on walls — not faux finishing that just looks like a texture, but the real deal you can feel with your hands. This is an inspirational collection of ways to add texture to your walls.
Just couldn't resist showing another shot of this wall treatment in another room.
2. Textured gypsum wall board. This is one of my very favorite products for creating a textured wall. Check out Seattle-based Modulararts for a wide array of textures. You can create a single accent wall, as they did in this room.
Because the patterns line up, you can wrap a corner and just keep on going. These are paintable, but I think they look spectacular in white. In commercial spaces I have seen these with colored lights washing over the surface. See examples of that here.
3. Metal installation. This wall treatment is similar to the last one, in that the pieces of steel have been applied at different thicknesses on the wall. The metal gives a more industrial feel, but it is still a warm look because of the dark patina.
4. Copper. This textured copper panel's horizontal ripples look almost silky.
Here the large copper strips are pierced for texture, but it is actually their installation with several strips bowed out from the wall that creates a deeply textural wall treatment. This would work indoors as well as it does in this exterior courtyard.
5. Pierced wall panels. Creating panels pierced with a design is an innovative idea. It is possible to have a laser cutting service cut any design you like in metal. These panels are art installations, but you could also cover an entire wall to create an interesting architectural element.
Oh, you can also have laser cut panels made from wood or other materials. Just depends on the laser cutting services equipment as to what they can or cannot cut.
Oh, you can also have laser cut panels made from wood or other materials. Just depends on the laser cutting services equipment as to what they can or cannot cut.
6. Wood blocks. These polished wood projection blocks of varying thicknesses create a highly textured wall within this shallow architectural niche.
7. Tile. It isn't just for bathrooms and kitchens anymore. Take a trip in to some of the better tile suppliers and you'll find an amazing selection of deeply textured tiles. The ones on this dining area wall are a crocodile texture.
The tiles on the wall above this water feature look like they are made of concrete.
8. Leather. This wall has had leather panels with nailhead trim installed. Very much a men's club feel!
9. Wallpaper. If your grandmother's house comes to mind when you think of wallpaper, then you haven't seen the latest developments. This line of heavily embossed wallpaper is fresh and contemporary.
I confess that I don't know what this material is. But it looks very much like some of the heavily textured, paper wall coverings available now.
10. Upholstery. This photo and the next five show various styles of upholstery applied to walls. There are square tiles like this available in different thicknesses and you can cover them in any fabric you want. Not only is the upholstery a beautiful texture, but it absorbs sound. If you have problems with a lot of echo in your house, this might solve that problem.
These rectangular upholstered panels have a deeply bevelled contour. You can just cover the area behind the bed, or ...
... you can cover the entire wall.
These upholstered walls are tufted just like a Chesterfield sofa. Love it!
The upholstered wall behind the television has horizontal panels that go all the way across the wall.
Flip them the other direction if you prefer vertical panels.
11. Drapery. You don't need a window to cover a wall with floor-to-ceiling drapery.
Yards and yards of beautiful fabric create a gorgeous texture wall-to-wall and ceiling-to-floor.
12. Industrial or building materials. Oriented strand board (OSB) is normally found sheathing the exterior of homes before the siding goes up. It creates an interesting pattern and is quite textural. I've used this material for flooring, sanding it way down and clear coating it for a look that mimics cork.
Peg board is used on the lower half of the wall for this teen boy's room.
And still on the industrial theme, corrugated metal siding is brought indoors to add rippling texture and shine.
13. Stone. There are many products on the market that allow you to have a stone wall. Stone veneers or stone tiles give you the look of high-end masonry work.
14. How about an indoor living wall? The lush, living texture is also an oxygen producer!
15. Wall panels. This is a contemporary take on paneling. I like how the narrow bands are separated by gaps and accentuate the horizontal lines in this room.
16. Carpet. This may seem like an odd idea you see it from time to time in commercial applications. Why not in your own house? I like the very low, tight loops of the carpet in this photo. Run your carpet across the floor and right on up the wall. It's an especially nice idea for added softness in a playroom. If you have a home with a particularly bad problem of echo, then putting carpet on a wall would help dampen the sound in the same way that it would to carpet the floor or upholster a wall.
Well, I've just scratched the surface on ideas for wall texture. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas — not "ooh, this will be hard to clean" or "I might bump against the wall and hurt myself," but about what other very creative and interesting things you could put on the wall for texture. As always, upload those photos!
More: 11 Inspiring Vertical Gardens
Ceramic Art Goes Vertical
Crocodile Rocks
Grown-Up Ideas for Chalkboard Paint
Well, I've just scratched the surface on ideas for wall texture. I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas — not "ooh, this will be hard to clean" or "I might bump against the wall and hurt myself," but about what other very creative and interesting things you could put on the wall for texture. As always, upload those photos!
More: 11 Inspiring Vertical Gardens
Ceramic Art Goes Vertical
Crocodile Rocks
Grown-Up Ideas for Chalkboard Paint
If glass feels daunting to you, consider creating an installation from panels of clear acrylic. You can back-paint the acrylic to make it any color you want. It wouldn't look the same as this, but my mind just gets going with ideas when I see such creative wall treatments.