the verdict is in...
after some interesting comment discussions and yesterday's survey the votes have been tallied and the results are in! drumroll, please....53% of you are "over" wall decals, 32% think it's too early to tell and 15% can't get enough of the wall decal craze. i think what we can learn from this random little poll is that a good portion of people (reading this blog) would love to see the wall decal medium pushed to new creative limits and moved in a different direction. i don't think most of us hate them as a product, but would appreciate seeing less of the same old thing (birds, flocking, etc) and more creative options for the medium. it's great to have an affordable option for renters and those who can't do wallpaper (or afford the price tag the fancy types come with) but we'd love to see something fresh and innovative. but for the %15 who can't get enough: i'm sure we'll see many many more to come. [decals above are by domestic]
Labels: windows and walls
posted by design*sponge @ 21.9.06
6 Comments:
i hate to say i feel the whole thing is over, as eight months ago i did blik flock all over a huge wall to play off some very cheap black and white flock fabric i found. perhaps i don't want to admit to myself that it's over because that means so much hard work is now...passe! and while your flock comment breaks my heart...i also agree with you a bit. :-)
for us, the decision to go with blik was two-fold. one, it's far cheaper than most wall decal programs (and still not cheap at that). some of the lovely designs you've featured i ADORE...yet it would cost 1200 euros just to order the decals. insane! and two, since we have such a large space to cover, and could never afford (at least not now!) a large painting to cover the space, removable decals made sense as they allow you to cover a large space creatively -- and use the entire space.
i do agree there is not much along the creativity/right price continuum at the moment. the really beautiful things are outrageous and so the budget-conscious are stuck with flock-esque designs. hopefully blik will come up with some more elegant options soon. although i'm not sure i'm ready to tear it all down and start again. at least not yet!
i don't really think it's about the decals. i think it's more about what kind of designs are used in decal form. the whole "flora/fauna/birds/deer with weird antlers/80s robots/simple geometrics drawn in illustrator" look is kind of played out way too much, so it's starting to look generic and boring and ikea-like.
but i'd still love to buy decals for my place because i'm renting and i can't paint my walls or go through the hassle of hammering nails in the walls and caulking over them when i move. decals are pretty convenient. it's just that for my tastes, i think that i'd like a design that looks more special and more thought of than something that's just a quickie graphic made in illustrator.
ALSO, speaking of trends i'm so OVER with, i'm so tired of t-shirts with that whole screened graphic layering with distressed graphics, swirls and flowers. you see this in sneakers too...OH, and in mtv animations and whatnot.
i agree with you. as with any trend, the flora/fauna/birds/deer thing was fresh. but it has proliferated and almost feels too cutesy now. ditto with the layered images on tshirts. i'm fascinated by this discussion because it really points to a larger issue which is always present when thinking of design - something "new and fresh" will always become OVER WITH. if you are involved in the design industry in any way (i'm a graphic designer), you quickly realize that you have to pick what you love in things that are a bit more permanent...like items for your home. then, even if it's tired to others, you truly do love it. i know i'm stating the obvious about only buying what you love, but it's so easy (at least for me!) to fall in love with something that is new, fresh, different...only to feel like it's tired months later.
the lesson i've learned, even with the flock (we've now taken to telling guests "don't mock the flock"), is patience in selection. take your time. wait for the right piece. and yet..i shopped for months for these decals. and it felt like JUST when i placed my order, all these really lovely, very special decals were suddenly available. and i was stuck with my flock. :-)
aside from the decals, it's funny to read people talk of the nature images as fresh and new, and now played. because to me the whole flora/fauna thing has touched a nostalgic nerve. i think the nostalgia factor is what has made the trend appealing, and i've really enjoyed the beautiful and creative takes designers have had on the old styles. i really hope some pieces (like Jason MIller's antler chandelier - which i continue to covet) become classics. and there are places - i'm thinking exclusive alpine resorts - where the trend has remained fresh for the last 80 years.
Did you see that Shelterrific totally ripped this off this contest on Monday? What a coincidence.
Molly
has anyone had any trouble removing the decals? I am sorry to say that my wallfreckles from modernseed peeled some paint from my walls. The folks at modernseed have looked into this matter and claimed that they would help me out, but now they are totally unreachable... I do not know what is worse the damage or the fact that they keep blowing me off...
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