Choosing the right wallpaper pattern for your walls is easier said than one. There are many colors, patterns, styles, and textures to choose from. So what’s the best way to navigate the seemingly endless swathes of designs to express your personality? Let’s go over some expert tips to solve your biggest conundrum.
When choosing the right wallpaper for your room, you will want to keep the following tips in mind:
- Keep it simple
- Try black or white
- Play with horizontal patterns
- Vertical patterns make a room look taller
- Small prints look best in small spaces
- Use large prints to fill large rooms
- Choose a pattern that flows for hallways
- Compliment your overall theme
- Choose a pattern that is neutral and timeless for easy redecorating
While all these may seem overwhelming, they really are not. Keep reading for more details to help you choose the best wallpaper pattern for your room.
1. Stick to Simple and Plain Designs
Why overcomplicate things when you can choose something simple and fairly plain? A wallpaper devoid of patterns and other motifs is a great way to draw attention to an accessory you’re particularly fond of. This could be decorative pieces such as paintings or functional pieces such as furniture. A wallpaper pattern with excessive colors and patterns could steal all the attention away.
This room has walls that are devoid of any color or patterns. The plain design encourages the homeowner to play with decorative pieces such as the bookshelf and ornate art pieces.
Peel and Stick Wallpaper by CocoWind
This white wallpaper is the perfect place to start if you want to change the color of your walls back to being plain and simple. The solid white doesn’t have distractive patterns that could steal the spotlight. In other words, this wallpaper lets you start with a clean slate. By the way, it’s the peel and stick type, so you can remove it and apply elsewhere for endless experimentation
Click here to buy it on Amazon.
2. Playing with Black
Black colored wallpapers can bring more personality into bedrooms, living rooms, and bathrooms. This is because they are slightly more unusual than other colors. Black prints are very versatile because they allow you to implement just about any type of design: contemporary or otherwise. And better yet, if you adorn all four walls with black colors, it will ‘shrink’ the size of the room.
This bathroom has black wallpapers that subtly work in the background to allow the artwork and other decorative pieces to shine. It appears that the dark ambiance that makes the room appear smaller.
Peel and Stick Black Wallpaper
This is a pitch black wallpaper that is completely devoid of any patterns or markings. The wallpaper is self-adhesive and doesn’t require glue. Furthermore, it is fully removable and doesn’t leave any markings on the wall when removed.
Click here to buy it on Amazon.
3. Play with Horizontal Patterns
Only design-savvy decorators know the secrets of playing with horizontal patterns to make a room appear longer (not taller). This is because horizontal patterns create the illusion of length, making the hallway appear larger than it really is. A good choice for color would be to go with a dual-toned color scheme (such as black and blue, or white and red).
The trick is to make the colors appear more contrasted for a powerful effect. If you want to make your rooms appear elongated and wider, you simply can’t go wrong with horizontal stripes. Avoid using colors that contradict each other. For example, the color scheme orange and red will look forced and cluttered instead of impactful and punchy.
You don’t strictly have to go for a ‘striped’ look, as long the pattern is horizontal, it will get the job done. In this case, the vines and toucan effectively create that horizontal appearance. This makes the room look wider and punchy at the same time.
Geometric Horizontal Wallpaper
This wallpaper is another deviation from the strictly horizontal striped pattern that we’re so accustomed to. But it gets the job done just the same thanks to the horizontal trellis framework. Plus, it also features a dual color combo with white and orange hues that contrast each other.
Click here to buy it on Amazon.
4. Choose Vertical patterns to Make the Wall Appear Taller
And if you want to make your room appear ‘taller’ then vertical stripes are a good decorative option that seems to add a couple of inches to your room by drawing attention towards the ceiling. The same color rules apply to vertical stripes, namely, make sure the color scheme contrasts instead of contradicts.
This room represents the idea of vertical wallpapers done right. It features four different colors instead of two, all of which contrast each other. It seems the design-savvy homeowner also went for the ceiling to floor curtains to make the room appear even taller.
Vertical Chevron Wallpaper by Roostery
This wallpaper features a unique chevron pattern that is separated by vertical columns. The white backdrop provides the ideal contrast ratio to blue arrows. Enhancing the wallpaper’s texture is the leathered layer which is smooth to the touch and extra durable. You can buy a test swatch before ordering the full sized wallpaper to see if the design works well with your room.
Click here to learn more on Amazon.
Black and White Striped Wallpaper by YJZ
This wallpaper has black and white vertical stripes with a twist: the gold spots of varying sizes. At first, the color combo looks unnerving to the eye, but closer inspection reveals that the design is a good spin on vertical striped wallpapers. Furthermore, it is fully waterproof as well, perfect for in situations when you accidentally spill water on it.
Click here to order this wallpaper on Amazon.
5. Small Prints Are Better for Small Rooms
But what if you decide to adorn only a small portion of your wall with patterns? You could go with colorful decals or full-fledged wallpaper with tiny wallpaper patterns to achieve the same. It does take incredible skill to pull off a cohesive design off without things looking awkward. But it is a feat that is most certainly achievable.
This is home décor done right. The artist takes advantage of the room’s weaknesses to show off the punchy look.
Alternatively, you could use a wall decal to achieve the same. It populates a relatively small area of the house with an attractive design.
