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Wallpaper ideas for every kind of home
We've gathered together our favourite wallpaper ideas for your delectation. Will you choose a cheery floral wallpaper or modern graphic number, wallpaper that has been surface-printed, digitally printed or hand-painted? Will you paper one wall or all four? We prefer the latter - if you're going to get wet, you might as well go swimming. Wallpaper sometimes gets rather bad press. People wrinkle their noses, mutter things like 'grannyish' and protectively clutch their tins of white paint. Although there is a time and place for pale minimalism (heck, we have an entire gallery dedicated to the subject), we think it's time for wallpaper to have a comeback. Too often it is relegated to the downstairs loo. Why not use it to line your bedroom or living room? It has the power to make small spaces look cosy, not cramped, and larger rooms grand instead of stark.
MAY WE SUGGEST: 63 of the best wallpapers and Rita Konig's advice on choosing them
Simon Brown1/40Robert Kime’s ‘Basilica’ wallpaper serves as a backdrop in this impressive hallway in a project by Henriette von Stockhausen. A pair of 18th-century chairs upholstered in ‘Luce’ red silk damask by Fadini Borghi from Pierre Frey contrast with it.
2/40‘Lancaster’ wallpaper in rose from Jean Monro showcases a collection of nautical paintings found on an antique sourcing trip in the bedroom of a country house by Nicola Harding.
Paul Massey3/40In the bathroom, woodwork in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Salvia’ is combined with Soane’s ‘Dianthus Chintz’ wallpaper in lapis. It is the background for a photographic print from Rory Carnegie’s Port Meadow Dogs series.
Read McKendree4/40This whole house by Henry & Co is centred around a shared love of fabrics and wallpapers and Jean Monro's iconic ‘Hollyhock’ sets the tone in the sunroom.
Read McKendree5/40A Le Manach fabric with a Samuel & Sons trim lines the walls in this bathroom. The sconces are Soane and the mirror is an antique.
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Matthew Kissiday6/40In the entrance hall of an American house by Elizabeth Hay, George Spencer's ‘Palm Stripe’ wallpaper in green sets the scene. Elizabeth sourced the artwork by Sidney Albertini. She also designed a cushion for the client's own antique bench in Namay Samay's ‘Hor Seku’ pattern.
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Matthew Kissiday7/40The main bedroom has a headboard and half tester in Lee Jofa's ‘Dove Meadow’ fabric; the half tester is lined with Veere Grenney's ‘Folly’ fabric in Orpington blue, and the same pattern covers the walls. The Swedish chest of drawers and art was sourced from local Connecticut antique shops, and the telephone table is by The Lacquer Company.
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Matthew Kissiday8/40Antoinette Poisson's ‘Berries’ wallpaper in pink and green is a good foil for blinds in Schuyler Samperton's ‘Mamounia’ fabric. The mirror is by Salvesen Graham.
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Matthew Kissiday9/40The children's bathroom has a bright green colour scheme, with wallpaper in Veere Grenney's ‘Woodperry’ pattern.
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Matthew Kissiday10/40A last spare bedroom has wallpaper in Adelphi Paper Hangings' ‘Ipswich Sprig’ with headboards in Schuyler Samperton's ‘Devon’ pattern.
Paul Massey11/40Farrow & Ball’s ‘Castle Gray’ on the lower part of the walls complements Watts 1874’s ‘Pineapple’ wallpaper in castle grey in this hallway in a Gothic house by Maddux Creative.
Paul Massey12/40Morris & Co’s ‘Compton’ wallpaper envelops the space in the spare room.
Paul Massey13/40In the hallway of a grand country new build decorated by Henriette von Stockhausen, Watts 1874’s ‘Wolterton Verdure’ Tableaux Scéniques wallcovering is the backdrop for a collection of paintings and a Holloways of Ludlow lantern, hanging above ‘Muston’ armchairs from Jamb, covered in Watts 1874’s ‘Zardozi Bargello’ in danube daub
Paul Massey14/40Watts 1874’s ‘Walzin Chinoiserie’ wallcovering in viridian rose, featuring flowering bamboo and exotic birds, establishes the room’s verdant feel, enhanced by a set of floral drawings from Etalage above an antique chest of drawers. The mid-century armchair was an auction find.
Paul Massey15/40The bathroom of designer Carlos Garcia's home features Robert Kime’s ‘St Abbs’ wallpaper complementing panelling painted in Edward Bulmer’s ‘Jonquil’. The basin is from Burlington.
