Eco-friendly Wallpaper

How fun is the new Swank collection by wallpaper designer Given Campbell ? These bold, mod motifs are hand printed with eco-friendly inks so you can be stylin' and doing your part to save the planet at the same time. These large scale designs would look great in an entry, bathroom, or even a closet.
Their previous collections aren't too shabby either:

via Given Campbell

Bold Backsplash

As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with black & white (or circles, but that's another post). There's something so classic and perfect about the contrast that never goes out of style and it can easily be freshened up by adding in pops of color. I'm loving this tile backsplash that I found in the June issue of Living Etc. magazine.

They actually just painted some of the white mosaic tiles black to create this geometric design, but it would be pretty easy to install this pattern if you were starting from scratch. It would also look cool if you used subway tiles for this, plus there would be less grout. I'm not sure if I could live with this backsplash in my home, but I can definately appreciate it's uniqueness.

Textile Arts

I'm always on the lookout for large scale affordable art and Textile Arts is one of the first places I check when I'm searching for something bold & colorful. They carry some great graphic fabrics by Marimekko that you can turn into art by using one of their easy to use wall hanging kits. Prices average around $100 for for a piece that measures 48" x 54", but there are many other sizes available. Their wall hanging kits include everything you need to assemble your piece of art and it should only take about an hour to complete the whole project. The instructions are pretty simple and all you need is an iron and a staple gun and you're ready to go. If you're not in the mood for a little do-it-yourself action, some of the 24" x 24" textile art pieces are now available "ready to hang", so you don't have to anything except find the perfect spot to hang your new art. Here are a few of my picks from their website:

Textile Arts also sells ready made bedding, pillows, bags and other accessories for the home.

Tip- If you go with a design that has a white background, I've found that you may want to staple a piece of white fabric or a sheet to the stretchers before you staple the design because the wood stretchers may show through to the front if you don't. This will also make the white look a little brighter.

Above the Sofa

Deciding what to put above your sofa can be a daunting task because it's an important focal point of the living room and there are a lot of options on what to do. Take it from someone whose sofa wall has been bare for longer than she'd like to admit, finding the perfect thing can take some time. It's important to keep scale in mind, you don't want to put anything too small or too large or it just won't look right. Here are a couple of ideas I like that would definately spruce up your space:

A funky informal arrangement of framed art & sculpture

A formal grid of similar photos or art

(via Cottage Living)

An eclectic art display and folding screen to break up some of the large space

Love this! Large canvases with a bold, graphic design

(via Cottage Living)

Simple, centered art looks perfect with the swinging arm lamps

One mirror or a group of mirrors adds depth to the room

Bookcases or shelves would add color and function

Wallpaper framed as a piece of art

One large painted canvas fills the entire space

(via Cottage Living)

Or maybe you don't have this problem because you have a window above the sofa, lucky you!

(photos from Domino unless noted otherwise)