These 25 Unconventional Wallpaper Ideas Add Instant Drama to a Room

A design like Vivienne Westwood’s tartan wallpaper from Cole & Son calls for restraint in the rest of the room. So use it on just one wall as a focal point (if you hang it behind a bed, you won’t need a headboard) and leave everything else neutral.

Do you have a room in need of a spring refresh? This bunny-print wallpaper is pure whimsy and will keep you smiling, whether you use it in a dining room (as pictured), a kid’s room, or anywhere in the house.

Wallpaper that doubles as a geography lesson is an inspired choice for a kid’s or teen’s room.

A fanciful print that could’ve adorned a wall in decades past looks modern when paired with a navy headboard and crisp bedding.

This playful print, which translates to “Free the sardines,” gives a pantry a fun twist.

Sometimes the perfect paper is hanging out in your camera’s memory chip. The website designyourwall.com lets you turn photographs into custom wallpaper. Here, a shoreline image brings the feeling of the beach inside.

Gold-splattered wallpaper transforms this powder room into a cosmic experience, aided by pendant lighting.

A ‘70s-inspired gold rose motif on the walls, mixed with the chinoiserie bedspread and Frida Kahlo pillow, makes for a maximalist moment in this boho master.

Toile gets a contemporary upgrade with the use of black in the wallpaper (rather than the standard blue), accented by the black-painted trim in this renovated Victorian home.

We’re swooning over this graphic diamond pattern that reads like an ultra-modern take on ikat.

Wallpaper as kitchen backsplash? Color us surprised by this inventive way to incorporate a print into a kitchen. The tempered glass panels protect it from wear and tear, too, preserving the look for years to come.

This Liberty of London fruit print gives a living or dining room a fresh feel that plays well with vintage-inspired furnishings.

A wallpaper pattern that might overwhelm a large space can enliven a smaller room—like this tiny entry. To give the room a jewel-box quality, the interior doors are papered as well. When the doors are closed, the pattern is seamless.

A home office gets a feminine touch in the form of this pastel motif that feels like a riff on chinoiserie.

A bold, large-scale floral print makes a statement in an entryway, powder room, or other small space. Keep the decor around it simple and neutral to let the black-and-white pattern stand out.

Triangles in a minimalist color palette adds just the right amount of pattern to a backdrop for rich furnishings, such as this rose velvet chair.

Many companies are now updating historical designs with new color palettes. Some, like this bird-and-branch pattern from trustworth.com, are as fresh as the day they were first painted. Use a busy, colorful paper like this in a room you can afford to be playful, like a kid’s room.

A rattan bed frame and metal dresser pop against the wallpaper’s vintage floral motif.

Papers with natural motifs will look fresh for decades. For a contemporary look, though, choose less literal interpretations, like the drawings of blooms that make up this paper from Portland-based Makelike.

This windowless dining room is made even cozier with a dark green sea-grass wall covering. Even though the color is solid, the texture adds interest. For more glitz—or a paper that will lightly shimmer in candlelight—look for a grasscloth with metallic threads woven through it.

When in doubt, choose a neutral. No matter how offbeat the paper’s design, a simple color palette like black and white will make it more livable. For even less visual noise, choose a tone-on-tone pattern in white and ivory. It will read completely neutral from a distance.

In this young girl's bedroom, playful wallpaper graces a single wall. The large-scale motif helps the paper feel like art rather than background noise.

In a home with a distinct architectural style, it can be fun to riff off what might have been there when the home was built. Here, a large-scale thistle wallcovering by Timorous Beasties updates the ornate damask wallpaper that’s classic in Victorians.

The butler’s pantry is usually a forgettable space. Not so when papered dramatically in this paper from Krane Wallpaper. You could also try this in a coat closet or laundry room.

A small bathroom is the perfect place to take a risk since a bold design move won’t be overwhelming. Wallpaper is a great alternative in a powder room (where there’s no steam) as this updated Colonial house shows, but a bold wall color or colorful tile has the same striking effect. More: Tour this entire colonial makeover