1. Make An Impact On Entrance
‘The easiest way to make an impression in this previously dingy or small hallway was to add bold wallpaper,’ says interior decorator Laura Stephens. ‘The cornice was very detailed and adding this flame red paint enhances it and works well with the stripe in the wallpaper.’
2. Curate A Powder Room With The Perfect Balance
Use textiles and wallpaper to bring coziness to a small powder room. In this comforting under-stairs space, designer Beata Heuman has gone all in with powder room wall decor and treads covered in her own design cotton linen, which is paper backed so that it can be applied like regular wallpaper. A crisp white vintage cotton curtain under the basin continues the textile journey and delivers a visual rest from the floor-to-ceiling pattern.
3. Invest In Textural Wall Treatments As An Alternative
'I’m always looking for ideas on how to make walls interesting when my clients don’t have great art,' says designer Maria Speake. It’s about creating lovely textured walls that bring calmness within the home. Tiles, timber, leather, and suede, for example – they add a kind of atmosphere. What is really lovely is when you don’t need so many layers of decoration because the walls are providing it.'
4. Wallpaper The Fifth Wall
Ceiling wallpaper ideas can create a beautiful statement, especially when used on every wall in the space. The wall and ceiling here are adorned in Schumacher’s Indian Arbre fabric, inspired by patterns in traditional palampore bed covers and based on a Twenties document in its archives. Using fabric and bathroom wallpaper this way transforms a space into a dreamy country bathroom retreat that feels rooted in history.
5. Enliven A Dining Room With Stripes
Ceilings are an opportunity to take a bold wallpaper idea and supersize it. In this case, that means straight up the wall and right across the dining room ceiling with contrasting striped paper. To achieve this effect, it’s worth using an experienced decorator to deliver the best outcome.
6. Add Modernity With A Stylized Floral Wallpaper
‘Entryways can often be overlooked, seen as a space simply to pass through and yet it is the first space you encounter and provides the welcome to your home, so why not embrace color and pattern and bring a sense of warmth and joy?
7. Use The Same Design In Two Different Colors
'Use contrasting colors in the same print for added design detail and maximum wallpaper magic,’ says Jamie Watkins, co-founder at Divine Savages. ‘Here, Always Sunday founder Lexi Dart has expertly combined our Crane Fonda wallpapers in Soft Copper and Black Gold for an extra divine and savage twist in her bathroom.
8. Elongate And Add Height With A Stripe
'Never underestimate the power of a good stripe; the linear quality of this design also adds character to this scheme,’ says Jennifer
9. Match Your Woodwork Color To Your Wallpaper
'If your chosen wallpaper is “busy”, you can break it up and make it more cohesive by choosing to paint your woodwork in a color that's within the wallpaper design. Here, this pretty green shade really sets off the overall feel and the plain aspect creates balance,' says Lucy
10. Create A Stripe Effect With A Geometric Design
'The Sapowaydidi was inspired by an indigenous Kirdi glass beaded modesty apron,’ says Amechi Mandi, founder of London based design brand, Amechi, for Dado. ‘The pattern offers a striking geometric print, featured here in the joyful red and blue colorway. More interesting than a linear stripe, yet offering the same sense of rhythm, the geometric pattern runs horizontally creating the illusion of more space by seemingly stretching the walls allowing more space for color and pattern to sing.’
11. Go For Glamor With A Two Tone Paisley Wallpaper
'Wallpaper is a great way to make a statement in a bedroom, either on a single feature wall or on all the walls for full-on drama,' says Tim Walters, managing director, George Spencer Designs. ‘Highly decorative, our Charleston Paisley features a large scale print of a burgeoning hydrangea plant and the Midnight Blush colorway combines a dramatic dark brown with a dusky pink, perfect for creating a glamorous boudoir feel.’
12. Highlight Furniture With A Textured Wallpaper
'Wallpaper has become such a unique way to add a big personality to a smaller vignette, such as an entryway. It allows for a focal point while also integrating additional textures, colors, and patterns into the space,' says Leslie Murphy, owner and creative director at Murphy Maude Interiors.
13. Make An Office Unique With Wallpaper
'We absolutely love pattern at Designers Guild and playing with scale, texture, design and your color palette create personality and an individuality in your space,' says Tricia Guild, OBE, founder and creative director of Designers Guild. ‘This season’s Porcelaine de Chine wallpaper offers just this. Small scale, but full of detailed and intricate paintings of trailing flowers and birds to evoke the magic of fine porcelain, it’s the perfect design to add interest to any space.’
14. Match Wallpaper To The Sanitary Ware
'There's a lot going on in this bathroom visually, and the main link is the green tub and basin with the green shade of the stems within the wallpaper,' says Jennifer
15. Use The Same Print On Your Furniture
'We're all for a spot of cohesion in interior design, so this idea of having an armchair upholstered in the same print as the wallpaper is a winner in our eyes,’ says Andrea Childs, editor, Country Homes & Interiors. ‘Keep it simple with just one piece of furniture and use other tones from the design for your accessories.’
16. Use Wallpaper Ideas To Play With Scale
Kitchen wallpaper is officially on trend, with the advances in technology that allow the wallpaper to cope with damp conditions. Use it to work with scale to make pattern work on every surface. In this scheme by interior designer Anna Spiro, the same paisley print is used on the walls and the chairs to link the areas.
17. Use Wallpaper To Trick The Eye
Small spaces are ideal for bold wallpaper and decorating choices. Strong prints and colors are often more effective in more petite rooms as you don’t tire of them too quickly.
18. Create Impact With A Matched Scheme
Turn your cabinets into a style statement with clever use of wallpaper – and fabric. Take inspiration from this smart project from Barlow and Barlow, where glass-fronted cabinets have been lined with fabric. Not only does this add interest, but by matching the wallpapered headboard space, the bed area appears much bigger and taller than it is as the eye follows the pattern. For a final finishing touch, even the closet handles integrate this pretty material.
19. Enhance Ceiling Heights With Vertical Stripes
Think outside of the box when considering wallpaper – it can be used to exaggerate ceiling height if hung vertically. A strip of beautifully patterned paper – Carro Mosaic in Aegean from the Byzantium collection, Schumacher – can be applied to create a border. Here, this works to break up the space between the windows but could equally work to great effect is applied at the ceiling line.
20. Hang A Show-Stopping Mural
For a dramatic way to maximize your walls, think wall mural ideas. They are right on trend for the year ahead, look stunning, and some panels, such as those by de Gournay, can be removed to take with you when you move house.