How good would it be to wake up every morning to a sun-kissed view of a pristine and deserted beach? As in, life-sized - as if an entire wall of your bedroom was glass. (Maybe you're not a beach kind of person - so how about a sweep of untracked powder snow; a silent sea of sand dunes ?). This great-to-wake-up-to scene is from Mr Perswall, a Swedish company that creates custom-made wallpaper from digital photographs. There are a few such companies around but the Swedes seem to have nailed the technique better than any: the results are almost hyper-realistic, as I saw in the house of some friends in Australia. They had turned an entire wall into a bed of roses that you could almost smell, they looked so good.
The company isn't in the UAE yet - but will be launching in the autumn (you read it here first). Meanwhile, though, you can have your 15 minutes of (design) fame through a global online contest the company is now running, based on the theme of destinations. You simply upload your favourite travel image, write the story behind it (where, why and how you shot it) and say why you think it would make a great wallcovering.
Anyone, photographer or not, can vote online for their favourite, and the photo with the most votes by the closing date of September 30 will be added to the company's new collection. The three top vote-winners will have their photo made up as wallpaper for their own room, as well as scooping various other goodies. But, enough - I'm longing to get back to that beach. Wallpapers will cost approximately Dh175 per sq-m and will be available later this year from www.thekollektion.com , 04 330 6899
To enter the design competition go to www.YourSnapshotStory.com