thesurfacestore.com

Trends
Peel-and-Stick Wall Decor
Feeling bored with your abode? Update your look with minimal effort and money using removable wall decals. Sites such as www.com, thesurfacestore.com, and www.com offer designs ranging from kid-friendly farm-animal silhouettes to elegant chandeliers and pop art.

-Sharon Male and Joanna Prisco-

Jannuary, 2009

Lately, wall decals semm to be everywhere-from whimsical kid's rooms to modern living areas. Julien Gasparac, co-owner of Philadelphia-based temporary graphics company The Surface Store, recognized the enormity of the trend during a trip to Paris in 2006. "They were all over the place," he says, "from large departement stores to high-end boutiques to decorations in stores, bars, restaurants and homes." He decided to bring the trend home, and his business has taken off in a big way. So check out the array of decals that are way less expensive and easier to apply than wallpaper or even paint-and when you change your mind, you can peel them right off.

-B.C-

September, 2008

Urban scenic Slender yet somehow 3-D, this city-chic scene belongs to Rhoan Morgan and Julien Gasparac, founders of Surface Graphics, a ready-made and custom wall-decal biz. The couple-who met in Cameroon, traveled throughout Europe, and recently settled in Philadelphia's loft district-fell for decals in Paris. "People love the modern designs... and the instant effect," says Julien. Among their collection of affordable (from $16), easy-to-apply, easy-to-remove, multicolored vinyl styles: elegant brocades, playful Vespas, polka-dot-gardens and the adorably apropos phrase, "Je t'aime." This fall, look for new lines of children's decals, along with hot-off-the-presses political/cultural symbols. 53-by-79-inch electric wire decal, $110 at the thesurfacestore.com

-Lauren McCutcheon-

August, 2008