My Ongoing Obsession with Wallpaper: Best Choices
I swore I’d never hang wallpaper in my house again. After first moving to my current home, I papered five rooms right away and put a border in one room. And that was before peel and stick papers became popular! I hung the paper by myself the old fashioned way. Eventually I tired of the prints after several years and stripped the paper off the walls in order to paint them. Luckily I pre-treated the walls so removal was easy.
Photo by Vicki Simon Interior Design
Today I want to feature some of the fantastic papers out there, and one of my faves is William Morris wallpaper, seen both above and below. The colors and patterns are always rich and dramatic. You can usually identify a William Morris print from its strong graphic element.
Wallpaper instantly changes the mood of a room, whether you go light or dark, soft or bold. It creates cozy appeal whether it’s in a smaller space like an entryway or den, or a larger place like a family room or kitchen.
Photo by Laura Moss Photography
If you’re not sure about wallpapering an entire room, apply it to just one wall. It’s an easy way to add decoration without having to figure out artwork like a gallery wall climbing up a stairway.
Photo by Crystal Blackshaw Interiors
Geometric patterns are a great choice for sprucing up walls, but be forewarned, they’re harder to hang. You have to make sure you the get lines and shapes perfectly around corners. The end result is quite pretty.
An elegant living room gets a soft touch of wallpaper that features subdued colors in a circular pattern. Note how other circles are brought into the space – the ceiling medallion, pendant light, coffee table, and small mirror.
Photo by Glenna Stone Interior Design
A craftsman style home looks great with dark wallpaper. This living room looks so cozy with its dark trim, leather sectional and copper ceiling. The pattern on the walls is strong enough to hold its own against the architectural details.
Photo by Vicki Simon Interior Design
You’ve probably seen wallpaper murals. It’s much less expensive than having an artist paint a mural in a room and is quicker to apply. I love this soft pastoral pattern that creates a unique view from every vantage point.
Here’s another pretty dining room that wears a softly colored pattern above the painted wainscoting. This is what I did in my dining room a while back and I haven’t regretted it since.
Note how the soft drapes pick up the soft blush tone found in a Victorian style dining room. When choosing complementary colors for your wallpaper, it’s always a good idea to pick a hue from the pattern that’s not the background color.
Rather than paint a bare wall in a small kitchen, the homeowners of this galley kitchen chose a dramatic wallpaper to make a statement. It’s a large print with a dark background and looks stunning and unique.
Another creative option is to wallpaper and outlined portion of a wall or ceiling. This wallpapered piece mirrors the shape and color of the kitchen island below.
Photo by Neal’s Design Remodel
Soft stripes in this bedroom wrap the walls and ceiling alike. I have embossed wallpaper on my dining room ceiling that looks like tin tiles. In fact, the realtor mistakenly told me it was a tin ceiling when we toured the house but I touched it and realized it was paper.
Photo by Alison Giese Interiors
Remember grass cloth? My brothers had it in their bedroom when we were kids. It’s back in style again.
Photo by Heidi Caillier Design
A large black and white floral adorns the walls of a large, elegant bathroom. After deciding to add wallpaper to my home once again, I papered my downstairs bathroom in a small floral print and used a larger pattern for the floor.
This sweet little powder room enjoys a smaller pattern on the walls. The pine dresser works perfectly as a vanity and adds warmth to the space.
Here’s another William Morris print. If you’re not ready to commit to a full wall paper treatment, add wainscoting or board and batten to the lower half of the walls with a fun paper pattern above it.
So what do you think? Are you a fan of the resurging wallpaper trend?
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Hey Jennifer! Thanks for sharing these amazing wallpapers. Loved the third one specially.
I’ve been a fan of wallpapers for some time, and I’ve been thinking about doing a few rooms in my home. Your post has given me some inspiration!
My husband and I just looked at this house (already under contract!). It is a deal for the wallpaper alone! Wallpaper can make such a statement. https://www.veranda.com/decorating-ideas/a26603488/mark-d-sikes-works-midcentury-magic-on-a-southern-ranch-house/
Oh where to start with wallpaper! The home we downsized to had wallpaper or a wallpaper accent wall in every room in the house except the main room. AND the hangers had not prepped it before hanging. We peeled STRIPS of wallpaper off for days and days. Lots of the particle board came off with it on the lower walls so hubby ingeniously wainscoted up 4′ with bead board on the offended walls which gives us a great accent walls in the bedrooms. Thankfully the previous owners were English and made some timeless, classic wallpaper choices so we kept the wallpaper in the bathrooms and kitchen (which also got wainscoted with bead board). I’m quite intrigued with the peel and stick wallpaper so I’ll be looking forward to how it works out for you. We’re going to be doing some remodeling in the master bath so I’ll have to be replacing the wallpaper in there. Love the rooms you shared. The bedroom with the papered ceiling was cool but I have a pet peeve about window treatments that are hung where the sides of the window shows. I know they had to do it because of the shades- it just looks odd to me. My son’s office decorator talked him into hanging the grass cloth wallpaper above the 8′ painted paneling and up onto the ceiling of his vaulted reception area. It was a very expensive decorating touch and it does look nice but I always wonder when that ceiling paper is going to start falling off! Ha ha ha.
PS: Can you do a floor plan for your home sometime? It’s such a classic and interesting Victorian home and I find myself trying to envision the layout. I know that you did a visual tour one time but I’d love to see the footprint of your sweet home. 🙂
PS: That little sitting room that you showed actually reminds me of YOUR sitting room! See? You don’t have to add one one 😉
Jennifer,
I love wallpaper! I really like your choice for your dining room. My personal favorites are the blue paper above the white wainscotting and the blue foyer.
I just love the homes you show us.
I love the black and white bathroom, where did you get that wallpaper?
This was a great one to re-post! That gray stairway one, especially. So many fantastic ideas! I must have missed this in 2022, but totally relevant today.