Video Game Decal
If you love video games, why not use this decal to show off your hobby to friends and family? The stylish mural is easy to apply and fully removable. It does not leave any sticky residues behind.
You can learn more here on Amazon.
Vintage Tropical Palm Wallpaper
Pack tons of colors into a tiny space to turn your wall’s weaknesses into its biggest strength. This wallpaper is fully removable as well.
Click here to buy it on Amazon.
6. Large Open Patterns Look Best on Large Walls
Wallpapers are now making use of modern and stylish designs that look sleek and updated. It’s the fastest and easiest way to give your large hallways some extra personality. Large patterns effectively transform your room by adding depth to your walls. Choose from a range of colors and designs that appeal to your tastes.
It seems the best way to make your room appear beautiful is to use floral wallpapers for a dramatic effect.
Or better yet, you can mix and match floral patterns with the local flora and fauna to create a dreamier room.
Peel and Stick Botanical Wallpaper by Walls by Me
This wallpaper contains a colorful and vibrant botanical pattern that should elevate larger rooms with ease. The white backdrop provides just enough contrast with the colors of the wall to help it stick out. This is a peel and stick wallpaper that doesn’t require glue to apply on your wall.
You can buy it here on Amazon.
Floral Vintage Wallpaper by Okydoky
If you have a particularly large room, why not make it look more attractive with this environmentally friendly wallpaper? The mural features birds, flowers, and even butterflies on a high-quality wallpaper that is durable, waterproof, and antibacterial. Make sure to buy just enough wallpaper to avoid chromatic aberration.
Click here to learn more on Amazon.
Rose Wallpaper by Munxin Wallpaper
If you’re a fan of roses and other flowers, then you can’t go wrong with this wallpaper. The artisan does a good job of recreating the beauty of flowers on a wallpaper.
You can learn more about this wallpaper here.
7. Choosing the Right Wallpaper for Your Hallway
Decorating hallways is a little more complicated, in that, you have to take into account both the upper and lower floor. The design shouldn’t feel abrupt and sudden when moving from one floor to another. The wallpaper should look natural and seamlessly transition in such a way that it fits in with both floors. It is better to use neutral colors to get the job done.
Vertical striped wallpapers are a good choice here as well. Notice how the white stripes share the same white features as the rest of the room.
The floral pattern works well here because of the white backdrop which provides balance to the color.
Grasscloth Peel and Stick Wallpaper
Invite natural fibers into your hallway with this grasscloth wallpaper. Its white gray pattern will fit in with most rooms. This peel and stick wallpaper doesn’t require any adhesives, making installation super easy.
Metallic Marble Wallpaper
This is a stylish design that adds vibrancy and light to your room. The subtle shimmer highlights of the copper make the wallpaper pop out wherever you apply.
Click here to buy it on Amazon.
Geometric Wallpaper by Grandeco
This geometric wallpaper should add a cool new design into your hallway. The repeat diamond design creates a piece that will continue to make a stylish impact for a long time to come. Furthermore, this wallpaper works well with hallways thanks to the neutral color palette.
Click here to buy it on Amazon.
8. Choose a Wallpaper Design that Complements Your Room’s Theme
How you choose your wallpaper pattern is entirely up to you, but it helps to make sure the design is in line with the room’s overall theme. For instance, if the room features Scandinavian design, then the wallpaper shouldn’t feature animal print or floral designs.
That would take away from the peace and quiet of the room. Instead, a better option would be to choose a neutral-themed wallpaper such as gray or white. For instance, if the room has a beach theme to it, then it doesn’t make sense to pair it with a geometric wallpaper
Note how the accented wallpaper shares the same features as the bedding.
The beach-themed wallpaper is in line with the surfboard and artistic frameworks on the wall.
And if you’re targeting a more Nordic interior look, then it doesn’t hurt to choose a neutral wallpaper.
Peel and Stick Removable Wallpaper by Spoonflower
This beach themed wallpaper by Spoonflower features starfish scattered against a blue backdrop. It is an effective way to incorporate the look and feel of the beach into your room.
Click here to buy this wallpaper on Amazon.
White Brick Wallpaper by Muriva
Alternatively, you could incorporate rustic themes into your room by using a brick wallpaper instead. This theme should work well with most rooms regardless of their design.
Click here to buy it on Amazon.
9. Choose a Color Scheme That Adapts Easy to a Dynamic Room
You’re not going to keep the same furniture covers or curtains forever. And you don’t want to have to change the wallpaper every time you decide it’s time to install new curtains. This is why its best to choose a color scheme that stays compatible with most elements in your room.
Black wallpapers are timeless and easily adapt to new changes to the room in the future. In this case, the owner won’t have to change the wallpaper every time they give their room a new makeover, the wallpaper just blends in with the décor.
Grey floral wallpapers not only look stylish but they also take minimal attention. You can experiment with this wall endlessly without the risk of incompatibility. The accented throw pillows can be replaced with black-themed throw pillows, and it will still look chic with the wallpaper.
If you have already decided about what wallpaper design you should apply to you're home? You should check out these Striped Wallpaper Designs that will suit any room. Also, you should check 75+ Modern Wallpaper Designs to bring out that 21st Century look.