Cookie cutter wall treatments be gone! Drenched in color, pattern, and texture, today's walls are a far cry from the plain Navajo white walls of yesteryear. Wall treatments now run the gamut in terms of style, affordability and practicality. Want country French? How about formal neoclassical motifs, South Sea island, geometrics, or faux denim and leather finishes? It's all available, often with coordinating fabric and borders. The trick is finding a style that fits your lifestyle from among the dizzying array of choices available in wall painting faux finishes, plaster and wallpaper.

For the confident home decorator, commercial faux finishes which imitate surfaces such as leather, denim, antique glazes and even river rock continue to be top sellers. The most popular brands, such as Ralph Lauren, are marketed in home-improvement stores in sold as complete kits, with paint, glaze, brushes and other tools to create the desire effect.

For less adventurous souls, artists such as Suzanne Gailey, owner of The Art of Illusion Studios in San Jose, will create virtually any look on a wall, including marble, parchment and trompe l'oeil, to name just a few.

The field of professional wall glazing, which includes faux finishes, is enjoying a surge in popularity as people seek to create something unique and one-of-a-kind in their homes. During her eight years as a professional wall glazer, Gailey, who is also a licensed contractor, created farm scenes for children's rooms and coffered ceilings and stylized murals for the lobby of Downtown's Sumitomo Bank Building, The Flying Pig Pub, and Cafe Zucco.

"People often have a difficult time visualizing what something will look like," Gailey says of the design process. "So I give them suggestions on patterns and colors that would look good in their homes." The time needed to complete a project varies--glazing a standard 8'x10' wall takes about two days, while murals require two to three weeks depending on the complexity of the painting. Gailey's charges are average for the industry at $800 a day, with lower rates for bigger projects.

"Maintenance of walls after they have dried is an issue for many areas, especially in high-traffic areas or if children are around."

"I often put a clear coat over the top of the wall," says Gailey.

"It won't changes the paint's quality and it helps protect their investment."

Another type of architectural art enjoying a resurgence in popularity over the past decade is plaster. "Hand plastering is one of the most expensive wall finishes at $12 a square foot," says Joseph Meiswinkel, owner of RFJ Meiswinkel Company of San Francisco, "but it is worth it." Meiswinkel, who has been in the plastering business for more than 40 years, waxes enthusiastic about the artistry involved in hand plastering. "Probably my most satisfying projects were the rotunda of the State Capitol Building in Sacramento and the old ACT Theater--now there was some fine plaster work!" he says.

In addition to historic restoration work, Meiswinkel particularly enjoys the creation of unique effects in people's homes. Renowned throughout the Bay Area as a premier plasterer, Meiswinkel was even beckoned to the Hawaiian home of a prominent San Francisco investment banker, where he worked for three months to create a special acid washed California stucco finish for the exterior and a smooth, multi-colored plaster finish for the interior.

A final wall treatment, wallpaper, has ben overshadowed lately by faux finishes. However, the selection in wallpapers today is stunning, from elegant Victorian stripes to African and Native American motifs.

Bobbie Roberts and Linda Dentone, interior designers and owners of Almaden Paint and Wallpaper, describe the range of choices in wallpapers. "High-end, hand-painted rice paper borders can cost as much as $100 for a 5-yard roll," says Dentone. "An average vinyl border costs around $20. People still love black-and-white color schemes, as well as jewel tones. Neutrals have been around for a long time, and continue to be popular. Pretty much anything goes!"

One of the latest trends is using wallpaper borders in place of traditional wood wainscoting--the walls are still broken up visually but the borders create interest for the eye. The benefit? Borders are applied and removed without leaving holes in walls. Another asset of using wallpaper is that maintenance is easier than ever--most wallpapers can be cleaned with a sponge and mild cleanser.

Choosing a wall finish, while important, is only one part of the many decisions that must be made when creating a dynamic, but comfortable, dwelling. So what's the solution? Know thyself. Young families probably don't want to spend a lot of money on expensive murals that may be defaced by an errant crayon but a washable wallpaper might just do the trick. For those wanting a more substantial look, a faux leather finish in a den or study could be precisely the right wall treatment, as could a traditional floral wallpaper pattern in a neoclassic dining room.

The key is finding the finish that expresses the way you live. The creation of a home is personal, unique and reflective of who you are and how you live. Fortunately with today's unlimited choices in wall treatments, anyone can create an ambiance that fits their needs and desires.

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