Wallpaper Ideas for Living Room: Styles, Colors & Design Tips for Modern Homes

If you’re planning to elevate the look of your living room and want something that instantly changes the vibe without a full makeover and renovation, wallpaper is one of the smartest ways to do so.

From sleep geometric shapes and large-scale murals to 3D effect and textured designs, the right wallpaper can make your living room look and feel stylish that impresses every guest that enters your home.

In this guide on wallpaper ideas for the living room, we’ll walk you through the best designs, lighting and color choices, and design tips to get you started on elevating your living room.

What Makes a Great Living Room Wallpaper?

Since the living room is the main area of gathering for both your guests and family, the wallpaper should deliver style and functionality. Here are the three aspects that make a great living room wallpaper:

• Impresses Guests: The moment you guests enter the living room, they should be in awe of the design and impact of the wallpaper. The wallpaper should make a first good impression that leaves them thinking about your living room for days.
• Sets the Mood and Ambience: It’s in the living room where you converse with your guests, spend time with your family, and relax for the day. The wallpaper should be able to set the mood and atmosphere for all your activities carried out in the room.
• Versatility: A great wallpaper design should be versatile, fitting any interior style, adapting to various room sizes, and have creative applications.

How to Choose the Right Wallpaper Design for Your Living Room?

With so many colors and patterns to choose from, it can be nerve wracking to find a suitable design for your living room. Therefore, to lend a helping hand, we have put down all the following important factors you need to understand before choosing the perfect design:

1. Space

Choosing a wallpaper pattern you love might get the job done, however, the impact the pattern will create based on your room size is a whole different story. You must evaluate the size of your room and accordingly pick the wallpaper color and pattern.

• For smaller living rooms, opt for lighter tones and smaller, minimalist patterns to give the room the illusion of space.
• For expansive living rooms, you have the flexibility and creativity to experiment with larger, darker wallpaper or mural patterns.

2. Color

Color influences so many aspects of our life and who said it doesn’t do the same for your living room? Depending on the color shade and tone, colors create the ambience and mood you desire.

• If you prefer to have a living room that feels airy and relaxing, opt for wallpapers with lighter and brighter colors.
• If you want an ambient and dramatic appearance of the living room, choose dark, bold wallpaper shades.

3. Light

In interior design, wallpaper and light go hand in hand; they are inseparable from each other. The right lighting can emphasize wallpaper textures, highlight colors, and enhance the atmosphere.

• If your living room receives ample natural light, it will highlight wallpapers with deep colors such as emerald green as well as wallpapers with subtle patterns or motifs on them.
• For living rooms with less or low natural light, wallpaper with brighter and lighter shades such as pastels and even metallic finishes work best.
• If you have a living room with warm artificial lighting, opt for cozy colors such as warm beige, olive, or wine-colored wallpapers for a warm, cozy vibe.

4. Style

Today, you have a plethora of interior styles and aesthetics to choose from, allowing a diverse range of expression. From minimalist and Scandinavian to boho-chic and maximalism, the choices are endless.

• Based on your living room interior style– minimalist, Japandi, or contemporary– you can choose a wallpaper design that best suits the aesthetic.

5. Pattern

Last but not least, if you have a particular pattern or design in mind, you can pick it as long as you customize it based on your room lighting, scale, and existing decor.

• You can select from a range of patterns such as florals, abstract, textured, geometric, or block prints.

Stunning Wallpaper Ideas That Instantly Elevate Your Living Room

Here are some of the most popular and stunning wallpapers ideas from Magicdecor to take your living room from drab to dazzling:

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1. Large-Scale Murals

If there is one wallpaper design that will outshine your living room, it’s a large-scale mural. Their large scale motifs and artistic creativity change the appearance of your living room, taking your walls from simple to splendor.

2. Nature-Inspired Prints

A classic design that never goes out of style and continues to evolve with time. Nature-inspired prints like florals or botanical prints exude a fresh and lively ambience in your living room that makes the space feel inviting and relaxing.

