Wallpaper Home Decor Ideas (17 Creative Ways To Decorate With Wallpaper)

These wallpaper decor ideas offer a treasure trove of creative ways to add pops of color and pattern throughout your home, using everything from leftover scraps to full rolls. Whether you’re looking to refresh a small corner or transform an entire room, these versatile tips will show you how to decorate with wallpaper.

If you’re looking for an easy way to add personality to your home, these wallpaper decor ideas are a good place to start.

Wallpaper brings instant color, pattern, and style to a space—and the best part is, it doesn’t have to stay on the walls.

There are so many creative ways to decorate with wallpaper, whether you want to take on a bigger project or just try something small to change up your space.

In fact, some of my favorite decorating wallpaper projects don’t require much at all.

A few scraps of unused wallpaper are all you need for some fun DIYs, but I’ll also share ideas that use whole rolls if you’re ready to make more of a statement.

Whether you’re after a quick update or a bold new look, these unique ways to use wallpaper will help you bring a little extra style to any room.

Note: Some of the images below cannot be pinned due to copyright restrictions.

1 | Dress Up Your Shelves

Wallpaper is an easy way to add interest to bookshelves by covering the backs of them.  

It comes in so many colors and patterns that you are sure to find something to match your decor.

In this picture, they have even selected books with covers that match the color scheme.

2 | Make Book Covers

Speaking of matching book covers to your color scheme, this wallpaper craft idea will help if that’s the look you’re going for.

You can easily make books go with your of your decor by creating a cover for them out of wallpaper.  

It doesn’t take very much paper and it helps protect the books as well.

3 | Line Drawers and Shelves

If you like to make your drawers and shelves look pretty, adding some wallpaper is a really easy way to do it.  

I used the left over wallpaper from my office to line the drawer where my keyboard and mouse go.

Which also provides the added (unexpected) bonus of acting like a mouse pad.

4 | Create Easy Artwork

To make easy and inexpensive art, cut co-ordinating pieces of wallpaper to fit into matching frames.  

Then install them in a grid pattern to make a statement on your wall.

I used wallpaper with a fish pattern as background “art” for my Hawaiian turtles collection (and as you can see, the top of the shelf has turned into an unplanned cat bed).

I have also used a wallpaper mural to create a large custom picture to hang on my office wall.

5 | Add An Inexpensive Backsplash

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to update your kitchen backsplash, try wallpaper.  

I absolutely love this Birds and Butterflies pattern from Schumacher* (although it’s not the inexpensive way to go!)

To make cleanup easier, make sure to use the washable kind.

6 | Wallpaper The Stairs

To add some interest to your stairs, try putting up wallpaper on the risers.

Sara at Alice and Lois used a blue and white pattern that makes the risers look like they are tiled.

But it’s actually peel and stick wallpaper.

You can find more information about this DIY project (and the wallpaper that she used) HERE.

7 | Make a Headboard

For a bedroom that needs something behind the bed, you can build an inexpensive headboard using wallpaper.

This one uses some molding and one roll of wallpaper to create a beautiful backdrop.

You can read the tutorial HERE.

8 | Cover a Lamp Shade

If you have some lampshades that need an update, wallpapering the outside of them is an easy way to get them to go with your decor.

9 | Decoupage A Table

You can also use wallpaper to makeover a table, chest or any other piece of furniture that needs an update.

With some Mod Podge and a little paint, Angie from Postcards From The Ridge made this little table into something creative and unique.

Find out how she did it HERE.

10 | Update A Counter Top

I did something similar on a little bigger scale by wallpapering the counter top in my craft room.

It’s a really inexpensive way to make a few boards of MDF look so much better (and I got rid of all the unused wallpaper from my bedroom at the same time.)

If you’re going to do this in a heavily used area, you’ll need to add a few coats of urethane to protect the paper.  

For more information, read how to cover a counter top with wallpaper.

11 | Make Pegboard Look Better

To make plain brown pegboard look better, wallpaper is a great way to add some color and pattern to it.  

Cut it to size, glue it on to the pegboard and punch out the holes…that’s all there is to it.

For more details, read the step-by-step instructions for wallpapering pegboard.

12 | Cover Storage Tins and Boxes

Wallpaper also works well for turning inexpensive tins and jars into pretty storage containers.

I use hooks to hang them on the pegboard.

But they could just as easily be used as a pen holder on the desk.

For more details, read how to wallpaper storage tins.

13 | Add Wallpaper Panels

Speaking of my bedroom…

This was a case where I didn’t have enough wallpaper to do the whole room.

So I created some panels with picture molding and wallpapered the inside.

That way you can make the panels whatever size you have enough wallpaper to cover. And you still get the look you wanted in the room.

To get the instructions, read how to create wallpaper panels.

14 | Create A Focal Wall

Another option if you don’t have enough wallpaper for the whole room is to create a focal point with it.

Cover a screen, part of a wall or one full wall in a room.

You’ll still get the impact of wallpaper without needing to hang a lot of it.

15 | Cover Your Switch Plates

If you have a room that has wallpaper on the walls, you can use up the leftover bits by making covers for your switch plates.

That way they blend right into the wall.

Visit familyhandyman.com to get the instructions on how to do it.

16 | Make a DIY dry erase calendar

If you like using dry erase calendars (like I do), you can use leftover wallpaper and a frame to create a custom version that matches your decor.

It’s a super easy DIY project that doesn’t cost very much.

And I think it actually works better than the store-bought dry erase calendars.

For all the details, read how to make a DIY dry erase calendar.

17 | Create Ceiling Interest

Okay, this option may not be the easiest way to use up your unused wallpaper, but it looks so good on the ceiling that I had to include it. (For the easiest way to do it, read our instructions for installing wallpaper on the ceiling).

The wallpaper immediately adds interest and that “custom” feel to the space.

It also has the added benefit of covering up any imperfections in the surface (although it won’t work over really bumpy surfaces like popcorn).

And it’s recently become a trend! So if you’re looking for more inspiration, see our list of wallpapered ceiling ideas.

That’s it for my ways to use up unused wallpaper. Hopefully you’ve found some inspiration to get rid of the scraps that you’ve been storing.

Other wallpaper ideas

• Tips for putting up wallpaper so it can be removed easily
• How to hang wallpaper (the easy way)
• How to create the look of Chinoiserie wallpaper with paint

Do you have any other great ways to use up unused  wallpaper? Tell us in the section below.