Paul Massey16/40Morris & Co’s ‘Fruit’ from Style Library is Ben Pentreath’s favourite spare-room wallpaper as ‘it’s perfect for only spending one night in’. He has used it here in the spare room of a Georgian house in Westminster. A quilt from Toast softens the look of a Victorian iron bed frame from Wessex Beds, painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Railings’
Paul Massey17/40Panelling painted in ‘Asian Blue’ by Emente offsets walls papered in Morris & Co’s ‘Marigold’ from Style Library in this bedroom in the same Georgian house by Ben Pentreath. The wallpaper here disguises the jib door. The bedcover is in ‘Therese’ paisley cotton by Les Indiennes.
Lauryn Ishak18/40In this expansive Singapore apartment, interior designer Elizabeth Hay has used ‘Early Views of India’ by de Gournay on the walls to create the effect of a mural, though the muted colours give it a subtle, elegant look.
Dean Hearne19/40Most of the open plan living space and the hallway of this penthouse flat by Nina Litchfield is covered in Andrew Martin's ‘Noah’ pattern. In this case, the wallcovering is fabric, but it does brilliantly demonstrate the possibilities of a whimsical large-scale pattern in a small space.
Jonathan Bond20/40This bedroom in Elizabeth Hay's country cottage has a distinctly English charm, with Pierre Frey’s ‘Fleurs de Mai’ wallpaper tones providing a contrasting scale to a quilt in Ian Mankin’s ‘Suffolk’ large gingham check.
Paul Massey21/40In the bathroom of her London house, interior designer Octavia Dickinson has created a bold backdrop with ‘Aspa’ wallpaper by Sarah Vanrenen for Penny Morrison. Octavia designed the vanity unit, which has fabric panels made from Bennison’s ‘Petites Fleurs’. Wall lights from Vaughan have lampshades painted by Sarah Blomfield.
Paul Massey22/40Chinoiserie wallpaper is always a luxurious choice, and here Watts of Westminster’s ‘Walzin Chinoiserie’ paper provides a rich backdrop in a London house by Joanna Plant. Jute flooring by Sinclair Till brings the scheme down to earth.
Simon Brown23/40Le Manach’s ‘Pommes de Pin’ wallpaper from Pierre Frey covers the walls and ceiling of a small lobby off the main bedroom, which leads to the tiny private sitting room known as the snug (papered in the same wallpaper), in Samantha Todhunter's vicarage.
Simon Brown24/40Samantha trimmed the headboards in the spare bedroom of the same house with a Brunschwig & Fils brush fringe that picks up on the golden monkeys in de Gournay’s ‘Amazonia’ wallpaper.
Michael Sinclair25/40An instinct for recognising talent paid off handsomely for the owners of this Victorian house in north London when they selected the decorator Rachel Chudley to shake up its interiors with her exuberant approach.
The sofa's rich teal velvet upholstery, red hand-dyed velvet curtains, also by Lucy Bathurst, which hang from a bespoke copper rail, and a velvet ottoman pick up on the colours of the ‘Verdure’ wallpaper in tapestry green by Melissa White for Zoffany.
Paul Massey26/40Farrow & Ball’s ‘Broad Stripe’ wallpaper creates a strong look in part of Sarah Corbett-Winder's kitchen, which serves as the bar area. The wallpaper is away from the main cooking area and so is protected, but adds a liveliness to the room overall.
Paul Massey27/40Striped wallpaper features in many rooms of Sarah's house and in the family bathroom, a Ralph Lauren wallpaper is teamed with a blind in Ian Mankin’s ‘Devon Stripe’ cotton in peony. Interestingly, she has turned the design on itself to make the stripes horizontal, rather than vertical.
Paul Massey28/40Inspired by her upbringing on Long Island and her travels in Europe, American interior designer April Russell has decorated her London house with boldly patterned fabrics and wallpapers and a carefully curated mix of antique and contemporary furniture. A headboard by April, upholstered in a Tissus d’Hélène fabric, picks up on the pinks in Cole & Son’s ‘Hummingbirds’ wallpaper.
James McDonald29/40James Mackie's tiny Cotswold cottage is full of bold colours and patterns. In this space off the main bedroom, the ceiling was opened up to reveal a pitched roof. James teamed woodwork in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Salon Drab’ gloss with Howe’s ‘Knurl’ wallpaper.
