Update: We are happily moved into our new home and I have narrowed down the choices on this list to only 19. Most of our walls right now are just plain white. It's so boring! We recently (okay, SN recently) installed our home's very first wallpaper, which looks amazing and completely changed the look of our hallway.
I fell down the rabbit hole this morning, clicking a wallpaper link in my digital copy of House Beautiful and scrolling through dozens, maybe hundreds (thousands?) of pages. It was around 9 am when I started and was close to 4 pm when I finished. This was a problem for two reasons.
Wouldn't this pattern be pretty on the wall behind a bed?
- I actually had things to do today. Lots of things.
- Our new house won't be ready until at least July. I'm not in the market for wallpaper.
A few hours into my never-ending search, it occurred to me that it wasn't really wasting time if I shared my favorites here on my blog. Yes, I was totally being productive! Don't let the pajamas fool you.
Decorating with Wallpaper
I love wallpaper. Here's a photo of the wallpaper mural in our current dining room. It completely transformed the room.
Here are the wallpapers that caught my eye, all from Wallpaper Direct. This is not a sponsored post. No affiliate links or sales commissions; just justification for an otherwise wasted Tuesday.
Most of these are perfect for a rustic, mountain home, with plenty of nods to nature. Some are silly and weird - my wallpaper soulmates.
When decorating with wallpaper, you'll find that you often see something you like but it's not quite what you're looking for. No worries! Visit the wallpaper site to see if the pattern is available in another color. I've listed my choices here, which tend to lean more bold than pastel, but most of these are available in a variety of colors and shades.
There's something for every price range and there are many budget-friendly picks for $35 or less for a double roll. Quite the bargain! That said, my absolute favorites are more than triple that price. It figures, doesn't it?
This is the guest bedroom in our current house. We created a headboard for the bed out of wallpaper and painted the walls to match.
Wallpaper Tips
Oh, I almost forgot my handy tip for choosing wallpaper. It's a good one - 7 hours of wallpaper shopping will do that. You're going to want to show off your fancy new wall to everyone who visits your house, so take a risk and don't choose something boring.
If you go with a plain wallpaper that doesn't even make you smile, what's the point?
Wallpaper Ideas for the Ceiling
A little wallpaper on the ceiling = high impact. Our new home features tray ceilings in the bedrooms (a double tray in the master bedroom - we're so fancy) and it's the perfect place to showcase a fun pattern. Just imagine waking up to gaze at leaves illuminated against a sunlit sky. Rose petals on the ceiling are a romantic touch that won't leave you with flowers mashed into the carpet.
Sunlight Through Leaves wallpaper - $243/double roll
Monserrat wallpaper - $79/double roll
Timber wallpaper - $36/double roll
We've actually designed our new foyer with end-cut logs hanging from the ceiling. It's going to look amazing! Sexy Nerd is installing the logs himself though and we don't actually know where we're going to get them yet and he has about a million other things to do first, so this wallpaper may have to suffice for our first year in the new home.
Bahia wallpaper - $41/double roll
Here is a similar pattern used to decorate a kids room. Don't you love how cheerful this is?
Wall Panels wallpaper - $36/double roll
Ironwork Trellis wallpaper - $41/double roll
Petals wallpaper - $33/double roll
This one makes me think of American Beauty.
This one makes me think of American Beauty.
Nimikko wallpaper - $87/double roll
Hallway Wallpaper
Trees, trees, and more trees! It's going to be like a stroll through nature every time I leave a room.
Twig wallpaper - $57/double roll
San Marino Texture wallpaper - $56/double roll
Branches wallpaper - $31/double roll
Leaf Texture wallpaper - $56/double roll
Cow Parsley wallpaper - $129/double roll
Berry Tree wallpaper - $97/double roll
Birchwood wallpaper - $35/double roll
Hadrian wallpaper - $61/double roll
Sussex Downs Exclusive wallpaper - $49/double roll
Woods and Pears wallpaper - $123/double roll
Bathroom Wallpaper
A small powder room is a perfect place for a bold pattern. Our new hallway bathroom features champagne bronze fixtures, which is Delta's fancy name for gold. I think a wallpaper with gold accents is exactly what I need to pull everything together.
