Some people say they can't stand their four walls when they get cabin fever, and some really mean it. Four walls define most interior spaces. They are so important because they separate activities from public to private. Regardless of whether you live in a house, apartment, townhouse or loft, walls mark the realms of each inhabitant and interaction. Walls are the main backdrop or canvas for artistic expression. They can transform a space with color, finish and their dimensions. They are extremely versatile and can reach the ceiling or serve as a half-wall that delineates an area.

Walls are like chameleons: They can be treated to come forward with a decorative finish or be the backdrop for the beautiful things placed on them. Most of us roll our eyes when we hear about faux finishes. Designers, however, strive to come up with new applied finishes, such as stone and ceramic, and new wallpapers that offer the look without the weight or messy installation.

Colors are a serious question when considering your interiors. While some consider white ordinary and lackluster, others advocate that it makes a space brighter and sometimes larger, and they are correct. A couple of decades ago, white was considered radical. This is a trend that comes every decade or so: What's old is new again. Basically, anything goes when it comes to color, from Victorian-style painted interiors in hyper-bold colors to contemporary neutral palettes. In between these two extreme color schemes lie quite a number of approaches that are all valid depending on your decorating scheme.

As of late, in show houses throughout the world, darker, almost black walls are very popular. From deep bottle-green to brown-black, dark walls are all the rage. The amount of light will affect these edgy colors, so be cautious. Painting over dark colors requires several coats to make them go away.

Concentrating colors or texture on one or a few walls makes a room's decor pop. It can help designate what activities should take place in an open floor plan. Popular finishes such as Venetian plaster, stenciling, sponging and marbleizing, when done right, accentuate and enhance the architecture.

As you can see, all walls are not created equal. Another trend inspired by the boutique hotel trend are architectural panels, some of which were originally intended for spas, such as waves and more specialized inspiration such as the Louise Nevelson-inspired wall panels in the image below. In this project, a neutral backdrop was accented by the "Louise" panel, thus requiring a minimal amount of art. With treatments such as these, it is hard to grow tired of your four walls.

Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida. To find out more about Joseph Pubillones, or to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: at Unsplash