One of my favorite non-committal decorating tricks: use fabric or window treatments on the wall.
For fabric, a good recipe from the mother of a great friend. This is written as it was sent to me…
Just find some liquid starch – not spray – or the really old-fashioned kind that you dissolve in water to make a thin paste. I just used dress-making fabric. You can use decorator fabric, but it takes more starch because the fabric is so much heavier. You have to thoroughly soak the fabric in the starch and just smooth it onto the wall. You can use one of those blade-like tools that is used for smoothing wall paper to get all the bubbles out from the fabric. You may have to tack it to the wall at the top until it dries and sticks to the wall. It is best to avoid large prints that require matching (it takes more fabric). Stripes are easy and small prints are OK too. Don’t overlap the seams too much. As it dries it can shrink and cause a separation between the panels of fabric (frustrating beyond belief!). I only did it in a small bathroom. I wouldn’t recommend it for a large room because it can get expensive and be a real chore.
My second favorite alternative:
Use window treatments on portions of your wall. In my own home, I have used matchstick blinds above my fireplace which you can see in the photo. You still get the look of color without the commitment of paint. I also love the effect of texture on the walls – its an interesting dynamic and warms up a space.
Get creative and try whatever moves you. It’s also a nice look to hang fabric from a rod so you get a good drape. Remember too, that when you hang curtains, take the rod to the top of the wall just below the ceiling. You’ll make the space feel larger and the windows will appear bigger.
