How to Choose Wallpaper for Every Room

If you’re anything like us, you’ll choose the convenience of easy-to-use peel and stick or paste-the-wall wallpapers over painting any day. But we know that shopping for wallpaper can be overwhelming – especially with so much choice everywhere you look.

Today, with a growing number of talented independent designers and photographers, wallpaper is an opportunity to showcase your personality. But where do you start? Here’s a handy guide on how to choose wallpaper for every room in the house.

1. Choosing living room wallpaper

When it comes to selecting the right wallpaper for your most crucial communal space, a lot of factors have to be considered. The living area is for the whole family to enjoy. It's also a place where guests come to relax and is a room that has multi-purpose uses.

Mural in image: Pink Panels

Wallpaper tips for the living room:

• Choose warm colors: Shades like orange, warm yellow and soft amber are ideal if you want a living space that sets the mood. Or, if you entertain often and need something to liven up the party, experiment with vibrant and exciting hues instead.
  
  
• Opt for easy-on-the-eye patterns: While busy patterns are beautiful to look at, a relaxing space such as a living room works well with wall designs that aren’t distracting. If you crave modern simplicity choose something simple but effective like the Pink Panels mural shown above.
  
  
• Make it personal to you: Living spaces are about you and your family, so make it relatable. If you love art or flowers, a floral mural like this gorgeous gold transparent wallpaper shown below, makes an excellent feature for the family to relax around.

Mural in image: Transparent Gold

2. Choosing kitchen wallpaper

The kitchen is the heart of the home for many families. With hungry bellies, serial snackers and tea addicts, the kitchen usually gets the most footfall. It can also be one of the most social areas of the house with a lot going on, so make it appealing to everyone who uses it.

Mural in image: Yellow Fruit and Flower

Mural in image: Flower Chandelier

Wallpaper tips for the kitchen:

• Choose a fun wallpaper design: The kitchen should be inviting and appealing to all ages. Something eye-catching like this stunning Yellow Fruit and Flower mural brings a lot of energy into your home.
  
  
• Explore new trends: Guests usually spend a lot of time in the kitchen too, making it the perfect place to embrace the latest wallpaper trends. While the living room is for relaxation, the kitchen should be geared for entertainment.
  
  
• Consider anti-microbial wallpapers for busy households: Some homes have a lot more going on than others. Maybe you have toddlers smearing their hands all over the walls? Do you have pets galore roaming around your home? Or have you always got steaming laundry hanging in the corner? Well, anti-microbial wallpaper will be a great investment for you. Our anti-microbial wallpapers not only prevent the growth of bacteria, but they also stop mould and mildew that breed and spread in moisture.

3. Choosing master bedroom wallpaper

If there’s one place you should be able to escape to, it’s the bedroom. This room should be every homeowner’s sanctuary. Their safe place. Their quiet refuge from the stresses of the world. Knowing how to choose wallpaper for the master bedroom is about understanding your own needs. It's about discovering the colors, textures and design elements to help you wind down at the end of the day.

Mural in image: Amber Clouds

Wallpaper tips for the main bedroom:

• Go for soothing colors: According to interior design color psychology the best colors for creating a relaxing space are pale blues, pinks and light greys. A perfect example of a calming wall design is this First Spring Leaves mural which works well for feature walls behind the headboard.
  
  
• Experiment with florals: These days, the floral category goes far beyond grandma style wallpaper. There are some super modern floral designs. These include luscious leafy botanicals that can add the soothing element of nature into your bedroom.
  
  
• Turn up the ambience with sunset wallpaper: Escapism is one of the best themes for the master bedroom in your house. Whether you opt for mountain scenery, foliage from the forest or sumptuous sunset wallpaper, finding the things that make you drift off are key.

4. Choosing guest room wallpaper

Although you want to wow your guests with a wallpaper that channels your unique personality and style, giving them the perfect safe haven to cosy up in is crucial. There are no real rules as guest rooms are a blank canvas for expression and experimentation. But it helps to know who your visitors are and what will appeal to them.

Mural in image: First Spring Leaves

Wallpaper tips for the spare bedroom:

• Choose crowd-pleasers: When you need to cater for various tastes, it’s important to go for wallpaper designs that don’t polarise too much. Unless you purposely aim to create a cool, quirky space that will get people talking.
  
  
• Find relaxing prints and colors: Florals are generally great for everyone. From your 80-year-old grandma to your stylish best friend. With soothing colors, such as pale blue, you can instil a sense of calm and nature into the room. Just take a look above at our First Spring Leaves wallpaper by Julia Dreams.
  
  
• Get arty: Guest bedrooms tend to double up for other purposes most of the time. They don’t necessarily need to be as sleep-inducing as the master bedroom. So they’re fab for a bit of creativity. This on-trend Fantastic Peacock Kings mural by artist Andrea Haase (below) is a lot of fun and will impress anyone staying over.

Mural in image: Fantastic Peacock Kings

5. How to choose wallpaper for small spaces

Mural in image: Sweet Blooms

If you want to know how to choose wallpaper for a box room, here are our top 4 wallpapering tips:

Tip 1. Choose light colors: Make sure you avoid dark colors if you’re struggling for space. Light and airy colors help to create the illusion of a much larger room.

Tip 2. Play around with light: Wallpapers that mimic reflective or shiny surfaces, such as stylish and luxurious marble, can be a great way to play around with natural light. It makes the room appear more spacious. Placing mirrors opposite light-colored walls helps too.

Tip 3. Don’t go heavy on the patterns: Choose a wallpaper with a gentle pattern - one that doesn’t make the room feel ‘closed in’ or cluttered. This delicate White Marble mural (below) is ideal for tiny home offices.

Tip 4. Opt for a feature wall: Choose wallpaper for only one side of the room and use light colored paint to finish the rest of the walls. Landscape or spectacular scenery feature walls are a good way of opening up a tight space through the power of illusion.