Worried about how to choose wallpaper for the living room? You should be! After all, the living room is not only where you are "living" but also where you're entertaining. Your guests get to see your taste in home decor when they visit you, and that can include your taste in wallpaper.
Wallpaper is an easy way to add personality to a room. While it is common to see wallpaper in smaller spaces such as bathrooms, using wallpaper in the living room is also becoming more popular. But how do you go about choosing wallpaper for your living room? We've done the research to help make the decision easier.
When choosing wallpaper for the living room, there are several factors to consider. Questions you should ask yourself are:
- What is the overall style of the room?
- What type of wallpaper do you want?
- What pattern are you looking for?
- How will you use the wallpaper?
- How much wallpaper do you need?
It's important to plan before you buy wallpaper, as there are a lot of things to consider. In this article, we will break down the factors listed above as well as give you more details about wallpapering the living room. Keep reading to learn more.
What Is The Overall Style Of The Room?
The style of a room is usually a reflection of the person or people living there. For common rooms like the living room that will get seen by a lot of people, you want to make sure that the wallpaper fits with the style of the room. For example, old-fashioned florals may not look great in a room with modern design features.
Here are a few common design styles and the best wallpaper designs to use for each one:
- Casual- Choose wallpapers with a textured finish, such as grasscloth or stucco. Large floral or botanical prints also look great and give off a fun vibe.
- Contemporary- Geometric prints, especially ones with hints of metallic look cool and modern. The pattern can be neutral or bold in color and will still look great.
- Feminine/Romantic- Smaller prints and florals pair well with both of these styles. Look for wallpaper designs in soft or pastel colors.
- Traditional- Striped wallpaper designs, as well those with damask, paisley, and intricate geometric prints, look great in a traditionally-styled living room.
This floral wallpaper comes in four different color choices. Click here to see it on Amazon.
This geometric wallpaper has three different color choices. Check out this wallpaper on Amazon.
What Type of Wallpaper Do You Want?
There are different types of wallpaper available for purchase. Traditional wallpaper will have to be pasted to the wall, so it requires a little more work. There is also peel-and-stick wallpaper, which is easier to apply but you may have fewer design options to choose from. Paintable wallpaper is available as well and comes in different patterns. It is a great option if you want textured and patterned walls but you want them to be a certain color.
Patterned wallpaper comes in many different-sized prints. Some designs will be large, some will be small, and some will fall somewhere in between. If you've never used wallpaper before, your best bet is to choose a wallpaper with a larger print. Small prints can be hard to match up exactly, and because the print is so small, more of the design can fit on a strip of wallpaper. It may be noticeable if the strips aren't exactly aligned.
Wallpaper patterns can be either textured or flat. Textured wallpaper will have raised designs that are less detailed. Flat wallpaper will have more detailed designs and may have glossy or metallic effects. There's not a "best option" when deciding between textured or flat wallpaper. It just depends on your preference.
What Pattern Are You Looking For?
Anytime you are making a decision about wallpaper, it helps make the decision easier if you already have a particular pattern style in mind. But if you don't, that's okay too. We can help you figure out what type of pattern is best for you.
How Will You Be Using the Wallpaper?
There are different ways that you can use wallpaper in a room. Some people choose to wallpaper the whole room while others choose to just wallpaper one wall, called an accent wall. If your walls have molding in the middle that divides the wall into sections, you can wallpaper one half and paint the other.
Note that wallpapering every wall may make the room look smaller if you don't have a lot of windows. If this applies to your living room, consider smaller patterns in light, neutral colors to keep the room from feeling closed in. If you wallpaper accent walls, keep furniture and other decor simple and muted.
If you are only wallpapering half of the wall above or below the molding, try a wallpaper with a bold pattern, such as a large floral or botanical print. Paint the other half a color that you pulled from the wallpaper for a coordinated look.
How Much Wallpaper Do You Need?
Once you've decided on the type of wallpaper and how you want to wallpaper, you will need to decide how much wallpaper you need. Wallpaper can be expensive, so you want to make sure that you don't buy too much or too little. The video below provides more information for determining how much wallpaper you need:
Which Type Of Wallpaper Is Best For The Living Room?
There is no one "best type" of wallpaper for the living room. In terms of the type of backing your wallpaper has, the best type depends on your budget and how much work you want to put in. Remember that wallpaper that requires you to apply adhesive will be more time-consuming to hang, and you will need to buy more supplies. Peel-and-stick wallpaper takes less time, but some of it can be expensive.
As far as wallpaper designs, here are some of the best options. Textured grasscloth wallpaper in a neutral color looks good with all design styles. If you get tired of your existing decor, it won't be difficult to change up your decor to match grasscloth wallpaper. Other designs depend on your own individual style preferences, but as long as you're happy with it then you can't go wrong.
See more: 11 Neutral Wallpaper Ideas For The Living Room
What Are The Advantages Of Wallpaper?
There are many advantages to using wallpaper in a room. In addition to being able to express individual style better than you could with paint, wallpaper:
- is extremely durable.
- lasts a long time.
- can be easily wiped clean.
- is not messy to apply.
- can hide imperfections on your wall.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Wallpaper?
There are a few disadvantages to using wallpaper as well, including:
- It takes a lot of time to prepare the surface for application.
- The cost of wallpaper and supplies can add up quickly.
- You can't just paint over it if you get tired of it.
- For beginners, it may require a lot of extra learning before application in order to do it properly.
Does Wallpaper Make A Room Look Bigger?
Some wallpapers actually can make a room appear bigger, but you can use other elements in the room in combination with wallpaper to make a room look bigger as well. If you have a small living room, consider some of these suggestions.
- Use wallpaper in solid, light colors. Lighter colors create the illusion of having more space in a room.
- Hang wallpaper with horizontal or vertical stripes. Horizontal stripes can make a room "stretch" while vertical stripes will make a room look taller.
- Use wallpaper with a repeating pattern. Repeating patterns can seem endless, making a room seem bigger than it actually is.
- Consider hanging a large mirror on a wallpapered wall. The reflection of the room in the mirror helps to add depth and dimension.
- If you are hanging shelves or wall art on walls with wallpaper, hang them a little higher than you normally would to make the ceiling appear higher.
This light-colored wallpaper mimics the appearance of wood and can help make a room look larger. Click here to see it on Amazon.
How Long Can Wallpaper Last?
While wallpaper may be an expensive upfront cost, once it is applied it can last up to 15 years if it is applied properly. Paint can peel and chip, so using paint may require you to repaint every few years. But once wallpaper is hung, it is very durable and long-lasting, so the cost may be well worth it.
Should You Wallpaper The Whole Room?
The decision of whether or not to wallpaper the whole room or just one wall is entirely up to you. If you don't see yourself ever re-doing the style or theme of your room, then wallpapering the whole room may be the best option for you. But if you change up your decor a lot, then it is probably better to just wallpaper an accent wall.
You may also like this post: 11 Fun Wallpaper Ideas For Living Room Feature Wall
In Closing
Hopefully you found this guide helpful in teaching you how to choose wallpaper for a living room. We've provided these tips to make choosing wallpaper easier, but the type and style of wallpaper you choose are ultimately up to you. Thanks for reading!