If you'll be installing wallpaper in a full bath, check that your pattern comes in a material that is resistant to humidity. Many wallpapers have a vinyl coating. This can also come in handy in a child's bathroom.
As for the brick wallpaper below, I would have been strongly opposed to that a few weeks ago. I'll use real bricks instead, I would have said. That was before I priced real bricks. We're paying approximately $5/sq ft for materials plus another $11 (!!!) for installation. Suddenly, that brick wallpaper looks really nice.
Ostrich Feathers Effect wallpaper - $52/double roll
Metallic Brick wallpaper - $41/double roll
Glitter Peacock wallpaper - $88/roll
Ruutukaava wallpaper - $123/double roll
Side note: Sexy Nerd and I both thought this was a Native American pattern with arrows and feathers, perfect for our location in the mountains outside Albuquerque, NM. According to the wallpaper site though, the arrows and feathers are actually skyscrapers. Hmmm.
Side note: Sexy Nerd and I both thought this was a Native American pattern with arrows and feathers, perfect for our location in the mountains outside Albuquerque, NM. According to the wallpaper site though, the arrows and feathers are actually skyscrapers. Hmmm.
Glitter wallpaper - $88/roll
No kids around here, but wouldn't this be fun in a kids room? Sparkly, glittery wallpapers are available in every color imaginable.
Rather than installing wallpaper, you could *technically* spread glue on your walls and cover everything with glitter. I think your future self would be pretty annoyed with that decision though.
No kids around here, but wouldn't this be fun in a kids room? Sparkly, glittery wallpapers are available in every color imaginable.
Rather than installing wallpaper, you could *technically* spread glue on your walls and cover everything with glitter. I think your future self would be pretty annoyed with that decision though.
Sparkle wallpaper - $44/double roll
Jacobean wallpaper - $95/double roll
Home Office Wallpaper - Hers
Note there are several choices here that feature buildings. You might say that when I'm in my office, I'm in my own little world.
(Hee, hee.)
Painted House wallpaper - $39/double roll
Zelda Citrine wallpaper - $111/double roll
Biography wallpaper - $131/double roll
Bergen wallpaper - $70/double roll
Home Office Wallpaper - His
Sexy Nerd is a good sport. My office is as large as our master bedroom and features a walk-in closet, built-in bookshelves, and its own bathroom. His is a teensie nook off the hallway with no door.
He at least deserves a special wallpaper, something that says This is my office...not just another part of the hallway.
Common Room wallpaper - $92/double roll
Update: We went with the above look for SN's office, but with real wood paneling instead of wallpaper. How'd it turn out? Here is his finished home office - featured in Albuquerque Magazine!
Update: We went with the above look for SN's office, but with real wood paneling instead of wallpaper. How'd it turn out? Here is his finished home office - featured in Albuquerque Magazine!
Stitched Leather wallpaper - $46/double roll
This is available in several colors and, during my virtual wallpaper shopping spree, this orange vinyl was calling my name. Now though, I think it looks like a basketball!
This is available in several colors and, during my virtual wallpaper shopping spree, this orange vinyl was calling my name. Now though, I think it looks like a basketball!
Geometrie Gridlock wallpaper - $44/double roll
Parquet Inspired by Andrew Stafford wallpaper - $243/double roll
Colorful Wallpaper
I dream of having a fun, colorful wallpaper inside our kitchen pantry. It's going to be the craziest pantry ever! I'm in love with all three of these wallpaper options. A pig pantry! LEMURS! And, for some reason, cactus + cheetahs. Why would those two things have ever been combined?
