Choosing wallpaper for your home starts with considering the room, selecting the right material, and finding a color or pattern that complements your existing decor. You’ll also want to think about durability, maintenance, and whether you plan to wallpaper an entire room or create an accent wall.
With thousands of wallpaper designs available, narrowing down your options can feel overwhelming. The good news is that a few simple considerations can help you find wallpaper that looks beautiful and works for your space.
5 Easy Steps for Choosing Wallpaper
1. Consider the Room You’re Decorating
The room you’re decorating should influence the type of wallpaper you choose. Bedrooms and living rooms offer more flexibility, while kitchens, bathrooms, and high-traffic areas may require materials that are easier to clean and maintain.
For example, washable vinyl wallpaper can be a practical option for kitchens and hallways, while grasscloth and other natural materials are often better suited to dry, lower-traffic spaces.
Think about how the room is used, how much moisture it experiences, and how frequently the walls might need cleaning.
2. Choose the Right Wallpaper Material
Wallpaper comes in several different materials, each with its own appearance, durability, and installation requirements.
Some of the most popular options include:
- Vinyl Wallpaper: Durable and often washable, making it suitable for busy areas.
- Non-Woven Wallpaper: A versatile option that is often easier to install and remove.
- Traditional Paper Wallpaper: Available in countless patterns and finishes, particularly for decorative spaces.
- Grasscloth Wallpaper: Made from natural fibers that add warmth and texture.
- Peel and Stick Wallpaper: A self-adhesive option popular for temporary decorating and DIY projects.
- Textured Wallpaper: Adds dimension through raised patterns or material-inspired finishes.
If you’re unsure which material is right for your project, read our guide to What Are the Different Types of Wallpaper?
3. Pick the Right Wallpaper Color
Wallpaper color plays an important role in establishing a room’s atmosphere. Light colors such as cream, beige, soft gray, and pale blue can create an airy, open feeling. Darker colors like navy, forest green, charcoal, and burgundy add richness and drama.
Consider the colors already present in your furniture, flooring, cabinetry, and trim. Your wallpaper doesn’t need to match everything exactly, but it should complement the room’s overall palette.
It’s also important to consider natural and artificial lighting. A wallpaper that looks warm and inviting in a sunny room may appear darker or cooler in a space with limited daylight.
4. Consider the Size of the Wallpaper Pattern
Pattern scale can significantly affect how wallpaper looks once it’s installed. Large-scale patterns create a bold focal point and can make a room feel dramatic. Smaller, repeating patterns often produce a more subtle appearance and can work beautifully across multiple walls.
In a small room, don’t automatically rule out oversized designs. A large floral or geometric pattern can look particularly striking in a powder room or behind a bed.
The key is balancing the wallpaper with your furniture, artwork, and other decorative elements so the space doesn’t feel overly busy.
5. Decide Between an Accent Wall and an Entire Room
One of the biggest decisions when choosing wallpaper is how much of the room you want to cover. An accent wall allows you to introduce a bold pattern or color without committing to wallpaper throughout the entire space. Popular locations include the wall behind a bed, a living room feature wall, or a dining room focal point.
Wallpapering an entire room creates a more cohesive, immersive look. Subtle textures, smaller patterns, and coordinated colors work especially well for full-room installations, although bold designs can also produce beautiful results.
Neither approach is necessarily better. It depends on the wallpaper, the room’s layout, and the atmosphere you want to create.
6. Always Look at Wallpaper Samples
Wallpaper can look very different in person than it does on a computer or phone screen. Colors, textures, metallic finishes, and pattern details may not translate accurately through digital images.
Before making your final selection, examine wallpaper samples in the room where they’ll be installed. Look at them during different times of day and under your home’s artificial lighting. Compare the samples against your furniture, flooring, paint colors, and other finishes.
For textured materials like grasscloth and fabric wallpaper, seeing and feeling the material in person is especially valuable.
7. Calculate How Much Wallpaper You Need
Before ordering wallpaper, measure the walls you plan to cover and determine how much material you’ll need.
Wallpaper quantities depend on several factors, including wall height, wall width, roll dimensions, and pattern repeat. Large patterns may require additional material to align the design properly between strips. Windows and doors can affect the calculation, but you shouldn’t simply subtract every opening without considering the wallpaper layout.
Ordering enough wallpaper from the same production batch is also important because colors can vary slightly between batches. For additional guidance, see our articles on How Much Wallpaper Do I Need?
8. Avoid Common Wallpaper Mistakes
A little planning can help you avoid expensive or frustrating wallpaper problems. Some common mistakes include choosing wallpaper that isn’t appropriate for the room, skipping proper wall preparation, overlooking pattern repeats, and ordering too little material.
It’s also important to consider installation requirements. Some wallpapers are relatively straightforward for experienced DIYers, while delicate materials, large patterns, and specialty wallcoverings may benefit from professional installation.
Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for surface preparation, adhesives, and installation.
Find the Right Wallpaper at Loconsolo Paints
Choosing wallpaper is much easier when you can compare patterns, colors, and textures in person. At Loconsolo Paints, we offer thousands of wallpaper options, including contemporary designs, traditional patterns, textured wallcoverings, and unique vintage wallpaper.
Visit our wallpaper showrooms in Brooklyn and Queens to browse wallpaper books, explore samples, and get guidance from our knowledgeable team.
For additional help, you can also schedule a one-on-one consultation with our interior designer to coordinate wallpaper, paint colors, and other decorative finishes.