Cover Image: Wonder Walls

Wonder Walls

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Member Reviews

This is a very comprehensive book about updating your decor. It had some really useful information and really good tips on materials to use.

It gave me some brilliant ideas on what I could in my own home and took me through the whole process from start to finish so I could complete the project fairly confidently.

I’d certainly recommend this book.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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This book has inspired me to paint every room in the house! As someone who is about to move into their first house, I was after as much inspiration as possible! I love all the colour, ideas and tips throughout the book!

Everything is so clearly set out and easy to read!

I am recommending this book to everyone and anyone!

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Delightful, encouraging DIY book about mural painting. Some of the instructions would have benefited from more clarity and photography for novice painters, but savvy readers can make do.

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This is a fun and inspiring book full of bright and cheerful ideas for using colour more adventurously in your home.
The photography is great and quite a few of the ideas either easy (the dashes and dots) or just a good way of adding focus to a wall (the triangle behind the bed and the abstract shapes) that is a bit dull.
It's paint so it's easy to paint over if you don't like the finished effect.
If I have a couple of criticisms it's that the step-by-steps are pretty basic and techniques like blending colours and marbling can be quite tricky for a novice decorator plus a couple of the designs look a bit amateurish and might have benefitted from another coat or a slightly better finish.
However, this book really delivers on ideas, inspiration and the notion of being more creative in your living or work space and, because it's only paint, you can improve, change or paint over your wild masterwork when you want to.

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Overall I feel mixed about this book.

It begins with some general advice about painting some of which was helpful and some of which was pretty bland. The good stuff focused on what to use on different surfaces, what kinds of murals will work well in what areas, etc. Unfortunately this was often over-shadowed by advice along the lines of "use lighter colors to make small rooms brighter". There's some good advice in there, but it occasionally gets buried beneath cliches.

The projects themselves were also a mixed bag. There are a few stand outs like the front color that are just immediately impressive and impactful, but a lot of them looked clearly DIY, with a few that honestly looked quite poorly done. If I can tell from your professional photograph that you needed a second coat, you probably needed a third coat.

I also wish that for each project they had shown a few example pictures of the same concept applied differently, just to provide further inspiration for how to use that technique.

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First, my apologies for slamming this book but these paint projects are tired and passé 1980s colors and designs. If this is your jam, then maybe this book will appeal to you. Only the doormat project and possibly the mailbox refresh were appealing and not recycled ideas. Secondly, these gals repeatedly skip a very important step in painting prep--cleaning the walls or surfaces first!! One should always either vacuum or wipe down walls and trim with clean cloths (and possibly use a mild cleaning solution depending on the existing surface coating). Painting over varnish without first lightly sanding or using a deglosser product before wiping clean is also a big no-no unless you want chips and flaking to occur. I'm surprised an editor didn't catch these errors. I do appreciate their effort to write a book and find a publisher but that's the only positive I can find.

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Do you need someone to tell you about the color wheel? Or that in order to paint a mural you will need paint and a paintbrush? If so, you might find some value in this book. The book really doesn't give any valuable information about painting murals (I have painted quite a few). Included photos show amateurish looking murals, so there isn't even visual inspiration. This is a hard pass for me.

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This is more of an how a couple of lady’s decorated there own home rather than how a professional decorator will add crazy accent walls. Cute and would make kid’s happy.

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An interesting book into the world of painting walls - yes it's fun to watch paint dry!!

This book covers the basics from the colour wheel to the brushes or rollers required depending on the type of wall you have, to other equipment you might need such as tape, stir sticks, etc. Also included is how to prepare the wall you are about to cover in your chosen paint.

The book contains inspiration for not only your walls but for painting furniture too. It also includes twenty-two project ideas with before and after photographs, alongside the skill level required, the time it takes (not including drying), colours used and a rough indication of cost (it's in dollars). Each project includes the tools and materials required, along with the preparation and painting needed. Some of the projects use a projector to put words or an image up to trace.

As well as painting inside, there are a few projects for outside the home too, such as painting your mailbox (not something we have many of in England), to doormats. Also included is how to paint wooden chairs and a wooden tray.

The paint pots used are measured in quarts and the measurements in inches, but at the rear of the book, there is a conversion calculation so you can have millilitres and inches.

There are plenty of ideas to work with and tips on how to make the most of a room with the placement of curtains or of where to put the pattern to make a room feel bigger.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

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I’ve noticed a recent rise in painted wall effects in home décor magazines lately. Some of them are updates on the old 1980’s/ Jocasta Innes rag-rolling type styles , whereas others are much bolder, brighter designs.
Wonder Walls has both types of paint effects but leans towards the bright and bold.
Projects range in difficulty from a simple geometric ‘headboard’ , to a complicated floral design, made by tracing an image projected onto the wall.
Some of the designs are like a cheap alternative to wallpaper, with simple, repeated markings; others are full-blown murals including a sunset and a desert scene.
All the projects are clearly described with step by step photo instructions.
As the book says, if you hate your mural you can just paint over it, but for the wimpier ones amongst us there are a few ‘off the wall’ paint projects for chairs, mats and trays.
I like this book – it’s modern and fun and inspires me to see what I could achieve with a few brushes and an economical can of paint.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

