Don’t be afraid of wallpaper! This is not you grandma’s wallpaper anymore! It is no-mess, peel-and-stick, and comes in tons of varieties! Pair it with a new coat of paint for even more transformation.
Wallpaper has come a long way! Instead of something you associate with a an old, outdated and musty space – now wallpaper can breathe new life into a space especially with strategic planning. Where does your room need to “pop?” With the newer fun and creative prints (and their easy application), the sky is the limit!
We happen to have a half wall in our family room that has always been just this side of ugly. After an unfortunate flooding incident, painting and patching became necessary, and I realized how this bland section of wall brought down the room. This jutting out half wall obviously has a natural stopping point, but you could create your own border and wallpaper half a wall just by measuring and/or marking your boundaries with pencil or painter’s tape.
I like dark paint and light wallpaper or light paint and dark wallpaper – use your imagination and find the combination that’s right for you! Because this room was recently painted a deep blue (almost black) color, I loved the contrast of the light This wallpaper is meant to look like a nature-inspired wood grain almost like an outdoor garden wall. You could also do brick, shiplap, driftwood, distressed wood and so much more! This kind of accent is such a nice break from traditional wallpaper and adds style and distinction to your space.
What did I use?
- Akeera 16.5′ L x 20.5″ W Peel and Stick Wallpaper Roll by Gracie Oaks from Wayfair – I ended up needed two rolls, and keep in mind I was only doing half of my wall so if you do any full walls you will need more. Wayfair has a handy calculator to help you figure out what you will need before you buy. The cost right now is $42.99 a roll, so for less than $100 I completely transformed and brightened my space.
- To smooth, I used a combination of a Shower Squeegee similar to this one, a credit card and an ice scraper! Be careful not to use anything too rough so as not to rip the paper. You can seem my hodge-podge of tools below.
You can see the progress below after one panel was completed. It can be tricky to line up the pattern so take your time and be sure to make sure your next panel is facing the same direction before you begin (upside down wallpaper looks pretty bad)! But as long as you do not get it stuck to itself, which I also did and that is not easy to remedy, this wallpaper is fairly forgiving. I had to remove one piece from the wall several times and restick it, which is not recommended but worked out just fine.
Visit this HGTV Tutorial for additional help with installing peel-and-stick wallpaper properly.
This was a quick project that you could take even further by coordinating a new paint color with your wallpaper accent wall! Once you feel inspired by the new textured look, you may want to use wallpapers in all kinds of unexpected places in your home!
OK so what's next? It is so fun to have a project, and even better to enjoy the rewards of your hard work! Go back to Home and see some other fun ideas!
