Alternative Design: Home Decor Ideas to Set Your House Apart

wood print tiles

Suppose you’ve ever taken a trip to your local hardware store in search of materials for your next DIY home renovation project. In that case, you’re probably well aware that there are various interior decoration ideas to pick and choose from. The internet has a wide range of opinions and projects the DIY homeowner can do—from designing walls using paint and strips of tape to creating nifty storage spaces with the help of milk crates and ready-to-assemble containers. The possibilities are endless.

But what if you want to do more than assemble pre-made decorations? Or what if you’re itching to go beyond the usual yawn-inducing embellishments like ho-hum crown mouldings and expected-to-be-there wood panellings? True, these things are tested and proven to spruce up your home, but what if you aren’t feeling them? What if they don’t fit your signature style, or they don’t give you enough space to play around and experiment?

Take a minute and look through our following recommendations for customizable home decor ideas. The suggestions below are a jumping board for your ideas—take them, play around with them, and let your creative side go wild.

Paint in Patterns

It’s pretty expected that walls should either have wallpaper or several coats of paint on them. But why stop there? And why go with only one colour when you’ve got several colours you’d love to mix and match? Paint your ceilings or floors. And don’t stick with just one colour—use stencils for that extra pizazz, paint in geometric patterns, go with a “confetti” style, consider painting organic, free-flowing shapes.

There’s no one way to paint your walls, ceilings, and floors. Don’t be limited by the thinking that there should be one colour for the room. Pick complementary colours or go with contrasting ones to see how well they fit the living room, kitchen, or bedroom. The fun thing with experimenting on painting your rooms is if you don’t like how a pattern emerged or the colours aren’t correct, you can give it another go.

Think in 3D: Wall Panels to Wow

Are you looking for eye-catching alternatives to wallpaper? Then try your hand at 3D plastic moulded items such as wall panels. These interesting panels make customization all yours, and they elevate each room’s walls to works of art. Go with geometric designs or for a bricked-wall look. Play around with textures and patterns.

If you want to soundproof a particular room, wall panels can help you with that. Having various design choices isn’t the only benefit of wall panels, though. Since plastic is the material used, you won’t have to deal with the usual maintenance you would have to do with wood panels (such as ensuring there aren’t any termites).

Furthermore, clean-up is a breeze in areas such as the bathroom, where moisture tends to encourage mould to grow. Installation of these panels is also a breeze — no need to worry about adhesives or grout lines. Using a clip-and-rail system means you can hook these pieces up, and they’re good to go.

living room with art works

Every Nook and Cranny: Utilize Wallpaper

But what if you have extra wallpaper that you don’t know what to do with but won’t put up over the walls? Consider using them in the small, empty spaces around your house for sprucing up. Place wallpaper in strategic places such as inside cabinets or as backsplashes. They can even be used for framing and as art pieces on your walls.

Look for specific areas in your house that give off blank vibes or need small touches of patterns to use any leftover wallpaper. These can be storage closet walls or the area under your stairs. You can even use peel-and-stick wallpaper to redecorate your nightstand.

Place of Honour: Your Art and You

Are you wondering how you can display souvenirs from your vacations? Or perhaps you want to display something you’ve personally made as a possible conversation starter for when guests come over? Consider placing these souvenirs or your artwork (be it photographs, sculptures, paintings, etc.) in a prominent place in your house, such as in the entryway, living room, or dining area.

If you’re into photography, consider printing out a blown-up version of one of your favourite shots. Hang up any interesting souvenirs you may have gotten on your travels, like colourful Venetian masks or intricate Japanese fans.

If you have more knick-knacks from your road trips across the country, consider installing ledges to hold your most favoured ones in place. These ledges can also help display any personal sculptures or works of art you’ve done. And what makes these decorations so versatile is that, aside from being fantastic conversation starters, you can always rotate your decorations without any major DIY-ing.

Remember, DIY home decor ideas are customizable. Let your ideas run wild to create that abode that is genuinely yours.

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