For a long time, the accent wall has been the most popular way to use wallpaper. While dedicating a single wall to a bold pattern is a great technique, it is not the only option available. There are many other interesting and creative ways to use wallpaper to show your personal style. Using wallpaper in smaller, more unexpected places can often have a surprising and pleasing effect on a room's overall look. This guide offers several ideas for using wallpaper that move beyond the traditional accent wall, giving you fresh ways to think about your space.
Applying Texture to Your Space
Wallpaper is not just about color and pattern. It can also be about texture. Some modern wallpapers are designed to look like real materials such as wood, stone, or brick. This can give a room a certain feel, like rustic or industrial, without the difficulty and expense of installing the actual materials. This approach works well in living rooms, basements, or kitchens where you might want a more rugged or organic appearance.
Getting an Industrial Look
For a long time, exposed brick has been a sought-after feature in apartments and homes. If your walls are not made of brick, you can still get this look. A high-quality 3d brick wallpaper has a realistic appearance that can fool the eye. The printed shadows and highlights on the paper give it a sense of depth. Using this on a wall behind a sofa or in a kitchen can give the space an industrial, loft-like feeling.
Decorating Architectural Features
Most rooms have small architectural details like built-in bookshelves, arched doorways, or recessed nooks. These small areas are perfect opportunities for a small amount of wallpaper to make a big impression. Covering the back panel of a bookshelf or the inside of an alcove with a pattern draws attention to the room's unique structure. It is a way to feature the architecture of the space.
Highlighting a Nook or Alcove
If you have a small nook for a desk or a built-in bookcase, consider papering the back wall of it. By applying a bold pattern in that contained space, you get a flash of color and design that does not overwhelm the room. A geometric art deco wall pattern, for example, can turn a simple bookshelf into a sophisticated display case. The strong lines and metallic hints often found in these designs work well in a small, focused area.
Looking Up for a Fifth Wall
People often forget that the ceiling is essentially a fifth wall in any room. Leaving it plain white is standard, but applying wallpaper to the ceiling can completely change the feeling of a space. A pattern overhead can make a room with high ceilings feel a bit cozier and more intimate. In a smaller room, a light, subtle pattern can draw the eye upward, making the space feel a little taller.
The Unexpected Ceiling Design
Choosing a modern ceiling wallpaper design is a bold move that can have great results. For a subtle effect, a wallpaper that looks like pressed tin or has a light, cloud-like pattern can be very effective. For a more dramatic choice, a dark paper with a gold geometric pattern can make a dining room or bedroom feel luxurious. It is an unexpected placement that shows a lot of design confidence.
Wallpaper as Framed Art
You do not need to cover a whole wall to appreciate a beautiful wallpaper design. You can treat a piece of wallpaper just like a piece of art. This can be done by putting a large piece of special wallpaper inside a frame and hanging it on the wall. Another way is to use a wallpaper mural in a contained way, so it functions as a single art piece rather than a full wall covering.
A Mural as a Headboard
One popular way to use murals for bedroom spaces is to position one directly behind the bed. The mural does not need to cover the entire wall from corner to corner. Instead, it can be centered behind the bed, acting as a visual headboard. A scenic landscape or a large-scale floral mural in this position becomes the main focus of the room. It provides a beautiful backdrop for the bed without the busyness of a pattern covering every wall.
