Picture a room with lovely furniture and furnishings, but walls that are completely blank and empty. Doesn’t sound inspiring, does it? The right wall décor can make all the difference, tying the aesthetics of your room together and creating the perfect vibes!
Accent walls are one way to upgrade your walls, but painting or wallpapering the entire wall takes time and could cost a pretty penny. And choosing paintings or prints to decorate your blank walls is not easy, either. Looking for an alternative? Try wall decal designs!
Originally used for sign making, wall decals are a creative and quick way to spruce up any blank wall in your home. If you’re renting your home, or looking for some easy style that doesn’t cost the earth, then a wall decal could be just what you’re looking for.
Things You Must Know before Installing Wall Decal Designs
- Wall decal designs must always be applied on a completely flat, clean and dry surface. You can apply the decal on a plastered and smoothly painted brick wall, a glass surface or a wooden partition.
- Brick walls should always be painted with a primer below the top coat. This will prevent the paint from peeling off when you remove the decal.
- You can mix and match wall decal designs to make a larger picture or a repetitive pattern. Make sure to leave the same spacing between repeated prints, so that you can get a uniform rhythm.
- PVC Vinyl does pose some concern to environmentalists, due to the fact that its production releases toxic, chlorine-based chemicals. Once installed, however, the decal itself may be too small to leach toxins into the air. But having said that, vinyl is completely recyclable, and its raw materials are easily available – which is a big plus for the environment!
- If you’re someone who likes to refresh their room décor every once in a while, then this is for you! Reusable wall decal designs are available that can be removed from one surface and reused in another. Do note that the adhesive will wear out with subsequent uses, making the edges more likely to start rolling up and peeling off from the wall.
- Using a decal on top of wallpaper is not really advisable. The focus on the decal design is lost, and the wallpaper can get damaged.
- Popular wall decal designs include prints with typography, calligraphy, flowers, trees, geometrics and children’s themes. Motivational quotes or eye-popping statements are crowd favourites.
- Decals are a great idea if you’re looking to create style on a budget, or if you are in a rental property.
Top Wall Decal Designs
Ready to get started? Here, we’ve lined up some of the coolest wall decal ideas to inspire you!
1. Good Night, Sweet Dreams!
The easiest way to pick a pattern for the artwork is to simply go with the flow! Roses and lace are guaranteed to always go beautifully well together, and add a tender, loving touch to any space.
Floral decals in a pretty peach perfectly complement the soft, gentle vibes and flowing lines of this sweetly feminine bedroom. Your child’s name in cursive letters on the wall completes the picture.
Now this is a room that’s just perfect for your little princess!
2. Cool Graffiti
Here’s a chilled-out way to get the message across with some cool text! Pick your favourite quote (or make up your own!) and put it on the wall for the world to see. You can experiment with fonts, colours and sizes till you get what you like.
It’s certainly time to smile big and laugh often!
3. Whimsical Play
No bedroom is ever complete if the wall above the bed is bare, and if you’re looking at decals you’ll be completely spoilt for choice! Pick a decal pattern or a grouping that speaks to your heart and perhaps holds a fond memory or two.
Quirky and whimsical, this fun decal evokes holiday reminiscences! It features a beachside vignette with a miniature sand castle and tiny parachuters in free fall. The beach ball adds perspective and colour.
Perfect for a bedroom wall or a children’s room, this decal makes your walls come to life.
4. Home Office Ideas
Is your home office wall crying out for a makeover? This eye-catching world map, all in pastel shades, doesn’t overwhelm the décor or look too busy. If you find it hard to work with larger scale decals, you could consider breaking up the print into smaller sections, and separating them out by narrow slivers of wall.
Now, that’s a great look for your home office, indeed!
5. Stripes and Crosses
Decals look great in any room, and can accentuate the décor theme you choose to create. And while they are originally meant to be applied on walls, there’s nothing stopping you from using them on the mirror, windows, and even the ceiling!
This bedroom chooses to go bold with geometrics, and the big, black crosses on the wall add definition and some serious style.
6. Get Playful
A triangle motif, paired with eyelash graphics, liven up the walls behind this bunk bed for twins. When you’re decorating a child’s room, there are no rules and just about anything goes! You can get as playful as you’d like and your little ones will only love all that you do.
While this decal is all in black, kids love colours and this is one space where you can feel free to go wild with your colour choices. We love how the single cushion repeats the triangle theme.
A Last Word
The right choice of wall decal designs can make all the difference to your home interior. Not only do decals add visual interest to any blank space, they can create harmony and cohesion in your room, tying your décor theme together for a well put-together look.
If you’re looking for more wall decal ideas—or want to know how to juggle colours and sizes—all you need to do is hop on over to the nearest HomeLane Experience Centre. Not only do we have an array of choices, but we can help you put it all together!
FAQs
1. What is a decal on a wall?
A wall decal is a sticker or a transfer that’s used to decorate a plain wall. Easy to use and incredibly creative, a wall decal design can be installed in just a matter of minutes, making this a versatile DIY project for those who like to try out their own home decorating options. Decals are stuck onto a smooth surface for decoration and can transform a wall from boring to stunning in an instant!
2. What is the difference between wall decal designs and wallpaper?
This is a question that we often get asked! We do admit that the two terms are often used interchangeably, so it’s not surprising that many home owners get confused.
Wall decals are typically made of vinyl that’s cut into a pattern using a CNC machine, and have a peel-off adhesive sticker backing. Vinyl wall decals come in various sizes, and these can range from 30 x 50 cm to as large as you’d like. Do keep in mind that decals of a larger size are tricky to affix, as they can fold back on themselves.
So, if you’re looking to decorate a larger wall surface, then wallpaper is the answer. Wallpapers are available in rolls, and are affixed on the wall using paste. Whether you choose vintage patterns, modern geometrics, or unique biophilic prints, choosing to have an accent wall (or walls!) covered in wallpaper can completely change the aesthetics of your room. Wallpapers are, comparatively, a more permanent option to decorate your wall, while decals are usually temporary.
3. What material is used for wall decal designs?
Most decals are made of PVC vinyl. Non-PVC fabric wall decals are also available that come with 3M sticker backing.
4. How do you decorate a wall with wall decal designs?
A wall decal design can be a creative, quirky addition to any room. Here’s a stepwise guide to decorate your space, in no time at all!
- Choose a blank wall that could do with a makeover.
- Find a decal of the right size, with colours that work well in your space.
- Clean the wall, removing any dirt or oil. Make sure it is completely dry before you move on to the next step.
- Place the wall decal design on the wall and see how it looks. You can keep the paper backing on and use duct tape to roughly tape it in position, so you can get a feel of how it fits the space.
- Once you’ve finalised the position, mark the corners lightly with a pencil as a guide. Now you’re ready to apply the decal!
- Remove the covering that protects the sticky side of the decal.
- Place the decal on your guide marks.
- Smooth the surface and remove all air bubbles. You can use a squeegee to smoothen it out, pushing any air bubbles to the sides. If you don’t have one, a credit card works just as well.
- Finally peel off the paper backing, working slowly and carefully, to unveil your decal!
Note: If your wall has been freshly painted, you will need to wait till it’s completely dry from the inside out. This could take up to two weeks. Applying a decal on a wall that’s still wet will cause it to come off easily.
