Shade Degges
You spend a third of your life in bed, so it’s only appropriate that—in addition to a top-notch mattress and luxurious sheets, of course—your sleeping chambers are up to snuff aesthetically. An easy, not to mention on-trend, way to take your bedroom to the next level is with a chic wallpaper. Not only does the right wallcovering make your space distinctive, but it also has the magic ability—depending on your decorating goals—to make your room feel snug or spacious and to accentuate or diminish features.
The possibilities are endless, as the homes shown in ELLE DECOR prove. You can swath your sleeping space floor-to-ceiling with a stylish wallcovering, as Lorenzo Castillo did in a Parisian pied-à-terre, or apply it to a single wall as an extension of the space surrounding your headboard, as Nickey Kehoe did in one California cool home. And with an endless variety of stick-and-peel options available, adding color and pattern to your bedroom walls has never been easier.
We’ve scoured our archive to unearth some of our favorite bedroom wallpaper ideas, whether you’re interested in keeping things classic, going a bit wild, or trying something new. One thing’s for sure: with the right pattern, the place where you catch some z’s will never catch a case of the blahs.
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In a cozy guest room in her upstate New York home, ELLE DECOR A-List interior designer Sheila Bridges applied layer upon layer of colorful patterns. The classic green wallcovering by Adelphi Paper Hangings picks up the mint hues in the vintage kantha quilt and the upholstered headboard.
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Matchy-Matchy (In a Good Way!)
Interior designer Amaro Sánchez de Moya went wild for patterns in his maximalist, but clasically informed, pied-à-terre in Seville, Spain—and you can too. Here, Sánchez de Moya applied the same leafy trellis pattern by Zuber on the furniture, cushions, and walls.
Wallpaper is uncommon in Italy, but the owners of a Rome apartment (perched perfectly above the Colosseum) asked that design duo Alivisi Kirimoto use it throughout their home. The chosen floral wallcovering, designed by Romo, appears in three different versions throughout the home, including this pale variation in the bedroom. The delicate blooms converse with the trees and plants just outside the window.
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Nature-Inspired Textures
ELLE DECOR A-Lister Martyn Lawrence Bullard may be known for his opulent pattern play, but in this Hawaiian getaway, he opted to let the lush tropical surroundings do the heavy lifting. In lieu of a look-at-me wallcovering, he selected an organic, bark textured material by Caba Company to clad the room.
If you love a pattern, why just apply it to the walls? Designer Remy Renzullo took a page from the book of decorating greats of yore (think Billy Baldwin and Dorothy Draper) and covered this Hamptons bedroom entirely in the same Pierre Frey fabric. After all, there’s never too much of a good thing.
Mathilde Favier, an impossibly chic executive at Dior, brought the catwalk to her Paris bedroom, which features a purple carpet design featured on the fashion house’s runway. And though the wallspace above her bed isn’t technically wallpaper (it’s actually a wall mural by Rosie Mennem), we love how the pretty cherry blossom motif ties the entire room together.
Fabric is a fabulous alternative to wallpaper. We adore this de Gournay damask, in a gleaming deep salmon colorway, that designer Summer Thornton selected for a bold Chicago prewar apartment.
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Arts and Crafts–Inspired Wallpaper
Star Los Angeles chef Suzanne Goin tapped ELLE DECOR A-List firm Nickey Kehoe to create a calming retreat away from her hectic restaurant kitchens. In the bedroom, the design duo selected an Arts and Crafts movement–inspired wallcovering from Lewis & Wood. The pattern lends the feeling of being nestled in an enchanted forest.
All-over pattern doesn’t verge into heavy territory, thanks to a white ground and a sweet floral print. Architect Paul Lamb worked with a Texas client to create adorable reading (and nap) nooks throughout this Austin home. Here, the pattern on the walls and curtains is from Alex Conroy Textiles.
We couldn’t help but showcase one more napping spot in the same home designed by Architect Paul Lamb. A bold, retro floral called Hello Yarrow by Abigail Borg feels neutral due to oatmeal upholstery and off-white walls.
Ferns and fronds and dandelions, oh my! Designer Jessica Davis extended the headboard of this bed using a leafy green wallpaper by Marthe Armitage in a bedroom located in a restored 1970s home.
Who ever said gold is for winners? This soothing, silvery bedroom in a Florida home designed by Rodney Lawrence gets a bit of glamour with the Art Deco–inspired de Gournay wallcovering.
It’s a bug’s life in this charming twin bedroom in a Bay Area home designed by Jessica Davis. Here, the red leaf-print wallpaper by A-Street Prints creates the perfect habitat for a host of charming creepy crawlies.
British home brand House of Hackney is known for its wild, maximalist patterns, but founders Frieda Gormley and Javvy M Royle chose a classic, striped wallpaper for the main bedroom in their London home. The vertical orientation lends additional height to the room’s historic proportion.
