Wallpaper can be one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to transform your home, and with innovations in paste-the-wall wallpaper, it can even be a quick DIY project. It does not have to be confined to four walls however, there are myriad ways to utilise wallpaper to create areas of interest, accentuate the height of a room, or to mimic the look of panelling or tiles.
Wallpapering behind a bed creates a cosy zoning effect, murals can be used for great swathes of interest in large living rooms, and it makes a great alternative to paint when creating a feature wall or to highlight architectural features like alcoves or a chimney breast.
Cast your eye around the areas in your home where wallpaper is less frequently used, like the kitchen or bathroom, these are great opportunities to introduce colour and pattern in an unexpected way.
Read on for 21 clever wallpaper ideas you may never have thought about, and get some inspiration for your next home update.
1
Clever Wallpaper Ideas: Panelling
If you’re lucky enough to have a home with wall panelling, using wallpaper within the recesses is very effective at drawing the eye, and making the most of an already beautiful home feature. Choose a playful pattern like the Hencroft wallpaper shown here, that picks up the surrounding chalky greens and pretty pinks.
Matching your wallpaper to your upholstery can make for a charming, country-inspired look. This Greenacre wallpaper balances its busy botanical print with a calming neutral background, making it a great choice for a guest bedroom. Try Colefax and Fowler for matching wallpaper and fabric.
Create a bit of whimsy using the natural features in your home. If you have alcove detailing, perhaps under your stairs, or recessing in a wall, you can create a dreamy faux window frame using wallpaper that brings the outdoors in. This Fresco Sky by Cole & Son uses chalky colours and soft, fluffy cloud details to create a calming sky scape.
A perennially popular room to experiment with bold wallpaper. If your bathroom is small, even more reason to go big on design. Let your imagination run wild with daring dark colours, and clashing print.
Often given over to interesting feature lights, or simply painted white, your ceilings are an ideal spot to play with pattern and colour. Even using contrasting wallpaper to the rest of the room, like the neat stripes offset by the botanical print used here can make for an interesting focal point.
A feature wall by any other name. A plain chimney breast is a perfect opportunity to introduce interesting wallpaper in a small way. It can compliment your colour scheme or go totally against it for something more eye catching.
A wallpaper that is country-inspired, with a print that reflects local plants or wildlife, is a playful way to bring the great outdoors into your home. The perfect choice for an entrance hall to create a seamless transition from the outside in.
Throw out the rulebook, and embrace colours that clash. This bold bathroom by Cole & Son mixes natural grey marble with chalky green features and an Arts and Crafts-inspired wallpaper for a playful design scheme with heaps of character. Next time you are picking wallpaper samples, try going against the grain and experiment with clashing colour and print.
Look around your home for innovative wallpapering opportunities beyond your four walls. Wardrobes and cupboards, especially those with panelling, are perfect for this kind of experimenting. Consider, too, the inner doors in your home, or other pieces of furniture like a chest of drawers.
Wallpaper has come a long way in terms of quality of design, and so often, a faux panelling or cladding effect can totally fool an onlooker. If your home doesn’t possess these features naturally, and you’re after an affordable way to achieve a panelled effect, look no further than wallpaper.
Wallpaper is not just limited to intricately repeated pattern, you can create great scenes in large swathes across your wall with a mural wallpaper. This Azure Mural wallpaper by Mind the Gap explores an old Mediterranean port full of interesting details that keep you coming back to explore.
Wallpapering behind your bed is a clever way to zone a bedroom and create a cosy sleeping area. It’s not just for platform beds, but it works wonderfully to create a frame in the absence of a headboard.
Wallpaper is an incredibly cost effective way to mimic tiling, and it provides far more design possibilities than tiles can. This Coordonne Bank of Fish wallpaper is perfect for a kitchen or bathroom, mimicking traditional blue and white tiling with realistic inky blue tones and faux weathered grouting.
An often neglected area, despite being the first thing that we (and our guests) see upon entering our home. Wallpaper can create a warm welcome in the hallway, and even help to create the allusion of light in a dark or narrow space. Botanical prints like the Country Living Wisteria shown here can create a seamless transition from the outdoors in.
This wallpaper idea considers the transition between rooms, not just each room in isolation. If you have a view of a hallway or landing from your living room or bedroom, play with perspective by matching your wallpaper between rooms. It also makes an interesting framed design feature out of your doorway.
The creative mood boards adorning many artists’ studios are in reality not easy to replicate. This wallpaper from Mind the Gap does the artistic legwork for you. Perfect for a study or conservatory, or wherever inspiration is needed.
Not an inch of space is neglected here, as the Shouchikubai wallpaper from Farrow & Ball travels seamlessly from the wall to under the stairs. Cast around your home for forgotten areas, or corners that you have disregarded for fresh wallpapering opportunities.
This clever use of wallpaper draws the eye upwards to the full height of the room, which is especially effective if you have interesting cornicing or feature lighting. The deep blue painted door, panelling, and matching deep blue sofa enhance this elongating effect.
The soft cornflower blue of the Hencroft wallpaper by Little Greene is matched perfectly to the painted door and surrounding features. A particularly useful technique when the features in your home are a stark white or dark wood, or any shade that could wash out or otherwise detract from the palette in your wallpaper.
Traditionally, when panelling is present in a room, wallpaper is hung above and extends to the ceiling. Here, Paint & Paper Library flips the rule, and wallpapers three quarters of the height of a room. This creates a clever zoning effect to highlight your favourite pieces of furniture.
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