REAL SIMPLE: The 'Checkerboard Technique' Is a Brilliant Way to Transform a Blank Wall

September 17, 2025

By: Morgan Noll

Designer Mandy Cheng created a showstopping wall display that we can't stop thinking about. When Cheng was designing the guest bedroom/study for the 2025 REAL SIMPLE Home, she wanted it to feel special and not like the afterthought that guest bedrooms often are in a home. "The thing with guest rooms is that they're really only utilized, you know, a few times out of the year, so it's kind of a waste," she says. "So, for people that need a more flexible space and they want to be able to use the room when guests aren't there, it's nice to make it multifunctional." To achieve this, she focused on making the room feel like an inviting home library with comfy places to sit and "a lot of fun, interesting stuff to look at."

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Credit: Kelly Marshall, Prop Stylist: Sophia Pappas