In his French beach home, designer Jean-Louis Deniot wanted to channel the easy-breezy vibe of his seaside setting. To play up the bohemian woven canopy (a custom Deniot design), he selected a complementary wallcovering from Thibaut.
If you really want to make a statement, think pink...and maximalist! Fledgeling interior design studio Perifio decorated a guest room in their Hudson, New York, retreat with a riotous pattern of dancing cranes, courtesy of Milton & King.
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Wild Things Wallcovering
Designer Rodney Lawrence literally took a page out of Maurice Sendak’s book in designing this adorable children’s bedroom in a Long Island, New York, home. The wall features a custom mural with a scene from the beloved children’s book Where the Wild Things Are.
This Malibu, California, house designed by Standard Architecture may feature muscular modern proportions and materials, but designer Martha Mulholland was sure to soften things up with lush moments of color and pattern. Here in the bedroom, she selected an opulent floral wallpaper by Lizzo.
Caroline Rafferty’s midcentury modern Palm Beach home is surrounded by hothouse plants. So why not bring those inside? A 4Space palm-print wallpaper turns the space into a lush oasis.
For a chic Manhattan residence, design firm Husband Wife wanted to make a children’s room that a kid could grow into. The bedding, lamp, and side table feel grown-up, but the gauzy canopy and fun flower mural by Jeremiah Britton keep things whimsical.
For his California bedroom (a onetime abode of Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek), architect Luis Fernandez riffed on the pattern of the geometric rug by selecting a Pierre Frey wallpaper in a mini, similar version of the print.
Design firm Hendricks Churchill wanted to bring a Connecticut Greek Revival back to its roots and what better way than with a vintage-inspired wallpaper? Here in the main bedroom, the designers chose a Lake August pattern covered in budding vines.
Why settle on just one wallpaper when you could have several? The trick, as seen in this Paris home designed by Lorenzo Castillo, is selecting patterns of a similar scale and color palette.
If you’re looking to bring some visual interest to your bedroom without going over the top, consider a subtle stripe. In this Pittsburgh Tudor Revival, designer Janine Carendi MacMurray selected a mottled striped wallpaper from Thibaut. Coupled with the crisp white trim, the room feels sunny year-round.
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Graphic—and Cartographic
Unleash you kid’s inner explorer with a fun (and educational) wallcovering. Here in an East Hampton, New York, bunk room designed by Celerie Kemble, the walls are covered in a map-patterned wallpaper by Ralph Lauren Home.
Though it’s in Connecticut, this bedroom designed by Ariel Ashe of the design firm Ashe Leandro, could have been plucked straight from a cottage across the pond. The key to achieving the look? The sweet miniature floral pattern on the walls and on the headboard. Layered antiques create the picture-perfect spot to catch some z’s.
This bedroom, in a London home designed by Thomas Hamel, manages to stay serene amid layer upon layer of pattern. The wallcovering in a custom Fromental fabric makes the bed feel like it’s in a garden.
This room is a masterclass in pattern mixing. And its owner, Nathalie Farman-Farma would know: Her London textile studio Décors Barbares is a favorite of in-the-know designers. Here in her bedroom she balances rich tones against a black-and-white wallcovering designed by Madeleine Castaing for Brunschwig & Fils.
This bedroom in a grand 18th-century London home received a lavish (and historically accurate!) update from designers Laura Sartori Rimini and Roberto Peregalli of Studio Peregalli. Here in the monochromatic bedroom, the designers heaped on textiles of the same light plum hue—including the floral and chain-link patterns on the walls.
What could be more American than red, white, and blue? Stripes, of course! In a boys’ bedroom in California, designer Elizabeth Cooper swathed the walls in a blue stripe from Meg Braff Design.
If you fear that all-over palm leaf wallpaper is too outré, try one that is in a neutral pattern. Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and wife Catherine Martin, a costume and set designer, created a calm corner with wallpaper, a bedspread, and cushions all designed by Martin herself for the textile company Mokum.
Grass cloth–covered walls ground this modern Mill Valley, California, bedroom designed by Holly A. Kopman with subtle texture. It’s an understated canvas for bold art.
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Monochromatic Pattern Play
A tight lattice print is a great backdrop for an open toile headboard in this airy Palm Beach bedroom designed by color guru Jonathan Adler. The blue-on-blue palette is preppy and playful.
Punch up any room with this bright and modern design. The mix of irregular stripes and geometric shapes have a hand-drawn look that makes it suitable for kids and contemporary-art-loving adults alike. The wallpaper elevates a playful room in this Nick Olsen–designed home.
Anna Fixsen
Deputy Digital Editor
Anna Fixsen, Deputy Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, focuses on how to share the best of the design world through in-depth reportage and online storytelling.
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