7 ways to use wallpaper — without covering a whole room

Hoping to add some punch to a powder room, I once attempted to install peel-and-stick wallpaper myself. Like a lot of homeowners, I went the temporary paper route because I wanted to introduce a little pattern and polish to the space, but I was leery of making a big commitment.

The regrettable affair played out like a long-lost “I Love Lucy” episode — undoubtedly titled “A Sticky Situation” — in which more of the wallpaper ends up on Lucy than the walls. Needless to say, I had to call in a pro to set things straight.

Thankfully, for those who might be afraid to commit to the task (or a whole room of the stuff), there are many ways to bring wallpaper into your home. We rounded up a group of design pros to find out their favorite tricks for making a big impact with just a little bit of wallpaper. Here’s what they recommend.

Embrace a small space

While wallpapering a powder room is hardly a revolutionary idea, any compact space — nooks, mudrooms, vestibules, butler’s pantries — can benefit from a dose of pattern. “Wallpaper can really transform a tiny room or passageway from an afterthought into something special,” says Liz Levin, an interior designer based in Washington, D.C. “It’s one big brush stroke that works magic.”

Levin says such spaces are ripe for wallpaper experimentation. “They aren’t places where people spend a ton of time, so there’s less chance they’ll tire of the pattern,” she says. “And because those rooms tend to be smaller, you’ll spend less on materials.” As for scale, don’t be afraid to go big in a small space — pros say it can actually make a tiny room feel larger.

Direct eyes upward

For a recent project in Warrenton, Va., Levin wallpapered the ceiling — often referred to as the “fifth wall” — with a large-scale geometric print that stands out against deep-blue-painted millwork. Upstairs in a bedroom, she chose a smaller-scale pattern for the ceiling and coordinated it with matching draperies. While the wallpapers are wildly different, they have one thing in common: a light background.

“If you’re nervous about wallpapering the ceiling, having paper with a white background helps,” she says, offering this explanation: “Sometimes clients worry that using wallpaper with darker colors on the ceiling will make it feel like it’s closing in on them.” For the same reason, she also advises reserving this trick for rooms with higher ceilings.

Line a shelf

To lend whimsy and a strategic bit of red to a Texas family room, Houston-based designer Jennifer Barron dressed the backs of bookshelves with a cheerful cowboy boot print. “Because shelf dividers can really chop up a pattern, it’s best to stick to a wallpaper with a smaller repeat,” she says.

For a subtler look, Kate Hougen of Mira Jean Designs in Arlington, Va., ran pink grass cloth wallpaper behind shelf cabinets displaying glassware. “Oftentimes, you see people paint the backs of bookshelves a different color,” she says. “Wallpaper can achieve that same effect, but it adds a richness that you just can’t get from paint. It creates a pretty backdrop to showcase things.”

Frame a panel

Flip through any design magazine, and you’ll surely see dining room walls covered in bucolic scenes of flowering vines or towering trees. To get the look without the cost and labor, Barron likes to frame single panels of scenic wallpaper and hang them in pairs or a trio to create a focal point.

“The cost of covering a room in scenic wallpaper from luxury brands can be astronomical,” she says. “Framing is a way to bring in some character without breaking the bank.” Another benefit: When you move, you can easily take the panels with you.

Barron recommends forgoing glass when framing. “Adding glass just makes it heavier and harder to move around,” she says. “A good installer can put the paper on a board and get it really smooth.” Many retailers, such as Ballard Designs, Etsy and Chairish, sell already-framed panels.

Reconsider the border

Say the words “wallpaper border” and people may recall the cabbage roses and Tuscan grape vines that adorned bedrooms and kitchens in the 1980s. But modern borders are thinner and thankfully absent of such froufrou motifs; they’re worlds away from their Reagan-era counterparts.

“We wanted to stay away from the wide and too-quaint borders we remember,” says London-based interior designer Susie Atkinson of Studio Atkinson. Her updated border designs take their inspiration from legendary English design firm Colefax and Fowler, which used to neatly outline the walls of rooms with ribbon trim for a tailored look.

Atkinson likes to use borders to highlight architectural features that already exist, or to create visual interest where there is none. It’s also a way to add a bit of pattern and color without spending a ton of money. “Wallpaper can be very costly, and borders are a way around that; also you can put them up yourself,” she says.

Try it above wainscot

For a dining room in the Chevy Chase neighborhood of D.C., Hougen wrapped the upper half of the walls in pink grass cloth, keeping the wainscot below painted white. “If you’ve got wainscot, papering above it is an economical way to install wallpaper without having to commit to it from floor to ceiling,” she says. If you’re working with a darker-patterned wall covering, she recommends painting the wainscot the same hue as the background color of the paper for continuity.

Wrap accessories

To add a floral accent to a bedroom in a recent project, Richmond-based designer Anne Pulliam covered a lampshade and wastebasket in Penny Morrison wallpaper. She notes that Etsy is a great source to buy accessories already covered in wallpaper, but it’s also a straightforward DIY project for craftier sorts. For guidance, she recommends watching YouTube tutorials.

“It’s inexpensive and easy to switch out if you get sick of it,” she says. “You could even change them out seasonally.”