15 wallpaper ideas for living rooms – elevate your interior design instantly

The best living room wallpaper ideas will enhance space and elevate your surroundings for the perfect makeover. Here's how to get the look right.

Striking wallpaper in a modern living room with gray couch and yellow accents
(Image credit: Sofa.com)

The right wallpaper ideas for living rooms can totally transform your space quickly, easily and usually pretty cheaply. Plus, if you want to DIY, you can give your lounge the perfect makeover in just a weekend. 

Whether you want to cover all four walls or if you want to focus on one corner or particular area, wallpapering your lounge space is a fine way to inject more personality into your interior design scheme.

With gorgeous classic and contemporary designs to swoon over right now, you can get impact, the illusion of more space, chilled out vibes and so much more with careful selection of this decorative wall covering.

Which wallpaper is best for a living room?

'The living room is usually the most used room in any household; it’s where we relax at the end of the day, where we entertain our family and friends when they pop around. Plus, your living room says a lot about you; are you all about cozy comfort, or do you enjoy bold and vivid colours? As the source of such joy and comfort in our lives, it's the perfect place to channel your creative flair to create a look and feel that suits you. As a truly versatile interior choice, wallpaper can add so much to your living room, and with so many themes and designs to choose from,  there’s something for every style of home.' Says Alex Whitecroft, Head of Design at I Want Wallpaper.

1. Choose traditional living room wallpaper in a modern space

Canary feature wallpapered walls in bohemian lounge with white furnishings and wooden rocking chair

(Image credit: Little Greene)

Although classic patterned wallpapers do lend themselves to period properties like this space, the color schemes they come in means they can work in more modern settings too – so don’t rule them out! This stunning Crowe Hall Lane design in gilt looks fabulous in this high-ceilinged living room. And the white/creamy background of the wallpaper will keep your space feeling light and bright. The accessories have been chosen to perfectly fit with the colours from the wallpaper in mind to create a lovely cohesive look.

2. Wallpaper art deco into a small corner of your lounge

Busy wallpaper print in corner with velour low bar chair

(Image credit: Farrow & Ball)

The Tourbillon wallpaper by Farrow & Ball makes a seamless addition to a lost living room corner. Keep the rest simple for added luxe. Velour chair, tall floor lamp, done.

3. Combine painted trim with wallpaper 

Green printed living room wallpaper with grey sofa shaggy rug and mid century chest

(Image credit: Little Greene)

Painted ornate wall trim makes living room wallpaper pop furthermore. The darker shade of green elevates the design and level of sophistication in this cozy setup also.

4. Pick a grown up jungle wallpaper print 

Blue print wallpaper in lounge with herringbone wooden flooring, orange accent chair and white coffee table

(Image credit: Cole & Son)

Jungle print wallpaper for a living room has been on trend for ages now, and our love for the palm leaves and banana plants aren't going anywhere. We love Cole & Son's Palm Jungle and a chic, grown up take on the style and there are so many colourways to choose from so you will definitely find something to suit your space. Note how gorgeous the burnt orange looks with the blue – a color combo we are for sure going to test out. And about making a ceiling feel higher? Any wallpaper with a vertical stripe (like this one, even if it's subtly hidden amongst the leaves) will make a room feel taller.

5. Pick an exotic print that's not too hectic

Blue printed wallpaper with large indoor tree and chaise longue

(Image credit: Mind The Gap)

Inspired by the beauty of original Ajraks, MADDER is an authentic Gujarat style pattern created with wood block printing natural dyes. An ancient design showing repetitive handmade geometric motifs combined with elements which symbolise nature, such as stars and flowers. Available in two colour versions: grey and the original red – but we think the gray (above) is perfect for a living room. If anything we'd guess it was an exuberant Scandi design. Either way, it's fab.

6. Create a fresh look with pastel shades

Walk in the Woods wallpaper in putty and sage with light pink sofa


(Image credit: Louise Body)

Featuring blackbirds, leaves and branches in pretty soft pinks and sage greens, this delightful living room wallpaper design was originally created by hand-printing with a lino block. It’s available in five other colorways and is a digitally printed ‘paste the wall’ wallpaper. Team with candy accessories and furniture and hints of white for a fresh look. 

Walk in the Woods wallpaper in putty and sage, 52cm wide, £15 per metre, Louise Body

7. Add copper tones with a metallic wallpaper

John Lewis Tiger's Eye wallpaper with mustard couch and decorative cushions


(Image credit: John Lewis)

Copper is all the rage right now, so create a feature wall with hints of it like this design. It’s a good example of how wallpaper can enhance a space rather than take it over. The velvet sofa is perfectly matched and it pulls the scheme together, with a mixture of plain and decorative cushions to add interest and depth to room. ' 

8. Go bold with monochrome living room wallpaper ideas

Monochrome living room wallpaper with electric blue soda and modern wall art


(Image credit: Osborne & Little Minaret)

If you’re feeling brave and want to go for statement living room wallpaper ideas then pick a monochromatic wallpaper in an all-over stripe. This design is 100 per cent eye-catching and will certainly create a wow from guests as they walk in. Add pops of colour to balance the look, like with this electric blue sofa and pink ceiling. 

