Decorating your own home can be very rewarding. There are no set parameters, so you can mix and match, and change as frequently as your taste and your bank balance permit. So, you set out, to survey the increasing and bewildering array of furniture, furnishings, window dressings and curios that are available in the market today. Now finally, your home is decorated and everything looks great. Except for the stunning expanse of bare walls.

Most homeowners paint the walls, put up a couple of photographs, a few pieces of artwork and that is the end of wall decor as far as they are concerned. Yet, all that empty space can be transformed into an expression of your personality. You can paint it, paper it, plaster it – the possibilities are endless. It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss these techniques in detail; here, then, is a look at the many imaginative ways in which you can change ‘plain and boring’ into ‘stunning and exciting’.

Painting is the easiest, least expensive and the most versatile way to impart a new look to any room. Paint your wall with a colour that pulls together all the other elements in the room. You can choose the paint to match your furnishings, or highlight just one colour. The colour you choose depends on many things - the function of the room you are about to paint, the effect of the furnishings and floor coverings on the walls, the amount of sunlight the room gets during the day etc.

You could also paint one wall of the room in a different colour preferably a shade darker than the rest of the room, or if you are not afraid to experiment, a shade that is in complete contrast. That wall would become the ‘accent wall’, the one that draws your eye as you walk into the room.

A broken colour finish is an alternative to plainly painted walls, and helps to disguise minor surface imperfections. Ragging off and ragging on, stippling, sponging, colourwashing, woodgraining and dragging, and spattering are all examples of faux finish techniques that add an illusion of depth to the painted surfaces.

While faux finishes and glazes have been available for some time, the technique of doing it is still in its infancy in India. Unless you are planning to do the paint job yourself, you may find it difficult to find someone who knows how to do the job correctly.

Embossing or stamping, and stencilling may be an easier alternative to faux finishes. It also adds a personal touch to your decorative scheme. Embossing is the art of rolling paint onto a raised, decorative surface, and then pressing the painted surface onto your walls, creating a deliberate design or random patterns.

You can make your own stamps by drawing the design of your choice onto cork or foam rubber. Cut around the external shape, and then cut and remove the internal details to a depth of an inch or so. Dab paint onto the stamp and then remove excess paint by dabbing the stamp on a paper towel or a clean rag.

Stencilling, like embossing, is associated with borders. Stencils are decorative cutouts through which paint is brushed onto the surface beneath. Commercial stencils are just becoming available, but you could make your own by tracing the design you want to copy onto transparent plastic film or thin cardboard. The beauty of stencilling is its ‘done-by-hand’ look, so the odd mistake can be overlooked. If  a stencilling brush is not available, then a blunt-edged artist’s brush or small pieces of sponge or foam are good alternatives.

Stencils can be used to outline doorways, to provide a ‘frame’ around photographs, as a border near the ceiling, or in the middle of the wall, which allows a visual break.  To make the stencilling a part of your room décor, pick out a design from either your curtains or cushions.

Wallpaper is a popular alternative to painting. Today, it is available in a variety of colours, textures and prints. Incidentally, if you do not want to go through the trials of stencilling a large room, you can use wallpaper borders in much the same way. You can also choose to use wallpaper in conjunction with paint, wallpapering just one wall, in the same manner that you would paint an accent wall. This, especially if you are using wallpaper with small print, saves the walls from looking too crowded.

Fabric is another option, often overlooked in the quest to decorate walls. A tapestry, framed cushion covers, paintings on silk all offer an eye catching display, creating a visual break from the painted wall. Paintings, framed art, and photographs, all help to create a personalised décor.  Small shelves mounted at vantage points on the wall can help display your collection of small objects d’art, or candles, or books. Choose a couple of wall sconces to light up a cherished heirloom. Or hang a wall mounted shelf to display your collection of books. Choose burnished brass or polished wood bookends to keep the books in place.

These are only suggestions – it is good to think outside the box if you want your home to look different. A friend used an old window frame as a unique wall accent. She had the frame sanded and varnished, and then had it mounted on a wall in her entryway. Inside the frame, she mounted a small Ganesha head.

Finally, it is not whether you follow design trends that makes your house a home. It is the way you pull together all the different elements to reflect your personality and make it compatible with your lifestyle that makes your home unique. The possibilities are endless. All it needs is a little imagination.