Wallpaper ideas for every room

Looking to overhaul your home’s interiors? Wallpaper is trending bigger than ever, making its mark on current design trends with larger, bolder prints leading the way. However, these trends differ depending on the room.

In some spaces, homeowners are more expressive with their walls, especially in the living room, entryway, or spare bedroom. In other spaces like the bathroom and master bedroom, relaxation is key, with homeowners opting for monochromatic, nature-inspired designs. Keep reading for some on-trend wallpaper ideas that’ll spark some inspiration for your next room refresh.

Current wallpaper trends highlight bold prints which tend to be colourful, personality-filled patterns for living rooms, hallways, and feature walls. Other innovative new wallpaper trends include panel-effect wallpaper, mural walls for a statement look, and wallpapered ceilings.
Botanical and monochrome wallpapers featuring leafy greens and natural tones are popular in bedrooms and bathrooms, aiming to create tranquil, relaxing spaces.

Colour and personality

Ever heard of dopamine dressing? This phenomenon refers to dressing in bright and colourful outfits that show off your personality and bring joy to your wardrobe. And you can do the same with wallpaper – let’s call it dopamine decorating. While paint is great for colour blocking and creating a more minimalist look, wallpaper is often the way to go if you want to inject your space with personality and bold prints. You can do this with motifs, characters, or bold and colourful patterns.

Where does fun wallpaper work best?

Wallpaper designs full of personality and vibrant colours are great for hallways, dining rooms, or as a feature wall in the living room.

Bringing the outside in

Right now, people are looking to bring the outside in. This trend encompasses everything from natural wooden panelling to the popularity of sage green as a wall shade, as well as a boom in botanical wallpapers. Standard florals don’t always fit into this trend - it’s more about greenery.

Where does botanical wallpaper work best?

You’ll mostly see the botanical trend in bedrooms and living rooms where a relaxing and calming space is the goal.

Panel effect wallpaper

This 70s staple has made a huge comeback in the form of unpainted natural-looking slat panels, painted wainscoting panels in dark or light colours, and interior wall cladding. But you don’t necessarily need to dig out your saw and wood glue because there’s a huge variety of panel-effect wallpapers which make for a simple solution. These create a minimalist feature wall that adds class and elegance to your space without breaking the bank.

Where does panel-look wallpaper work best?

Panel effect wallpaper works best in living and dining rooms to inject natural textures into the space.

Large murals

Murals are very on-trend at the moment. A mural covers one wall in a room and usually consists of one large image. Anything goes here, whether you want to embrace the botanical trend with one big plant, or opt for something with loads of personality like an animal, the options are endless.

Where do murals work best?

Murals work well in living and dining rooms and can also be ideal for a kid’s bedroom as they can be fun and colourful. Some can even be educational, showcasing maps, solar systems, and animals.

Wallpaper the fifth wall

Historically, ceilings have been at the forefront of design and interior-based grandeur (think the Sistine Chapel or just your standard ornate ceiling mouldings), but in recent decades, we’ve moved away from that. However, the idea of wallpapering your ceiling is really making waves in current interior design.

Adding a pattern to your ceiling and leaving your walls plain can leave room for more flamboyant and patterned furniture that won’t clash or blend in with your walls. Or if you want an explosion of colour, paper your walls with a contrasting pattern.

Where does ceiling wallpaper work best?

Wallpapering the ceiling works particularly well in the bedroom, as you can look up at your beautiful, patterned ceiling as you nod off. It’s also the perfect way to make a statement in your living room.

Bold geometry

Geometric wallpaper has always been an interior design staple, and it’s not going away anytime soon. At the moment, bold colours are what’s in, whether you go for a larger pattern or something more detailed. In particular, stripes have made a comeback, and you don’t need to limit yourself to straight lines anymore. Wiggly lines, scallops and even plants fit right in with this theme.

Where does geometric wallpaper work best?

Stripes are really popular in bathrooms, given their clean lines and simple look. For more abstract geometry, a bright and vibrant living and dining room would be the ideal place for this trend.

Monochrome

If a mixture of colour isn’t your thing, the monochrome look is still very popular. Whether you make your entire room monochrome, furniture and all, or you just want to keep your walls one colour to let your furniture do the talking, there are lots of monochromatic wallpaper options to choose from.

You can even explore the multiple trends mentioned above with a monochromatic twist, whether botanicals, geometric, or personality-filled prints, but in a more pared-back, minimalist style.

Where does monochrome wallpaper work best?

Monochromatic wallpaper looks great in rooms where you want to create a calming and relaxing environment such as the bedroom or bathroom.

With wallpaper being more popular now than it has been in decades, there are many wallpaper trends making waves in interior design. Bold and fun prints are perfect for bringing fun and personality to living and dining areas, while botanicals and monochrome prints help to create a calming, serene space in rooms like the bedroom and bathroom. Looking to put up your new and on-trend wallpaper yourself? Check out our guide on how to wallpaper a room yourself.

FAQs

Wallpaper adhesive is more than strong enough to stick to your ceiling, and it can look great too, helping to make your room look larger or smaller. The only caveat is ease of installation. Mistakes with alignment are more likely to be made as you’re craning your neck and reaching upwards throughout the entire process. For this reason, busier prints that are more forgiving of this might be a better option.

Vinyl wallpaper is the best option for bathrooms as it's much more durable, water-resistant, and less susceptible to changes in humidity than other wallpaper types.