Osborne & Little Minaret wallpaper, £76 a roll, Jane Clayton & Company. Eden sofa in Omega II Italian velvet in azure, from £1,299, Sofa Workshop

9. Create a calming space with indigo hues

Striking wallpaper in a modern living room with gray couch and yellow accents


(Image credit: Sofa.com)

Invoke a calming atmosphere with this Japanese-inspired Shibori design – a striking geometric pattern that has been printed on non-woven ‘paste the wall’ wallpaper. This is a good example on how to use a decorative wallpaper around a bay window, too, cleverly creating a frame around each window. Follow the lead here and use mustard, gray and navy accessories to recreate the look.

Indigo blue wallpaper, £50 a roll, Graham & Brown. Otto chaise, from £3,110, Porter rug, from £169, both sofa.com

10. Opt for a bold feature wall in sunny hues 

Living room with white couch, yellow floral print wallpaper and geometric print rug


(Image credit: Little Greene)

To create an statement you don’t need to paper the whole room; in fact, you’ll make more of a focal point if you don’t! This beautiful print looks perfect in this all-white room; the stand-alone decorative aspect makes it feel like a piece of art instead of wallpaper. Pull out key colors like the sunset orange, sky blue and citrus and look for vases, cushions and throws in those shades to add more color to the scheme. 

Loriini in Jasper wallpaper, £94.50 a roll, from the Archive Trials II collection, Little Greene

11. Go retro with your living room wallpaper ideas

Retro pink wildflower wallpaper with mid-century tall table and blue ceramic teapot


(Image credit: Denver Dolly)

If you would love a Mid-Century modern living room, then consider a retro style wallpaper print. Charming and stylish, this wallpaper features abstract forms with illustrative textures and patterns and is inspired by the High Plains and Grasslands of the Mountain States. There are seven colors to choose from (shown here is Denver Dolly in a matt finish), all of which look great with retro style furniture and accessories.

12. Be creative with a colorful geometric print

Cole & Son prism wallpaper with metal side table and dramatic wall art


(Image credit: Cole & Son)

For a color explosion, look no further a living room wallpaper design that features a kaleidoscope of pinks, oranges, purples, blues and greens. Printed using a four colour separation process to create the best color results, this design is most definitely for color lovers and mimics the table angles perfectly.

13. Add interest to a simple space with an abstract print

Green abstract print wallpaper with wooden lazy chairs and low hanging white lantern


(Image credit: Wallpaper Direct)

For the ultimate in a large scale graphic design this bold print depicts branch formations from oak trees. Not for the faint hearted, it comes in five colorways: mustard, pale verdigris, stone, lido and (shown here) Douglas fir. Team with sleek modern furniture and super smart accessories.

14. Choose floral living room wallpaper ideas with gusto

Floral botanical wallpaper behind blue fabric couch in living room

(Image credit: I love wallpaper)

This lounge goes big with its botanical printed wallpaper, setting the tone as cool and energetic, all at the same time.

15. Wallpaper your chimney breast

arts and crafts house with fireplace and bookshelf

(Image credit: Little Greene)

This wallpapered chimney breast ignites all the cozy vibes in this living room space. Choose a textured print that nods to different hues you have around your room for more impact.

Which wallpaper can help a room feel bigger?

Combining natural lighting with reflective wallpaper designs can enhance a small space with style and ease. 'One of the most powerful elements we have in interior design is natural lighting, particularly when it comes to how it interacts with a space. And with wallpaper, the rich variety of materials and textures that define certain designs interact with natural light in a way that can make a room feel bigger and brighter in a truly dynamic way. When it comes to reflective wallpaper designs there are some many options to choose from. Embossed foil wallpaper combines texture and light to great effect, adding a sense of warmth without sacrificing the light feeling of the room. Light metallic wallpaper is brilliant for adding a layer of sophistication, while shimmer effects are great for catching the summer sunlight, which can make any space feel light and airy.' Adds Whitecroft.

Wallpaper is the way forward.

Sophie Warren-Smith

Sophie has been an interior stylist and journalist for over 22 years and has worked for many of the main interior magazines during that time both in-house and as a freelancer. On the side, as well as being the News Editor of indie magazine, 91, Sophie trained to be a florist in 2019 and launched The Prettiest Posy where she curates beautiful flowers for the modern bride. 

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