It’s Week 2 of the One Room Challenge and this week is all about living room wallpaper. There’s something about a well-designed accent wall—it can completely transform a living room. Wallpaper is one of the easiest and most impactful ways to make that statement, adding texture, pattern, and personality in a single step. In this post, I’m sharing how a simple wall makeover can breathe new life into your living room and reflect your unique style without a full renovation. I’ve done wallpaper in several rooms of our home so let’s walk through the these living room wallpaper ideas to refresh the heart of your home.
If you have followed along for awhile you know that I have installed wallpaper in all the One Room Challenges I have been a part of over the years. The first was in our laundry room which you can see pictured below. This is now the feature wall in our laundry room and is still in great shape.
The other space I installed peel and stick wallpaper was in my daughter’s room a couple years ago. As you can see by both installations wallpaper helps create a focal point in a room. However my favorite way to install wallpaper is as a single accent wall.
I have never installed traditional wallpaper and have only installed peel and stick wallpaper. I prefer these removable wallpapers for several reasons: usually more budget friendly than traditional wallpaper, is renter friendly, easier to install (no paste needed!).
When installing the wallpaper in the living room as accent walls next the fireplace I followed the exact installation that I had done previously for the laundry room. The peel and stick wallpaper in the living room came from Wall Pops which is the same place I bought the laundry room floral design.
If you are new to installing wallpaper I would suggest designs that have larger patterns and patterns that if you have a mistake you can fix without it being noticeable.
The nice thing about most wallpaper websites is that they will have a roll calculator on their website so that you can plug in your wall dimensions and it will tell you how many rolls of wallpaper you will need.
The first thing is to sand the texture off the walls if you have textured walls. All of the walls in our home have an orange peel like texture which if not sanded down will now allow the wallpaper to adhere properly.
Once the sanding was completed the walls were wiped clean and all dust and debris was removed before installing the wallpaper. Wallpops has instructions on their website and with the rolls of wallpaper about installation. As you can see I chose this grey wallpaper of dahlia flowers that are larger and repeated throughout.
The first step is to start on the left side and work your way to the right. In order to make sure the wallpaper is being installed so that it is level (which is important in an old home) you will want to measure from the wall the width of the wallpaper and create a line with a level. In doing this it will allow you to make sure each corresponding sheet is installed correctly across a room.
I will note that I made a mistake in installing the wallpaper on the left side of the fireplace as I cut off the wallpaper by the window of the second panel. However I should not have done this because then my next panel would not line up because the pattern is repeated. You are not able to tell but I did piece it together so that it all flowed correctly.
I like to use a plastic scraper when installing peel and stick wallpaper as this allows you to make sure the wallpaper is thoroughly stuck to the wall.
So whether you love bold patterns that make a statement or subtle textures that quietly elevate your space, wallpaper is a simple way to bring personality and style into your living room. With so many designs, colors, and application options available, there’s truly something for every taste and skill level. Don’t be afraid to experiment and make it your own—sometimes a single wall is all it takes to completely transform the feel of a room.
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