James McDonald30/40Also in his Cotswold cottage, James Mackie transformed this former junk room into a spare room using Morris & Co’s ‘Willow Bough’ wallpaper on the walls and ceiling. A paisley cotton bedcover picks up on the warm tones of panelling on either side of a fireplace, designed by James and painted ‘Deep Reddish Brown’ by Farrow & Ball.
Dean Hearne31/40A trip to India inspired Claire Worthington and Charlie Bigham to launch a successful food business and now a range of colourful wallpapers, which Claire designs at home in their Georgian rectory in Wiltshire. A spare bedroom is papered in one of her designs, ‘Parakeets in the Oak’.
Rachel Whiting32/40Octavia Dickinson's south London flat illustrates the modern approach she brings to country-house style, antique furniture, floral prints and modern pieces. Woodwork painted in Sanderson's 'Oyster White' and a blind in a simple checked fabric from Linwood allow the bathroom's Cole & Son wallpaper to shine; the bath is from the Bathroom Discount Centre.
Mel Yates33/40The bedroom of this house designed by Max Rollitt relies on a colour scheme of contrasting colours and introduces an extra layer of cosiness via the textured picture frame and bedside chest of drawers. The antique quilt was matched to 'Jasper Peony' wallpaper, an Adam Calkin design from Lewis & Wood, while the lampshade is made from book paper and hand-painted by artist Madeleine Bradbury, whose designs are inspired by the Bloomsbury Artists. Find it for £98 at Bloomsbury Interiors.
Paul Massey34/40The spare room of Rita Konig's London flat has curtains in 'Broadcloth' felt from Hainsworth and is lined in Tyler Hall's 'First Bloom' wallpaper from Tissus d'Hélène, with a Guatemalan tapestry that Phil brought back from his travels.
Paul Massey35/40When former Vogue editor Fiona Golfar was told by her husband that he had bought a house in Cornwall, she fell over in shock. But she wisely held her tongue and, as she explains, it did not take her long to realise that she had fallen on her feet. In her husband's study a collage of Fifties wallpaper samples covers the walls.
36/40Artist and maker Bridie Hall has made her mark on her Victorian house in north London with eclectic collections of antique finds and her own eye-catching works set against bold blocks of colour. This corner of the landing has been papered in an enlarged vintage map of London.
Paul Massey37/40Designer Ben Pentreath has given each room in this reconfigured Arts and Crafts house its own personality, combining colour and texture with interesting pieces from different periods. The greeny-brown grasscloth in this room is in the colour referred to by Ben as "freshly laid cowpat". ‘I love the richness that grasscloth brings; it has so much more depth than a flat paint,’ he says. He has used grasscloths in a number of rooms in this London house, including Altfield’s ‘Minka’ (bamboo), 91cm wide, £58 a metre, and Phillip Jeffries’ ‘Manila Hemp’ (truffle brown), 94cm wide, £44 a metre. ‘You do have to warn clients that the joins between panels are visible, but I’ve never minded the effect,’ adds Ben.
Jake Curtis38/40In designer Ben Pentreath's flat, both bedrooms are papered. As Ben explains, 'I like using wallpaper because I love the layers of pattern and colour that it brings to a room.' Soane's delicate 'Seaweed Lace' wallpaper contrasts with the bold blanket from Pendleton in the main bedroom. A Marianna Kennedy 'Spring' lamp in blue adds a different colour to the room.
Alicia Taylor39/40As you enter this Victorian house in west London, a light-filled hall leads you towards the back door and into the garden. The former home of Howard Hodgkin has a bohemian history, which the current artist owner has carefully maintained.A 'Braulen' wallpaper from Nina Campbell picks up on the greens in the painting that hangs against it, a Robert Buhler landscape of France from the Forties.
Natalie Dinham40/40WheVictoria Stainow's London flat needed a revamp, the furniture and lighting specialist called on the expertise of interior designer Tara Craig. The wallpaper in this bedroom is Pierre Frey’s ‘Sans Papillons’ with a bedcover, blind and Ensemblier ‘Selton’ sofa in the matching cotton/viscose fabric. A plain curtain fabric, by O Ecotextiles from MM Design, offsets the pattern, while pleated shades on a pair of crystal lamp bases pick up on the pink of the pretty floral design.
