8 Creative Ways to Work Wallpaper Into Your Decor

Welcome colorful patterns into your home in these unexpected ways.

One of the most common design tricks nowadays for adding character to a room is to wallpaper it—it's a double whammy of color and pattern and can technically be DIY'ed with the right tools and preparation. But papering a whole room is a somewhat daunting task to take on, plus if you're not very comfortable with bold prints, it might be overwhelming when it's on all four walls.

In these scenarios, we highly recommend getting inventive with wallpaper. Instead, paste it onto smaller, more unique areas of the home to make high-impact, low-effort statements. (Using a temporary wallpaper is great in these applications because it's easier to work with and quick to swap out when you're ready for a refresh!) Below, find inspiration in these creative ways to incorporate wallpaper into your home.

Related: 10 Tips for Installing Peel-and Stick-Wallpaper, According to the Pros

Highlight an Accent Wall

We'll start off this list with an idea you've probably seen quite a bit of, but this example really shines because of the other details in the space that work harmoniously with the wallpaper: Create an accent wall, but help it stand out even more by contrasting it with a painted ceiling. Natalie Papier, designer and co-host of Artfully Designed, did just that in this bedroom. She used a funky hand-themed print from her collection with Mitchell Black (that cleverly mimics a basket-weave pattern) to highlight the wall, but then took it to the next level by painting the ceiling a charcoal black shade, which doesn't compete with the wall.

Accentuate Molding with Panels

If you have a home with exquisite architectural details like wall molding, take advantage of them—help them stand out by sticking some wallpaper in them. (FYI you can also add your own molding with kits like this one.) Here, we see another gorgeous graphic from Papier's Mitchell Black collection. She says, "Wallpaper panels are an opportunity to use fun pattern and add personality. They're almost like framed art." So smart!

Line the Back of Some Shelving

We were wow'ed when we saw this wet bar in the 2020 Real Simple Home—our associate editorial editor Katie Holdefehr layered metallic wallpaper onto the back of the shelves for a sophisticated hint of pattern. To install it, you can try a peel-and-stick option that you cut-to-fit, or apply your wallpaper of choice to foam core that you then trim to fit inside the shelves.

Paper the Ceiling

Ceilings, a.k.a. the fifth wall, are often forgotten about, but they're an excellent way to add lots of personality to a room. Designers Shavonda Gardner and Carmeon Hamilton worked together in this office space from the 2019 Real Simple Home to make sure it was anything but blah. The moody paint shade is already a bold choice but it's technically still a neutral—adding a floral pattern to the ceiling (Meadow by Kelly Ventura) imparts more character and color.

Spotlight a Staircase Nook

The space below a staircase is another zone that's usually forgotten or ignored. In 2022's Real Simple Home, wallpaper was installed in the nook beneath this set of steps in this transitional area to add bold pattern—the rest of the walls were left uncovered to continue the flow between floors. Because it was peel-and-stick, hanging took less than an hour to complete!

Elevate a Small Bathroom

Normally, wallpapering a bathroom is an iffy move—moisture can wreak havoc on the paper—so, many people shy away from this design choice. However, home DIYer Geneva Slye of @just.geneva decided to embrace it in her guest bathroom. The pink tile was original to the house, and she says, "I was very unsure of it at first but didn't want to take away the original charm, so I made it my personal challenge to make it work. I ordered about 100 samples of wallpaper before I landed on this one."

The pattern, another winner from Natalie Papier's line, has a hint of pink that pulls the room together, according to Slye. As for how well it's holding up, Slye confirms it's doing well. While she acknowledges it's a guest bathroom that doesn't have to withstand a ton of condensation, she says there's no fan—a testament to the quality of the product and an encouraging sign that bathrooms shouldn't be off-limits to wallpaper.

Jazz Up a Closet Interior

Take advantage of the closets in your house—designer Linda Hayslett decided to maximize and optimize this one in the 2023 Real Simple Home by converting it into a bar area that's right next to the balcony so guests can quickly grab a drink instead of having to head downstairs to the kitchen. To really make it shine, she incorporated a lovely wallpaper (CE x She She Agape Wallpaper by Somerselle) and complemented it with a pretty coral pink paint color (Southern Road by Valspar) on the door and surrounding trim.

Decorate the Back of a Door

If you're really limited on time, you can choose to just line the door interiors with wallpaper. In this home office, a quirky, restaurant-themed pattern from Chasing Paper greets anyone who swings open the door.

Related: How to Safely and Simply Remove Wallpaper

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