I had never been more excited than the days leading up to my move into my dorm room for my first year of university. I had spent months creating Pinterest boards and circling items in Ikea catalogs. As soon as I stepped into my new room, my bubbling excitement quickly fizzled into disgust: lime green walls assaulted my eyes.
I could feel my beautiful aesthetic daydreams being crushed. Unfortunately, my dormitory wouldn’t let me paint the walls, which is standard in a rental. However, I was determined not to let that hideous colour stop me from having the best dorm room in the hall. Here are my cheap and easy tips to save your style when you’re stuck with unpleasant paint!
Tapestry is Your New Best Friend
As soon as you add a tapestry (or your DIYed fabric) onto your wall, what lies underneath is your little secret. This is the easiest way to make an unfortunate wall colour disappear. Plus, you won’t lose your security deposit when it’s time to move.
Peel-and-Stick Backsplash Tiles or Wallpaper
You can pick these up at the dollar store, Home Depot, or online, and they’re super easy to apply! You apply them right on top of the paint. When you’re ready to move or just need a change in backdrop, they peel right off.
Cover Every Inch in Art
I’m a self-professed clutter bug and love having lots of action on my walls. If that sounds like you, this is the perfect solution to your wall-based conflict! Divide your wall into sections and decorate it with collages of artwork, mirrors and larger décor/paintings. Perhaps your style leans more towards weavings, like this cool piece from Winnipeg artist Rebecca Riel.
Use Complementary Colours
This ties in with covering the wall in art. It might seem difficult to compliment a colour you hate, but this tip can really add to your décor. For example, to deal with my lime green walls I added muted and neutral tones. I used black and white photographs, a darker green tapestry and a mocha-coloured mirror. Even though I was working with the colour of the wall, it worked with my style and drew more attention to it.
For help finding colour inspiration, www.architecturelab.net is a great resource.
Reflect with a Mirror
A sculptural mirror is a great, eye-pleasing way to direct attention away from the wall. For starters, mirrors are wonderful for making rooms appear bigger and illuminating your space. They’re also great for directing attention! Your guests will be more prone to looking at themselves in the mirror than to notice what it’s hiding.
Make Another Wall the Focus
I found myself putting a lot of effort into the wall adjacent to the lime green fiasco. That way, when guests came into my room their attention was immediately drawn to the cool photos on the other wall. I also hung lights around the space.
Add Greenery
Adding a couple tall potted plants beside a wall is one of the easiest ways to direct attention away from the wall behind. Plants might even help you relax!
Consider a Cabinet
If you’ve been thinking about investing in hefty cabinetry or a bigger bookshelf, this is the time to bite the bullet and make a purchase.
Having a not-so-great paint job is not the end of the world. Instead of looking at it as a hassle, try looking at it as motivation to be experimental and creative!
Have any tips on how to decorate a wall colour that we did not cover? Let us know in the comments!