They work magic on the walls of living spaces. Wall paintings are slowly becoming an unavoidable asset when it comes to the interior décor of homes and offices, the cost and good taste being the only limiting factors.

While landscapes paintings are traditionally most in demand ,house owners have not been hesitant in experimenting either. So murals, abstract art and surrealistic work have been increasingly finding aesthetic currency these days.

As for the display of wall paintings, interior decorators lays stress on striking a fine balance - the technique that goes into any kind of designing, whether it is laying out of a courtyard, a building or even a magazine or web page. The size of the pictorial elements, their number and placement are decided on the basis of a scheme decided by spatial arithmetic and aesthetic sense.

There are, of course, countless ways to create artwork for your walls on your own by using murals, bhatik paintings, antique art, tapestry and coir hangings, rugs, afghans, collages, funky art pieces and even terracotta artefacts.

Whereas earlier the norm was to keep pictures and object d'art in showcases in the living or dining room, now the in-thing is open showcasing. Now these items are scattered all over the house. You keep them on tabletops, mantelpieces, or on the floor. In fact, every room is a display room. Too much crowding, however, tends to make the house look like a museum. The mental makeup of the owner of the house and his/ her taste should be reflected in the collection.

Blank wall spaces by the sides of the staircase or the landing and walls where the eye tends to fall quickly, are ideal for placing pictures, say designers. The positioning should be such that only soft light, preferably natural light, falls on the painting. Careful spotlighting can give the painting a three-dimensional effect.

Artists abhor framing paintings behind glass, as the glare caused by oblique light will obscure details. Good framing takes care of everything and the painting can be cleaned once in a while with a soft brush. As an alternative to wooden frames - these frames often cost as much as the painting - now there are polyvinyl chloride (PVC) frames in various colours that match those of the painting and the décor as well.

With interiors now designed to let in the maximum of natural light, leading architects can offer a `walk-through' setting of the house-to-be at the plan stage itself, thanks to Autocad. It is possible to scan the appropriate wall pictures and paste them on the virtual walls, complete with beams and shadows thrown by halogen spot-lamps, if you like.

There are any number of galleries and art groups that can be sourced for paintings done by professionals as well as up-and-coming artists. House owners can take their pick of landscapes, abstracts, rustic scenes and still life studies in oil, acrylic or water colour.

The paintings can be bought off the wall from the artists themselves during exhibitions at bargain prices. Beautiful framed replicas of Ravi Varma oils, are now available at affordable prices.