Flat Décor

Words By Dylan Todd (he/him)

Now that you’re settling in for 2022, you probably want to bring a bit of personality to your flat or bedroom. Why go with these tired clichés everyone’s seen before, when you can take it further and do something a little more unique?

THE GIANT TAPESTRY

Looking at your walls, there are probably some gaps bugging you, maybe behind the couch, or the head of your bed? You might pick the easy option of maximising coverage with some wild mandala tapestry or flag, but going big isn’t always best. Try thinking on a smaller scale and get something more interesting, like a print from some of the many artists right here in Wellington. Whether it’s tattoo artists selling flash, or prints from smaller hobbyists, there’s definitely gonna be something for that niche you want to fill. And with Kmart frames costing less than your daily commute, it’s easy to one-up the gaudy tapestry.

THE PULP FICTION POSTER

If you want everyone to know that you know cinema, you might go straight for the recognisable option of picking up a poster of the Tarantino classic. It’s cool, everyone recognises it, and it gives you a chance to drop your spiciest kino hot takes. But get this, there are cooler posters for cooler movies that are just as accessible and haven’t been done to death. Shops like Graphic on Cuba Street have an array of posters that are sure to catch people’s eye, with plenty of the classics available. But if you really wanna make it known that you’re a cinephile, online stores like Mondo have a lot of high-end merch and artist-designed posters that offer a more stylish option. Sure, they might not be filmbro staples, but they’ll definitely look better on your wall.

THE POP VINYLS

As a pop culture aficionado, you probably want to show off all your favourite franchises, but it’s Wellington; you’re working with limited space so you can’t exactly put up a million posters. You might think a space-saving option would be to grab miniature physical renditions of your favourite characters—while it might seem like the easiest choice, don’t give in to the cheapness of a POP Vinyl! Instead, look slightly further, because any franchise that’s represented by Funko has better, cooler, and less cheap-and-nasty alternatives that will 100% look better to show off, and feel better to collect. Whether it’s Disney, superhero shlock, anime, or games, Nendoroids are something of the artisan’s alternative to Pop Vinyls, with a cute and cohesive aesthetic that’s perfect for showing off all your interests, without giving in to the bug-eyed, soul-stealing Funko menace.

THE POLAROID WALL

Now, there’s nothing wrong with having those cheap Polaroids blu-tacked to the wall surrounded by a string of fairy lights but have you ever stopped to think about the way it really looks? Despite what you might think of your layout skills, it’s still gonna look like a preteen’s bedroom. So, take a step toward adulthood—abandon the nasty Instax camera and head somewhere like Photo Warehouse to get some actual film for an actual camera, or even just some disposable ones. The difference is huge, and you’ll end up with more than just a stack of blurry, plastic-y Polaroids. Whether it’s in photo albums or frames, having real photographs goes a long way to heightening the maturity of your space. Plus, now you can string those LEDs somewhere that doesn’t look like shit, right?