How to: Upholster your walls

Photographs: Imogen Brown

Faced with a fuchsia wall in a bedroom—which, while pretty, is not conducive to sleeping—designer Rafael de Cardénas opted to forgo paint in lieu of padding the surface with a lush seal-hued velvet. Using wide strips of fabric, he draped the material from the top of the wall in soft folds—adhering them via simple pieces of plywood trim— before using upholstery-like tacks to give it a polished effect. “It looks like a Charles James dress!” he exclaims.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Rigid 1 1/2" finish stapler, $109, at Home Depot (40 W 23rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, 212-929-9571)

Six wood-trim pieces, $3.40 each, at Chinatown Building Supply Inc (72 Walker St at Broadway, 212-431-0099)

Office Depot thumbtacks, $1 for box of 100, at Office Depot (1441 Broadway at 41st St, 212-764-2465)

Six yards of fabric, $12 per yard, at Jariel Fabrics (401 Broadway between Canal and Walker Sts, 212-226-7967)

Office Depot duct tape, $7, at Office Depot (1441 Broadway at 41st St, 212-764-2465)

Workforce 16oz. claw hammer, $6, at Home Depot (40 W 23rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, 212-929-9571)

Porta-Nails, Inc. 2" flooring nails, $16 for 1,000, at Home Depot (40 W 23rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, 212-929-9571)

HOW TO DO IT

1. Measure the space you want to cover and cut six wood-trim pieces to match; do the same with the fabric. The length will vary depending on the spacing you create between folds.

2. Lay out the materials on the floor, and attach one piece of fabric to one piece of wood trim using the staple gun and some duct tape. Hammer the trim to the top of the wall—this might require an extra set of hands.

3. Create a drape by tucking the fabric up and under itself; place a piece of wood trim over the fabric (under the fold) and attach it to the wall.

4. Measure and repeat folds down the wall.

5. Push thumbtacks in an evenly spaced design down the sides to create a tailored effect.

6. Optional: To make the fabric flush with the floor, remove the molding—we used a butter knife to pry it off—and slip the fabric flat before reaffixing it.