A Guide to Selecting Wallpaper for the Living Room
Your living room should provide an inviting setting where you can truly relax as you spend time with loved ones. Introducing wallpaper can add a beautiful textural element to your living room walls. Wallpaper elevates your space to provide a warm, homely feel.
You could create impact with an inspiring botanical mural all-over. Alternatively, opt for a classic floral pattern alongside coordinating paint shades. Whether you’re looking to create the ultimate cosy sanctuary or a personality-filled space, choose a wallpaper from our collection to transform your scheme.
Read our guide to selecting wallpaper for your living room. Discover how to create a beautiful, sophisticated scheme that combines colour and pattern…
How to choose living room wallpaper
A true family space, your living room is often one of the most-used areas of your home. As such, it’s important to make interior design choices that you will feel comfortable living with each day.
The first step is to choose a wallpaper that you truly love, one that brings you joy every time you look at it. Rather than choosing wallpaper based on trends, select a design and colourway that reflects your personal taste. Being true to your own sense of style will help you create a space that you love to spend time in.
Explore our wallpaper collections by style, colour, collection or period and request complimentary A4 samples of your favourite designs. You might find it helpful to create mood boards as you plan your living room wallpaper ideas. Place your wallpaper samples alongside elements such as fabrics or paint shades to help you visualise the overall space.
As you browse different wallpapers, it’s important to consider how you will use the room and the atmosphere you want to create. For example, nature-inspired wallpapers can transition beautifully onto exterior settings for indoor-outdoor living. Or think about how you can use wallpaper to create different zones within a multi-functional living space. Also, consider the size of your living room. Think about whether it has any architectural details you’d like to highlight with wallpaper.
Explore our living room wallpaper ideas below to find tips and inspiration for your project. Or visit our living room inspiration gallery.
7 ways to add wallpaper to living rooms
1. Evoke nature in your living room with a tropical wall mural
Spacious living rooms present a host of opportunities for interior design. Large-scale murals like our Capricorn wallpaper are the ideal choice to complement the scope of a room like this. With its impactful, contemporary design, Capricorn can really showcase the space and create a truly captivating interior.
Embrace Capricorn on all four walls to immerse the room in a tranquil botanical setting. Pair the Boringdon colourway with earthy, tonal hues. Shades such as Slaked Lime, Baluster and Elysian Ground work beautifully on the ceiling and woodwork.
2. Bring elegance to your living room with a classic floral pattern
A floral wallpaper is a timeless addition to a living room scheme, infusing the space with the beauty of nature. Dahlia Scroll is a beautiful, traditional wallpaper that delivers an air of sophistication. The elegant, two-toned design can elevate your living space with a subtle element of pattern and texture.
Consider soft neutral colourways like Mirror and French Grey for a pared-back scheme. Or add radiant warmth to your living room by combining the joyous yellow, Giallo, with soft neutrals. Try pairing this elegant living room wallpaper with shades from the Silent White family.
3. Combine paint and wallpaper for a cocooning living room
Incorporating paint and wallpaper within one scheme can bring real personality to your living room. Create a bold, confident scheme by transforming every aspect of your space with harmonious combinations of colour and pattern.
Consider a stylised floral pattern like our much-loved Briar Rose. The vibrant Green Verditer colourway feels very inviting when embraced all over. For a cocooning haven, avoid using white on the ceiling and woodwork. Instead, use rich, coordinating hues like Mid Azure Green to achieve beautiful, all-over colour.
4. Introduce wallpaper on one wall in your living room for a focal point
If you prefer a more pared-back scheme, opt to introduce wallpaper in smaller proportions. Decorating just one wall with your chosen wallpaper is a wonderful way to create a focal point. Applying wallpaper to one wall can help you define zones within a large or multifunctional living space.
Consider featuring an elegant bird and floral design like Massingberd Blossom on one wall. Used this way, Massingberd Blossom will create a focal point within a space, perfect for a relaxed sitting area. Consider the bright, striking Verditer colourway for a space filled with character and design interest.
5. Create a cosy living room with a dark, luxurious wallpaper
The right wallpaper can transform your living room into a cosy haven where you can escape and unwind at the end of each day. Choose dark, moody colourways to achieve an ambience of luxury, depth and richness in your living room.
Our Carlton House Terrace wallpaper has been surface-printed. The result is an exquisite, painterly finish that elevates walls with beautiful texture. Combine the Blue Plume colourway with Hicks’ Blue on the woodwork for a sophisticated, navy blue living room. Ensure you incorporate every surface for a luxurious, all-encompassed effect.
Alternatively, embrace this style and create a truly impactful scheme using black wallpaper in your living room. Black wallpaper colourways like Aderyn - Arquerite Dark and Pavona - Maeve exude luxury, adding captivating depth and drama to your living room scheme. Combine these wallpapers with related dark hues to achieve a moody, cocooning interior.
6. Embrace botanical patterns to bring the outdoors into your living room
Many of our wallpapers are inspired by the beauty of the outdoors and its soothing, comforting qualities. Green, botanical wallpapers work well in living rooms that adjoin your garden space, to frame your view of the outdoors. Embrace these bold, contemporary prints all over to create a wonderful sense of connection with the natural world.
Animal Kingdom is a fun, quirky scene featuring animals like tigers, elephants and polar bears amongst tropical plants. Packed with design interest and imagination, this inviting wallpaper comes in seven colourways. Consider the Pea colourway to infuse your living space with muted, earthy tones and warm, welcoming greens.
7. Add texture to a small living room with an all-over print
When choosing a wallpaper for your living space, one of the most important considerations is the size of the room. Large-scale patterns and murals work well in spacious rooms to enhance the sense of grandeur. But, for more modest living rooms, consider smaller motifs like our all-over leaf print, Beech Nut.
Beech Nut is an inviting, contemporary design that achieves a beautiful textured wallpaper finish to produce a cosy, homely ambience. Combine the rich brown Córdoba colourway with natural wood finishes. Add soft, tactile fabrics for a scheme that exudes warmth and comfort.
Browse our wallpapers by colour, collection, style or period to discover the perfect design for your living room. Or visit our inspiration gallery to explore more wallpaper ideas for your living room transformation.