If walls could talk: Tips to organize, decorate space for 2022

MANILA, Philippines — It is the people in it that transform a house into a home — there's no doubt about that. But some warmth and whimsy from decor can certainly help. 

What we see around us influences us in some way, whether we're aware of it or not. A house which indicates effort into making it clean and inviting expresses caring by way of interior elements, can spell the difference in becoming a place of comfort and solace for the family that calls it home.

Simple solutions: decals and corner shelves

If "home" is a tiny apartment or a pocket-sized townhouse unit, your options for decorating are more limited, of course. So forget the big elegant coffee tables and gigantic potted indoor plants for now since someone is bound to bump into them repeatedly, given the miniscule space you have. 

The key is turning to the walls for design possibilities. And for both aesthetic and practical purposes, there are two simple solutions: wall decals and corner shelves.

Easily accessible pieces

The pandemic we have been living through for close to two years now has indeed changed life as we know it, with some folks' lives unfortunately turned upside-down. 

What we can appreciate however as a result is the increased accessibility to a whole lot of merchandise online -- from food, cosmetics to home interior pieces. This means that looking through a wide assortment of wall decor pieces and shelving options, even those previously available only overseas, has become within our reach.

Let's say you have immaculate white walls surrounding you at home. All that whiteness can make your place look more spacious than it actually is. It also provides you with at least some room for unconventional decorating. 

A set of nature-themed wall stickers can be hung onto your walls for a vibe of greeneries, instead of having big pots of plants that can take up space. These decals may not provide you health benefits the same way as having fresh plants, but well-placed vines or flowers in subtle shades on a wall in your living area can inspire a restful mood that you may enjoy. Then, you can still get one or two small spider plants, succulents, or whatever you fancy if you really want fresh foliage indoors.

Having fun with playful decals

The great thing about wall decals, besides their space-saving potential to enliven any area dramatically, is that they can look delightfully playful. 

Many designs are so good that they look too real, like perfectly symmetrical cacti, dinosaurs in mid-roar, or a bunch of colorful owls on a tree branch. While onlookers may spend a few moments trying to figure out if the pretty blooms or the little birds in flight are for real, these decals can add flavors and fun into your place.

Then there are decals that are obviously artificial from the first glance but tend to elicit a chuckle. Still, that set of ornate bird cages on the wall or the shower of petals from a canopy of lovely sakura from behind the sofa will make for great conversation pieces whenever you have guests over.

Decals aren’t merely for showcasing your style so visitors can admire them. They are mainly for you, so you can transform your home into a place where your vision, dreams and mood boards are exuded.

If you’ve been hankering for the beach or the mountains since the summer of 2020, some nice, lush and realistic-looking foliage on the wall will let you wake up each morning in your very own tropical paradise. If touring Europe is in your bucket list, then heighten the anticipation by way of a silhouette of the Eiffel Tower or a “window view” of the Tuscan landscape. The possibilities are endless with just a little imagination and a lot of creativity.

Most wall stickers are removable, so should you feel like redecorating and rearranging some elements, you can simply unstick and transfer without leaving unsightly marks on the previous spots. 

The same can’t be said of most shelves. However, holes will have to be drilled on the wall to put them in place. But shelves are definitely another means of maximizing your space in your little home while serving both functional and aesthetic purposes.

Corner shelves: the oft-overlooked solution

You may have noticed that clutter eventually appears and accumulates no matter how much tidying up you do. Books, gadgets, plastic bags, paper bags, pieces of paper, pens-- these and other stuff tend to turn up on tables, chairs, the couch, kitchen counter, everywhere. 

A regular shelf can provide the solution for this. However, in any small space, there’s a big chance someone will graze against or knock down a plank of wood perched on the wall (especially if it’s a hanging shelf), simply because the plank takes up some of the space where people pass as they make their way around the house.

A corner shelf tends to stay out of people’s way because we normally cut corners rather than stay mere inches from the wall all the way when turning left or right. Hence, it’s unlikely for anyone to hit or walk into a shelf that’s situated in a corner. So, make use of the corners if you’ve got little space to work with at home.

Having a corner shelf also provides a place for things like framed pictures, small decorative pieces, maybe a small calendar, a mini-tray to hold keys and phone chargers. In addition, this is where plants can be displayed, whether it’s your beautiful Tillandsia (don’t forget the weekly soak) or Golden Pothos, or a vase with some fresh mums from the sidewalk flower vendor.

Regardless of minimal square footage, there are workable and inexpensive options for beautifying your home. If your walls could talk, they’d probably tell you that stickers are not only for kids and that shelves are not just to hold books. You simply need to use your imagination, creativity and resourcefulness so you can transform your house into a home space of your dreams.