If you’re like me, you don’t like to look at bare walls. But it’s not enough to hang a painting or a photograph. And if you hang too many things, the wall looks cluttered. So how can you add style and design to your walls without cluttering the look?

Well, you could spend thousands on a professional paint job. But not only is that extremely expensive, it also takes the fun out of the project. If all you do is write a check, you’ll never feel like the finished product is something you had a hand in, and you’ll never appreciate it as much as if you did the work yourself. So what’s the solution? Adhesive contact paper.

The beauty of adhesive contact paper is the variety of looks you can choose. You can turn your walls into wood grain or leather, or give them a fabric look. You can purchase exotic designs, simple patterns or bright colors. Or you can simply use stencils to cut designs or images from the contact paper, creating shapes for your wall. Want something even easier? Just use a strip along the chair line of the room. Choose a good color to accent the existing walls and presto, you have a new dimension to the room, something elegant and sophisticated, for a couple dollars and a few minutes work.

Adhesive contact paper is available in thousands of patterns, colors, textures and styles. You can create the look of a log cabin, or the metallic luster of a laboratory. You can fill your walls with floral print, or the texture and hue of animal skin. The only limit to the options is your imagination, so what are you waiting for?

To apply, simple measure the room and mark with a pencil the appropriate length of adhesive contact paper. Clean the walls where it will be applied. Trim the adhesive contact paper to the appropriate measurements. Then, carefully peel back the adhesive layer on the backside of the contact paper. Place the exposed adhesive side carefully against the wall where it is to be applied, making sure it is lined up straight with any edges. Then press the contact paper firmly against the surface, carefully smoothing out any air bubbles with your hand before the paper fastens itself to the wall. Work slowly to ensure a good fit. Then stand back and appreciate your work!

Adhesive contact paper can transform a plain room into an elegant dining room or a cozy man cave in very little time, with some brief effort and minimal cost. It is a great DIY project for anyone looking to add style or personality to a room. And most important of all, every time you walk into that beautiful room you will appreciate not only the stylish walls but also the fact that you created that look yourself!