A food for the soul

Those who used to get scolded for scribbling on walls as children are probably the same people who now decorate their own rooms with every ounce of creativity they have gathered. Especially, as the lockdown has considerably boosted every sort of innovative output from the youngsters, one of the genres of artistry that have gone trendy is wall decoration. 

Designs and forms of wall decoration keep on adding as decades pass by, instead of being replaced completely. For example, Victorian era’s trendy wallpapers, or traditional Japanese shoji screens are less in trend now because of the difficulty of modernising, but none can criticise if one chooses to go stable as the good old vintage days. 

Usually, thematic restaurants opt for such unique decors, but one cannot deny the elegant flavour they can compose at home as well. Some speculate that wallpapers might make a comeback, as modern architectural designs and mural arts often come as wallpapers. However, wall paintings have grown more popular as they can achieve the same vibes much more easily. Moreover, they can be replaced without difficulty, and sometimes without any professional help.

Fabliha Nawar Afra is a student of English and Humanities at BRAC University. She has a love for art and likes to paint on canvas and her face. Her room’s walls are of many shades. One corner is filled with softly patterned wall paint, another is a collage of her own paintings. Her living room is decorated with classic wall art of a cherry blossom tree. “Sticking to minimalistic patterns is in trend now. A lot of people like simple and modest wall decorations and they look considerably sophisticated and formal,” she remarks.

Those who love to capture indoor portraits might try using Fabliha’s idea and install different setups on each corner of their room. It would be better to keep an overall vision of the decor as this idea has the possibility of making a room look messy. However, if done right, it can look aesthetically pleasing and artistic at the same time. 

As Fabliha practices self-portrait photography as well, she has installed an empty frame on her room’s wall. It not only portrays her as the art in face art photographs but also stays as unique wall decor. She mentions a tip for finer furnishing, “I’m thinking of setting up warm-toned lights to enhance the overall ambience. The right lighting can polish even the simplest of wall decors.”

Adiba Tasnim Monon, a student of Architecture at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, decorates her room with posters, paintings, tapestries, and wall paints. Being a pop culture fan, she has decked one corner of her room with colourful collages of favourite artists and fictional characters. 

She shares her plans to redecorate her room as she had recently moved to a new home. This time she wishes to cut the wall paints. “I had painted a part of my room’s wall before but wall painting can sometimes make a room look smaller. So I plan to not paint over the basic white this time,” said Adiba while suggesting using lighter colours on walls to decorate comparatively smaller rooms so that more light can bounce off. 

Adiba mentions how LED and fairy lights have become popular among youngsters recently. They are used not only in personal room’s walls but also on common rooms to create a mild ambience. Apart from that, paintings, hanging showpieces, and photo frames remain as timeless wall decoration pieces.

On social media, many youngsters have been seen posting their work of art on indoor walls. “Pop arts of favourite artists and superheroes, graffiti and calligraphy of quotes, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and The Great Wave off Kanagawa, popular artworks with colours and patterns are trendy as wall arts among the youngsters,” mentions Fabliha. Adiba, however, brings a little different perspective, says, “Wall arts can bring a pop of colour but personally I think tapestry is a safer option as you can’t undo the wall paint as easily.”.

At school, in Home Economics classes, students were taught how the colours of our room’s walls and the décor should be maintained systematically as they can affect one’s psyche and productivity. However, both Fabliha and Adiba think that one does not necessarily have to fit into mature sophistication, and is free to dive into their own aesthetics and creative sense. One’s caged days might move a little to the right when their customised food-for-the-soul is kept within eyes’ reach. 

Mehenaz Sultana is a student of English at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
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