Wallpaper at Home: Creative Ways To Use Them

Use wallpaper at home? Yes, you read that right! While wallpaper has traditionally been used to give an extra layer of design and personality to your home’s interior decor, it’s become more and more common to also use wallpaper on the exterior of your home or in other unexpected places as well. Here are some creative ways to use wallpaper at home.

Behind a door

You can be bold by hanging wallpaper behind a door or go with something more subtle like paisley. Just don’t pick a busy pattern if you have small children who might hurt themselves on it! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. It also helps if you make sure there are no rough edges on your door frame so you don’t rip your wallpaper at home. One last tip: Use painter’s tape on either side of your hinge before applying wallpaper; that way when you take it down your hinge is still intact and doesn’t tear up any part of your wallpaper. Cheers!

On top of doors

Wallpaper is a popular choice for decorating on top of doors; it can add brightness and color without clashing with other elements. Try using bold patterns or bright colors, like yellows or pastels, which accentuate doors’ natural features. It’s best to stick with a theme when you’re making these types of designs; otherwise, they might look too random and clash with your wallpaper’s overall pattern. You can also choose wallpapers with images on them, such as trees or flowers.

Overhead shelves

Not sure how to use wallpaper at home? Overhead shelves are a fun and easy way to add some life and character. With patterned wallpaper, they’re also one of our favorite ways to brighten up darker spaces, from bathrooms (see above) to bedrooms. They’re a simple but elegant upgrade for any room. And don’t worry about them being permanent the adhesive won’t ruin your walls if you want to change things around down the line. If you think overhead shelves aren’t quite as useful as bookshelves. Then remember that it’s not just wallpapers that can be applied to overhead storage. You can stick vinyl wall decals there too! And if you want an even simpler solution than shelving or wallpapering overhead storage, consider using removable tape or painter’s tape.

Half wall decor

A cute way to make an old frame feel new is by turning it into a half wall decor piece. All you need is a large frame that’s big enough for your space, paint, and wallpaper in coordinating colors, and a few hours of time. Add color blocking with small pieces of paper: If you have smaller walls or places where pieces of art just won’t work, consider adding some small bits of wallpaper in coordinating colors. You can add bursts as decorations over your bedside table or even make little tiles out of your wallpaper scraps and add them up along your window sill.

Along with stair risers

Risers are those vertical parts of a staircase where each step is just like you learned in elementary school. These areas often get covered up with carpet, leaving them looking boring and sometimes even dirty. To make your stairs a focal point instead of an afterthought, cover them with colorful wallpaper. Just be sure that whatever adhesive you use is made for covering rough surfaces. Your riser-wallpapering project could end up being a costly mistake (and maybe not so decorative).

In bathroom vanities

There are a lot of great ways to use wallpaper in a bathroom, but one of my favorites is by hanging it behind the bathroom vanity. This lets you add pattern, color, and even privacy (in some cases) while also keeping costs down and putting something that would normally get tossed in your trash right back into use! If you’re looking for wallpaper with a nice pattern or design on one side but are willing to sacrifice that on the reverse side, you can usually find plenty for less than $10 per roll. Just be sure that whatever style you choose will work well with all-over white paint on your walls.

Behind sofas

When you have a sofa with two ends, try applying wallpaper on each end. Sometimes the backs of sofas are plain, but if they aren’t and you don’t want to remove them or paint them a solid color, consider using one half of your roll behind each end of your sofa; it might be just enough of an accent. If you do choose the wallpaper for an accent wall behind your sofa, make sure that it complements other items in your room and stay away from bold patterns—this is one instance where subtlety is key.