20 Ways To Make Your Walls Look Uniquely Amazing

Plain old wallpaper is passé. Check out these funky wall treatments that use everything from paint chips to Post-It notes.

1. Post-It Note Wallpaper

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Because who really uses these for taking notes anymore? This is as easy as it looks: just stick your Post-It notes on the wall (you may want to use glue or tape for added security). Arrange them as closely to one another as possible, slightly overlapping the horizontal rows.

2. The Chalkboard Calendar

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You'll never loose track of your schedule again. Coat your wall with chalkboard paint, then mark the outlines of your calendar with a pencil and use different shades of chalkboard paint to create the various squares. Detailed instructions available here.

3. Vintage Book Pages

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How's that for some bathroom reading? Simply coat the backs of the pages with wallpaper paste, adhere to the wall, and seal with a clear top coat. All the steps can be found here.

4. Circular Stencils

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This Blossom Stencil from The Stencil Library offers endless possibilities — customize it with your own colors and design layout. Just adhere the stencil to the wall, paint through it, and continue repositioning the stencil to complete your design. Helpful instructions are here.

5. Doodles

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Fill in the blanks with Jon Burgerman's coloring wallpaper. Starting at $45, choose from two different designs, and color in the black-and-white outlines using markers, felt tips, or paint.

6. Upcycled Bottle Caps

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The perfect excuse to have yet another beer. Adhere the bottle caps as you would tiles, then grout and seal.

7. Fiberboard

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Medium-dense fiberboard is a cheap and easy way to add dimension to your walls. Pick boards of various thicknesses and sizes, arrange however you'd like, and affix them to the wall with nails (cover the nail holes with paintable caulk). Paint the panels when done if you want. More tips are here.

8. Stickers

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Set the mood with fun and funky wall stickers by Couture Deco. A wide range of designs — from subways signs to zebras — starts at around $100. Simply stick 'em on the wall yourself. Bonus: if you hate them in a year, they're easily removable.

9. Paisley Stencils

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These Cutting Edge vintage paisley stencils make for a cute but classic design. For $15.95 to $29.95, they're super sturdy and easy to clean. Reuse over and over to create a paisley-covered surface.

10. Recipe Cards

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Give your kitchen an old school feel with antique recipe cards. Use Grandma's old recipe collection or scour flea markets for attractive ones. Adhere to the wall using polyurethane: apply one coat on the back of the cards, and one on top to seal.

11. Graffiti

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Let out your inner spray painting fiend and go from boring white to radical. Okay — you might not pull of something quite as crazy as this French hotel room by graffiti artist Tilt, but you could make your own toned-downed version using everyday spray paint.

12. Changeable Pixelated Designs

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Change up your wall decal daily with these pixelated panels by Amirko. Rotating panels allow you to change the color of each pixel, creating a new pattern whenever your heart desires. They'll be available to purchase soon — keep an eye out here.

13. Fabric

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Paste your favorite fabric to the wall using cornstarch and water. To create the paste: boil 4 cups of water, dissolve 3/8 cup of cornstarch in a little bit of water, and add the cornstarch mixture to the boiled water to create your paste. Cut the fabric to the exact size of the surface you wish to cover, brush the surface with paste, and apply the fabric from the top down. Smooth and adjust as you go, adding more paste as necessary. This helpful blog post has all the details.

14. Wood Panels

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Turn a room into a timbered cave with three-dimensional decor. (You might want to hire someone for this.)

15. Paint Chips

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Because you know you can't resist all those free Home Depot paint samplers. The paint strips shown were stuck to the wall using Modge Podge — super quick and easy!

16. Dollar Bills

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Turn your wall into a wallet. You know, for all that annoying extra cash that's just lying around.

17. License Plates

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Scour eBay and antique stores to create a multi-state license plate collage. Screw the plates into a plywood base and nail to the wall.

18. Maps

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With GPS now steering you in the right direction, put your maps to a more aesthetic use. Arrange the maps as you like so they cover the wall, overlapping if you choose. Any adhesive will do, including wallpaper paste applied with a paint roller, a mixture of glue and water, or Modge Podge.

19. Polaroids

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Yes, we're talking real printed photographs. Turn your wall into a collage way prettier than your Facebook timeline. Tape, tack, or glue your photos to the wall — affixing to a corner makes the design more interesting.

20. CDs

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Remember these? Track down your middle school CD collection and add some shimmer to your walls. You'll need four-slot CD sleeves in various colors (black and white shown here). Just tack them to the wall and slide in the CDs. A full explanation can be found here.