How to style bold wallpapers

Confidently patterned wallpapers will pair pleasantly with rattan furniture, textured paint, exposed brick, and warm timbers, as well as tactile textiles such as bouclé and corduroy. Go for a less dramatic approach by teaming your bold wallpaper with plain fabrics and less fussy decorative elements. Or embrace mood boosting maximalism and team your botanical wallpaper with equally statement fabrics and colours through throw cushions or bedding, more really can be more.

Pattern on pattern may feel like too much, however, by keeping consistency through colour, line, or scale the result will be harmonious. To mix and match patterns with confidence, select a colour from your chosen wallpaper and include it in other elements within the room. Mixing large, medium, and small scales on different pieces and in different places can help to create a rhythmic energy. 

Why not liven up your guest powder room by adding a vibrant wallpaper. This is a gentle, low-commitment way to start adding the maximalist style to your home and creating impact in a smaller, cosier space. Bring your bathroom or laundry to life with vinyl wallpapers which have a wipeable, resilient face.

While large patterns look great in larger spaces, they can have lasting visual impact in small rooms where they will creating a vibrant and striking effect. Likewise, small surface textures and mid-scale patterns can look sweet in enclosed spaces but will input a soothing, rhythmic feel in a larger space. Combine with textured plain wallpaper to shift scale from room to room and wall to wall, whilst tying them together with a colour theme.

Wallpaper doesn’t necessarily have to go on the wall – utilise the ‘fifth wall’ to change the feel, dimension, and add drama to a room by installing patterned paper on the ceiling. Wallpapers can also enhance furniture – try lining the inside of a bar cabinet or built in bookshelf or make a feature of the kitchen island. A wardrobe or cupboard can feel enlivened when lined with a strong pattern in vivid colour or upcycle a simple folding screen to create some punchy definition in your space.

Whether your interior style channels decorative Arts and Crafts, Art Deco geometrics, or Mid-century Modern florals, continuing the theme will add real magic to a space – it’s amazing what gems can be unearthed at your local second-hand store. A good clean, or a quick reupholstery job and you will be amazed. These design movements continue to inspire and influence our interiors, so don’t expect this to feel like a passing fad – you are investing in history!

Self-expression is one of the great joys of interior design. If you feel stuck look to other references such as home and design magazines or take cues from fashion during different decades for inspiration. This will help guide your pairings of colour, texture, and pattern to create a cohesive and well considered interior. Following a noticeable shift in interiors to create joyful spaces within the home, there is a surge toward mood-lifting colours and patterns which elevate the senses.