Walls are a much too-often overlooked component of décor. As the primary vertical component of any interior space, the walls have an unmatched opportunity to communicate the intended vibe of a space. No matter what room your walls surround, one of the more important home decorating ideas is to consider your walls and what they are doing – or aren’t doing – to further the style of your space. Here are some great decorating tips for your walls, anytime, any room.

Upholster the wall.

Much like wallpaper adds visual interest via print and pattern, upholstered walls add visual and tactile interest. This look is luxurious and sophisticated, and it also provides a sound-buffering functionality that can play an important role in a comfortable, relaxing space. You could upholster all the walls, one accent wall, or even one piece of one wall to look more like an art piece, depending on your preferences.

Paint a skyline.

This decorating tip for the walls is so versatile and can be completely customized. The skyline can be the silhouette of a mountain or even a desert; it doesn’t have to be a city skyline to feel contemporary and urban-chic. Paring the contrasting colors down to two will give the wall a fresh, modern look.

Go bold with a large print wallpaper.

The juxtaposition of a large, bold printed wallpaper in a smaller room such as a powder room is charming and fun. Of course, a large room can easily accommodate a large print wallpaper with plenty of grace as well.

If you choose to use the larger pattern wallpaper in a smaller space, be sure to minimize the other visual components of the décor. Wallpaper can be its own wall art, for example, and other furniture or fixtures might do well to be of muted tones and clean lines.

Paint stripes.

Stripes are a classic pattern that shouldn’t be confined to textiles or flooring. Walls are a perfect place to showcase stripes! The possibilities are limitless, really. Chunky horizontal stripes elongate a wall, while pinstripe vertical stripes add a touch of dignity and sophistication. Bold white and black diagonal stripes, in an oversized chevron, look outrageous and glamorous. Have fun with stripes; they are as playful as they are structured.

Infuse subtle detail onto the walls with small patterned wallpaper.

Remember when you’re decorating them that walls tend to be larger than we probably think. So when you’re looking at wallpaper, and the print or pattern is 2”, it will probably look smaller once it’s on the wall. This zig-zag charcoal modern wallpaper certainly adds great detail to the wall, but it’s not so much that it stands out on its own.

The smaller pattern wallpaper can even be carried through successfully on accent walls, such as the back wall of a bench nook. Notice how the use of warm natural colors helps give the space, with its grey patterned back wall, a definitive feeling of approachability.

Match walls to furniture.

This decorating tip and trick is back in both monochromatic and multichromatic spaces. One way to add a cool, unified, and hip vibe to your space is to match your wall color to the bold color of your furniture. The more vibrant and noticeable the color is, the greater the impact of this particular decorating tip. Keep in mind the energy spectrum of cool and warm colors – warmer (reds, oranges, yellows, browns) is high energy, cooler (blues, greens, bluey purples) is more serene.

Hang personality like artwork.

Particularly in a bedroom, it’s nice to have a wall that represents the bedroom’s inhabitants – their life, their interests, their styles. Oversized photos, initials, and even representative quotes can all tie together to add personalized decoration to a wall. Keep the color scheme fairly tight with more objects included.

Contrast neighboring walls.

These two walls are a stunning contrast of each other, and yet they gel together perfectly. Both incorporate a beautiful, buggy color scheme; one side grasps the warmer, earthier colors while the other showcases the shiny cools. One wall emphasizes a single, oversized character, while the other side boasts a repeating pattern of a similar, albeit shrunken, silhouette. These walls are not for the faint of heart, to be sure. They are dramatic, dazzling, and delightful.

Expose brick.

In this updated historic home, exposed brick walls were unearthed throughout the first floor interior. The lucky homeowners were wise enough to preserve the beautifully rugged, raw, and historic brick within a bathroom wall. They were equally wise in their decorating decision to keep that wall undecorated.

Install marble wall tiles.

This may not be the decorating solution for every wall, but installing some marble tiles onto your walls definitely adds a luxe feel. Be sure to downplay the relatively cold, high-gloss surface with some warmth, such as metallics, woven pieces, wooden furniture, etc.

Build in a bench.

While some decorating tips encourage homeowners to cover their walls with beautiful things, this decorating tip goes in the opposite vein – add onto your walls something functional, and keep the walls themselves bare. Of course, this is easier to do when there is a window on the wall’s upper half and a beautiful paint color on the wall itself, and when the wall happens to fall within the realm of an already function-based mudroom. But the concept is a good one. Walls don’t need to be completely decked out to serve their purpose in the décor.

Add a textural look.

There was a time when faux painting was all the rage because it allowed you to achieve a subtle, textured look on your walls without actually having the texture. It was out of vogue for a while but is making its way back – texture that is soft and subtle adds so much to a room’s feeling of inviting warmth and relaxation. Consider faux painting, laying wallpaper, or even installing certain tiles to get this look on your walls.