3. Geometric Patterns

When it comes to geometric patterns, the choices are never-ending. Not only are the designs a great addition to modern homes, they also bring about a visual sense of order and rhythm. You can choose from honeycombs, quatrefoil, chevrons, Art Deco, and so many more patterns.

4. Textured Designs

Textured wallpaper designs are gaining quite the popularity in interior design due to its tactile and luxurious layer. Using textured wallpapers such as natural stone, grasscloth, marble or brick effect as an accent wall, creates a stunning focal point in your living room.

5. 3D Effect

If you want to awe your guests the moment they enter your living room, then go for wallpapers with 3D effect. 3D wallpapers add depth and dimension to your wall that gives the dramatic illusion your guests will be impressed with.

Scandinavian-Inspired Living Room Wallpaper Ideas

If you have a Scandinavian-inspired interior style, here are the living room wallpaper ideas that suit it best:

1. Patterns

• Opt for geometric shapes like zig-zag, herringbone, or fishbone lines that are clean and minimal.
• Minimal motifs of leaves, flowers, and branches in pleasant colors also suit this interior style.

2. Color Palette

• Light neutral colors such as taupe, ivory, beige, blush, and grey give the living room a timeless appeal.
• A pop of black and white in the wallpapers also adds contrast.

Industrial-Style Living Room Wallpaper Ideas

If you want an edgy, industrial look for your home, here are some industrial-style wallpaper ideas that will give your space a rugged vibe:

1. Patterns

• Exposed bricks, natural stone, cement, marble, and metallic finishes really introduce the industrial, raw look to your walls.
• Style it as an accent wall with leather sofas and metallic elements to balance out the toughness with comfort.

2. Color Palette

• Choose wallpapers in the shades of dark brown, red, steel, grey, or off-white for the industrial vibe.
• Layer it with warm lighting to enhance the rugged, raw look.

Boho-Chic Living Room Wallpaper Idea

If you’re free-spirited and you want your home to reflect that, boho-chic wallpapers are one way to do so. Here are some electric wallpaper ideas that blend free-spirited vibes with modern comfort.

1. Patterns

• Abstract shapes, oversized botanical and floral prints, Moroccan tiles, paisleys, and geometric shapes.

2. Color Palette

• Choose wallpapers with rich, earthy tones like terracotta, mustard, olive, and brown for extra coziness.
• Layer rugs, textiles, wall hangings, and plants to complement the wallpaper.

Luxurious Living Room Wallpaper Ideas

For a luxurious living room vibe that exudes a high-end ambience, then choose the following patterns and colors:

1. Pattern

• Go for classic damask, baroque, chinoiserie, Art Deco, even marble-effect with jewel or metallic accents.
• Geometric shapes with metallic shimmer also exude sophistication.

2. Color Palette

• Select rich and deep colors like burgundy, emerald, navy, or charcoal grey for a moody, intimate vibe.
• Balance a tinge of gold or silver on these wallpaper colors for an added touch of luxury.

Which Type of Wallpaper is Best For Your Living Room?

Here is a tabular comparison of wallpaper materials, so you can pick the best option for your living room:

Living Room Size–Based Guidance for Wallpaper

Your wallpaper selection for the living room should align with the dimensions of the space for maximum impact. Measure your living room wall dimensions and accordingly deduce under which of the following category does it fall under:

1. Small Living Rooms

Opt for subtle wallpaper motifs like geometric prints, minimal floral prints, or stripes in lighter shades like pastels to avoid overwhelming the room and making it feel cramped than it already is.

2. Large Living Rooms

If you have a spacious living room, choose bold patterns like large-scale murals, 3D effect, or textured wallpapers in dark hues like navy, terracotta, or emerald green as they won’t shrink in size on a generous wall space.

