Photowall Product Review Somewhere in the middle of March all madness broke loose. Isolation and closures started happening sometime around, what should have been, March break: one week off school turned into three, turned into months. My isolation began much earlier when my grandfather was rushed to the hospital on February 2, 2020. I spent the weeks before COVID-19 going back and forth between hospitals and home as we discussed life, death and emergency surgeries. Then came COVID and a whole other set of problems arose. In a hospital setting, when privacy is not an option, you realize the importance of personal space.
Aside: I receive many emails through this blog, I usually glance over them, replying to those that need attention, discarding some; over these few weeks I basically ignored everything. I was lost in a hectic world of desperate decisions with emotional highs and lows. It was during the most hectic period that I opened Gmail to a message from PhotoWall. I sent a quick reply about being over my head at the moment, they caught my attention with a sincere and heartfelt reply.
My house is an eclectic collection of old, new and six different personalities which all bleed into each other. When I want time to myself to meditate, read or exercise (lately pondering the idea of a YouTube series) I must search out a quiet area knowing that I may be interrupted. The importance of sanctuary suddenly arose. At this time with everyone stuck home, personal space is of utmost importance to keep the peace. There are undone spaces in my home, areas that need some loving attention, what a perfect time to both beautify and simplify!
For the most part our house is open with one room leading into another. There is one space that is cut off, that allows privacy if needed. The perfect place for yoga, meditation… filming? But where to start? I tend to approach problems in two ways. First from a place of mindful logic in which I aim to answer the five w’s: what, why, when, who, where… The second through emotions; how do I feel about the problem?
The 5 W’s of creating the perfect space
We have the where: an unused space on our main floor that can provide solitude.
Who: who will use this space? In theory all of us. It is my intention that anyone who is in need of some down time, be comfortable here. Which means answering the question of what binds us? Is there a theme that we can all relate to?
Why and What: why are we creating this space? What is the purpose of this space? With an open house we require a space that can be closed off for video and/or sound recording. We also want an area free from clutter where we can come together, play games, talk, etc.
When: When will this space be used? The idea is that it can be used at all hours of the day. My hubby enjoys videography and tends to be more creative at night, a time at which the rest of us are winding down. This space is perfect for him to escape to without worry about disturbing the rest of us… or maybe where we won’t disturb him 😉
My second consideration is an emotional one, I need to answer the questions of feeling. Logic is all well and good but if the space doesn’t feel right it will never be used. In the last 10 years I have never practiced yoga on our back deck, yet any warm sunny morning you can find me in practice on my front balcony… it’s about feeling. I don’t just want the space to be practical; I need it to feel inviting, peaceful yet playful.
Remember that email? While pondering the importance of space in our enforced isolation I looked through photowall.com and was amazed at the possibilities. Thus I started the dialogue that led to creating the perfect space for all of us.
Note: While photowall did provide me with the mural of my choosing at no charge, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I believe in full honesty, all opinions are my own.
Product Review: PhotoWall Wallpaper Mural
The company custom prints wallpaper, prints and posters in a wide range of themes or you can provide a high quality picture to completely personalize your space.
I chose to wallpaper an entire wall in a mural. I carefully considered the use of the space and the personalities involved which automatically ruled out some of the more unique options. This is what I landed on.
Family Score: 5/5
My middle son helped me hang the mural. Neither of us have ever installed wallpaper before so we were a bit hesitant. I watched the video provided on their site and was extremely skeptical with how easy they made it look. Ri and I had it done in under an hour! A few days later and I am still amazed at the ease. My only suggestion is make sure to order larger by a couple inches every direction. Being an old house my walls are not straight; I started off at one end with lots of play top and bottom. By the time we got to the end I was at the cut lines.
Dollar value: N/A
The company was kind enough to provide the product free of charge for my review. It is more expensive than regular wallpaper but it is much higher quality and custom printed for the exact size needed, thus no repeat in pattern (depending on what you choose).
Health Benefits:
Hmmm, only time will tell. Within the first week though we have come together as a family for a fun and stress free game night. I sit here writing in peace and quiet. Hubby has had a chance to film without interruptions… So I would say so far we are a 5/5 for stress reduction health benefits. Also… My daughter told me to add that 3 teenagers with extremely different personalities all love it. Each has mentioned ideas in which they will use this space. She feels like I have created a common ground where her brothers and her actually agree on something for a change 😊
Final Score: 5/5
Buy Again: Yes, I would consider purchasing a mural depending on what my budget is for future renovations.
Resources
https://www.photowall.com/