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Wonder Walls is a gorgeous book that gives readers a wealth of ideas on how to creatively paint their homes! There are 26 projects that appeal to a wide range of abilities, including those with no prior painting experience.
I really enjoyed the casual, conversational tone of the book, which added to the sense of me feeling like I would be able to confidently take on the projects!
The intro talks about why you might want to take on a special mural project, and includes information on choosing colors, thinking about your lighting, and creating sketches. Next, there is an overview of needed supplies with explanations. There are great, bright photographs accompanying the text that really enhance the message. If you are going into a project feeling overwhelmed, a read through this information will ease concerns! All the necessities are covered in a simple, helpful way that makes you all the more excited to jump into your own project. I love that ideas for nontraditional spots in the house to paint are included, as well as a section on troubleshooting & the various mural painting techniques,
There are some really cool painting projects outlined specifically in Wonder Walls, and I just love how the authors have made this an accessible art through their thorough, fun presentation in this book!

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Thanks to Storey Publishing and Netgalley for ARC.

This is a beautifully presented guide to adding colour to your home with paint, making your own murals. The style is conversational and cheerleading, the photographs are gorgeous, and the example projects are sure to draw admiring gasps from visitors or look good on Instagram.

There is advice for the novice about choosing types of paint and tools, but this is minimal. There is a short section on colour theory that some people might find useful. The guidance on creating murals is encouraging but repetitive - be creative, but don't forget to use masking tape and a drop cloth, clean up after the job is done.

I thank them for the tip of using a credit-card-like object for smoothing down masking tape, which would have saved me some messy cleanups on a past project, so I'll remember it for next time.

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This book is so fun and inspiring and wonderful! I love how it covers everything from the absolute basics of painting to ideas for starting your own mural to painting the murals and walls shown throughout the book. It really gives you everything you need to know and things you didn’t think you would need to know. The ideas shown are bright, colorful, super cool, and easy if you have the right tools. It makes me want to grab some paints myself and pick a wall to transform!

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The instructions for the projects are well written. The book has many fun projects with differing difficulties. The artwork is beautiful and has different types of art for differing personal styles. Some is very over the top but there are options for the less bold decorators as well.

My only complaint is that some of the images look splotchey on the ebook version and there is some print that is white and borderline impossible to read.

Thank you #netgalley for the advanced reading copy of #wonderwalls.

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Thanks for the chance to read this book in exchange for honest feedback! I tried to paint walls during the year’s quarantine and I quickly learned it’s a lot harder than it seems. I chose the wrong color (I mean... it was bad!), dripped everywhere, got sore and lost motivation, hated my mistakes, you name it. I would look up wall pics online and see all kinds of crazy awesome designs and colors and want to do something similar. Thought it was probably not possible for me — not artistically or DIY inclined in many areas, and painting wasn’t something I seemed to click with. Also it’s expensive. This book, however, cleared up some misconceptions and clarified how to do a lot of the awesome designs and color schemes you’ll see once you start searching for modern interior designs. Some are really awesome, really would splash some uniqueness into a room. I like the straightforward instructions. Of course you can get this on YouTube or something online, but there’s just something about having physical instructions that help me visualize and plan. I don’t know if I will ever try something like this, but if I do, I’ll be looking out for a book like this to check out.

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I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Wonder walls by Phoebe Cornog and Roxy Prima is a beautiful, bright and vibrant book to help you push yourself out of your decor comfort zone and try bolder, brighter colours and designs on your walls.
This book gives great photos of each project the two women take on, along with great detail of how to do it, what you'll need and some indication on time needed to do it too.
Some of the projects are very adventurous and timely but look amazing!
Definitely a book to check out for not just project ideas but advise and information too.

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I love the vibrancy of the front cover, it really draws you in. And as a bulldog mum, having a bulldog on the front also caught my eye 😉. The beautiful photography continues throughout the book, with wonderfully rich colours.

The book begins with useful information for before you get started painting, like what kind of paints and brushes are best for what projects. The book is written so that even someone who has never painted before can have a go.

It then moves onto 22 project ideas for painting your walls. Each project clearly sets out tools and materials you may need along with a time to complete estimation and a skill level. The simple step by step instructions are accompanied by decent sized photos, which highlight how a technique is used or the progression of the project making it easy for you to follow along. I really like how the book includes a photo of before painting as well as after painting so you can honestly get a feel for different techniques on different textures and sizes of walls. The book also includes 4 projects that are ‘off the wall’.

I feel that there was a nice amount of projects in the book and a mixture of geometric and more freehand painting. This would be a great gift for new homeowners to add their own mark to their new home, or for any creative people you know.

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A great intro to painting projects for your home, including tips and advice for rented homes. Lovely colours and photos, simple step-by-step instructions, and great guides for newbies and more experienced home decorators alike. Recommended for anyone who has grown bored of their walls or just wants to try something new!

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This is such a fun and creative book! I am redoing my sons bedroom (he's 2) and was looking for ideas on what to do to make it fun and not so much like a nursery but a fun space for him as he grows over the next few years. This book gave some great tips and techniques for me to use to make my vision for his room come alive.

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I received an ARC of the book for a fair review:

I loved the concept of this book and how the authors weren't afraid of color. That being said, there weren't that many projects in the book to justify anyone buying it. I think this one is best left as a book you take out from the library a few times if needed.

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