Ditch The Wallpaper And Hop On One Stunning Design Trend To Elevate Your Walls

People who hate following the crowds can still take advantage of trends, especially when they're offbeat enough not to appeal to the masses. Eclectic mosaic tiles have been showing up this season on walls rather than only in quirky bathrooms or as creative backsplashes for kitchens. Whether it's a full wall of tiles in intermingled styles or a small-scale piece of wall art to hang, you can make this enduring decor technique part of your home.

Wallpaper is a timeless way to create an accent wall without painting it. However, mosaics truly stand the test of time; dotted around the globe, there are examples dating back as far as the 3rd millennium BCE. It may be less time-consuming to install wallpaper than a wall full of tile pieces, but with durability credentials from places like ancient Mesopotamia and volcano-ravaged Pompeii, your own mosaic wall will have serious lasting power.

Great candidates for mosaic surfaces are walls behind your bed's headboard, along a staircase, or as an attention-grabber in your dining room. If a wide swath of wall is too much to take on, try mosaic-ing a recessed nook, behind display shelves, or along the frame of a doorless opening between two rooms. Limit your commitment by piecing together an art piece you can hang anywhere you please for as long as you want. For instance, the next time you drop a mug onto the floor, turn it into beautiful wall art with this simple DIY.

If you've been lucky enough to see Spanish artist Antoni Gaudi's mosaics IRL, it's impossible to forget the ceramic kaleidoscope of tiles, broken dishware, and pottery. The effect is dazzling, but unless you're a fan of maximalist decor or you limit it to a small wall space, this could border on distracting. There's no rule that mosaics must be a mishmash of pieces in every color and shape imaginable. A monochromatic tile wall featuring a pleasing arrangement of geometric tiles would shine in any room.

If you'd like a slightly whimsical wall without it becoming the focal point of the room, try a collection of broken ceramic or stone tiles in neutral colors. An entire wall consisting of white or cream-colored shattered porcelain will be anything but vanilla. Go a bit darker with a mixture of tans, beiges, and browns for a neutral nut-colored wall. Really, a mashup of tiles in similar hues can elevate a room, no matter the color.

You may be ready to take on a wall-sized piece of mosaic art, either by yourself or with the help of a professional. If so, it helps to have some ideas in mind of what's possible with this medium. There are modern mosaic artists who've assembled true masterpieces with broken things. Get some inspiration from creatives like Emma Biggs, Laurel True, and Sonia King, who eschew the need for hanging art by making it part of the wall. Biggs and True contrive beautiful floral motifs with tiles, and King leans more toward abstract shapes in contrasting colors.