Wall decals are the new wallpaper

I have to admit the first time I saw a wall decal I thought it was about the tackiest thing someone could put on a wall. Somehow, though, the darn things have started to grow on me.

Anyone that’s ever house hunted pretty much wants to vomit at the site of someone else’s wallpaper. Was paper fruit around the top circumference of a kitchen space ever in style? Seriously. Then there’s the thought of ripping it off! What a mess. Wallpaper, definitely out. While ten or 15 years from now we may look back at our wall decals similarly in disgust, they are definitely today’s wallpaper.

Making a space your own is important to feeling “at home” and that can be tough when you’re renting and not allowed to paint. Or when you’re too lazy to paint. A wall decal can really add character and color without much work or hassle (although keep in mind some of the bigger ones come in pieces).

The nice thing about wall decals is that they are cheap and come off relatively easily without wrecking your paint job. Or at least they aren’t supposed to. It’s basically just a giant, artfully minded sticker for your wall. This means they are pretty darn temporary. Change your mind? No problem. You can change out a wall decal with every mood, whim or desire, or even put one up just for a special occasion, like the holidays or for a party. I’m picturing a Christmas tree wall decal with presents “underneath” and no more pine needles all over the floor.

Another nice little trick is that if you have wall decals up already and still want to paint, you can just paint over them then pull them up so the outline comes through with the original paint color. All color coordination aside, how easy is that?

There are about a million printing houses that sell wall decals online and you can even find them on Amazon, but the best ones as of late seem to be on Etsy (and when I say “best” I mean “most tasteful”).