How Lighting Changes the Look of Living Room Wallpaper

The staging of a wallpaper is not just limited to pattern selection and installation, light also plays a fundamental role in shaping the perception of colors and patterns present on the wallpaper. But how does lighting really affect the look of the living room wallpaper? Let’s find out:

1. With Natural Light

Natural light amplifies light-colored and dark-colored wallpapers, making the colors on lighter shades appear more vivid and the dark ones gain more depth.

2. With Artificial Light

Artificial light, such as lamps, pendant lights, or LED, used during the nights can also greatly enhance the look of your wallpaper. Additionally, if you layer the lighting in the living room, the space will look warm and ambient, perfect for evening gatherings.

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Common Living Room Wallpaper Mistakes

It’s easy to get caught in the excitement of choosing a wallpaper for your living room, however, a few mistakes here and there can impact the wallpaper project. Therefore, we have listed down common mistakes to avoid to ensure a successful end result:

1. Not Considering the Scale of Your Living Room

This is one of the most common mistakes, if not considered, can impact the visual look of your living room. As mentioned above, small rooms benefit from subtle patterns and lighter colors while large prints and bold colors work well in large rooms.

2. Poor Planning for the Wallpaper’s Placement

You can place an order for a wallpaper design, get it installed and make things easier for you. However, proper planning on which wall your wallpaper will be placed, what’s the exact dimensions of that wall, and such things are crucial.

3. Not Prepping the Wall Surface Well

Applying wallpaper on dirty, uneven, or moldy walls causes more harm than good. The purpose behind prepping the wall before installation is to have an even surface that allows the glue to properly adhere to the wallpaper, preventing any bubbles, wrinkles, or peeling edges.

4. Not Considering Maintenance and Durability

While a wallpaper’s primary purpose is to elevate the aesthetics of your space, some materials require more maintenance than the others. If you’re choosing a fabric wallpaper, the maintenance might be more. But, if you’re choosing non-woven or vinyl-backed materials, cleaning and maintenance becomes easier.

How to Maintain and Clean Your Living Room Wallpaper

Maintenance practices preserve and expand the life of your wallpaper, ensuring it continues to shine and function as the day it was installed. Here are some wallpaper maintenance and cleaning tips:

• Regular Dusting: Regular, gentle dusting with a soft microfibre ensures your wallpaper doesn’t have a lot of dust buildup or look faded. Pay extra attention to the corners and edges where dust usually collects.
• Spot Cleaning: In case of spills or stains, use a mild washing soap and wet sponge to spot clean the affected area before it becomes one with the wallpaper. Avoid scrubbing the wallpaper harshly to prevent tear or fading.
• Seasonal Check-ins: Every three to six months or so, inspect your wallpaper for peeling edges, bubbling, or tears. Fix these minor issues immediately before they get out of hand and cost you expensive repairs.

Elevate Your Living Room with the Right Wallpaper

When you finally find a wallpaper that fits your living room, it feels like the space has been diffused with a new personality, and rightfully so. Now it feels warmer, freshers, or simply looks more put-together than before.

Whether you’ve gone for minimalist neutrals, nature-inspired motifs or something dramatic like 3D effect, we hope your living room starts to feel like a space you actually enjoy spending time in.

FAQs

1. Is it better to install dark-colored and heavy patterns wallpaper in a compact room? 

Not really as dark-colored and large patterned-wallpapers make a small room feel noisy and compact. To create the illusion of space and airiness, it’s best to select wallpapers with lighter shades and minimal prints.

2. Which are some popular designs for the living room?

Some of the most popular designs for the living room include 3D effect, textured wallpapers, nature-inspired motifs, and geometric shapes.

3. Are 3D wallpapers suitable for the living rooms? 

Absolutely! 3D effect wallpapers work extremely well in living rooms as long as you strategically place them on a large wall or style them as an accent wall to add drama and depth without overwhelming the space.

4. How long do wallpapers typically last in the living room?

High-quality wallpapers from Magicdecor can typically last up to 10-15 years, depending on various factors such as installation process, wall health, maintenance, and care.