The two wallpapers that don't make it into our pantry will surely find a home inside our coat closets.
Lemur wallpaper - $30/double roll
OH MY GOODNESS! I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH!
OH MY GOODNESS! I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH!
Hoppmosse wallpaper - $101/double roll
LITTLE PIGGY! ACK, I LOVE THIS ONE TOO!
LITTLE PIGGY! ACK, I LOVE THIS ONE TOO!
Cheetahs wallpaper - $109/double roll
OH NO! I LOVE THIS ONE JUST AS MUCH AS THE OTHERS!
This is going to be a tricky decision. This must be why most people don't wallpaper their pantry.
OH NO! I LOVE THIS ONE JUST AS MUCH AS THE OTHERS!
This is going to be a tricky decision. This must be why most people don't wallpaper their pantry.
Bedroom Wallpaper
One of my favorite features in HGTV Magazine is their High/Low list, which shows you an expensive home decor item, followed by an affordable alternative. Like the green wallpaper below? For almost $70 less, I think you'll like the one below it even more.
Hexagonal Trellis wallpaper - $157/double roll
Circuit wallpaper - $89/double roll
Spotted Deer Hide wallpaper - $56/double roll
Guest Bedroom Wallpaper Ideas
I like the idea of decorating the guest bedroom differently from the rest of the house. This lets guests know it's their own private space.
I'm especially eyeing the hot air balloon wallpaper below, as our Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a top reason for friends and family to visit us here in New Mexico.
I'm especially eyeing the hot air balloon wallpaper below, as our Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a top reason for friends and family to visit us here in New Mexico.
Kismet wallpaper - $32/roll
Signature wallpaper - $233/double roll
Balloons wallpaper - $64/double roll
Wallpaper in the Closet - Hers
It's my closet and I can decorate it any way I want. Here come the pink bunnies! Or judgmental peacocks.
They'll only judge other people, not me.
Heathland wallpaper - $84/double roll
Catarina wallpaper - $41/double roll
Liatris wallpaper - $41/double roll
Green Flora wallpaper - $39/double roll
Kyasha wallpaper - $72/double roll
Crystal wallpaper - $27/double roll
Glitter Spots wallpaper - $136/double roll
Wallpaper in the Closet - His
There's a theme here. Much like his inferior office, Sexy Nerd's closet is meager compared to mine. Before you feel too badly for him though, have you seen his garage? Yeah, there's no sympathy here for him.
Common Room wallpaper - $92/double roll
A room with the pattern above is no common room.
(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
A room with the pattern above is no common room.
(Sorry, I couldn't resist.)
Palm Forest wallpaper - $52/double roll
Fiddle leaf figs and other houseplants with large leaves are having a decorating moment right now.
Fiddle leaf figs and other houseplants with large leaves are having a decorating moment right now.
Puntos wallpaper - $80/double roll
French Postcards wallpaper - $36/double roll
Dining Room Wallpaper
Similar to decorating a powder room, a cozy dining nook is a great opportunity to show off a bold wallpaper pattern. I love to introduce textures whenever possible...even if it's only a faux texture through wallpaper. Many of today's designs feature 3-dimensional printing and metallic ink, so they count.
Brasilia wallpaper - $41/double roll
Wood Logs wallpaper - $35/double roll
Leather Effect wallpaper - $36/double roll
Shoot wallpaper - $177/double roll
Leather wallpaper - $50/double roll
Bonus - Wallpaper Ideas for Dogs
Yes, our pups are getting their very own bedroom. Hooray for life without kids!
Mr Fox wallpaper - $76.23/double roll
Our new house is going to need more walls.
Also, I just checked the Wallpaper Direct website and, of course, they have zillions of new choices that I've never seen before. Guess what I'm going to be doing the rest of today.
Also, I just checked the Wallpaper Direct website and, of course, they have zillions of new choices that I've never seen before. Guess what I'm going to be doing the rest of today.