Wallpaper buying guide
When it comes to revamping your interior walls, there’s a wallpaper for every room and style – 1000s, in fact. With so much to choose from, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but have no fear! Let’s navigate the wonderful world of wallpaper together in our wallpaper buying guide.
Wallpaper by room
With wallpaper, it isn’t a case of ‘one size fits all’. Each room in your home has a different environment with specific things to consider. Let’s learn!
Living rooms & bedrooms
Your living areas tend to be where you spend the most time, and wallpaper is a popular way of bringing your rooms to life! Whether you go for a plain wallpaper to dress up with wall art and photo frames, or go for something patterned, you shouldn’t be afraid to show off some personality.
You can wallpaper all 4 walls, or mix and match with plain & patterns – it’s completely up to you. Picking up the colour of a in a pattern is a nice way of bringing some symmetry to your interior décor.
Or why not go bold with a feature wall? Saving your statement wallpaper for one wall draws the attention and makes the room pop. We love using feature wallpaper on the wall behind the bed or sofa.
Kitchens & bathrooms
These areas of your home are damp, humid, and prone to splashes, so our bathroom wallpaper and kitchen wallpaper is designed to stand up to these challenges!
Not only are these wallpapers much easier to apply than tiles, but they’re also moisture resistant, splash resistant, and wipeable in case of spills – very handy for busy homes. Look out for extra features like washable and scrubbable for even more hardwearing choices.
Kids’ rooms
It’s great for the kids to have their own space, and you can really make it theirs with our colourful range of kids’ wallpaper in various designs and motifs. If your kids like to be creative with colouring pencils, it’s probably a good idea to get washable wallpaper… just in case.
You can also go all-out with a wall mural and devote an entire wall to their favourite show or hobby. There’s plenty to choose from including football, supercars, dinosaurs, princesses… there’s something for every kid.
Hallways & corridors
Your hallway is the first impression that people have of your home, so don’t neglect it! Make it nice and welcoming with our fantastic range of hallway wallpaper which is stylish and easy to wipe clean.
Finish off your hallway with a quirky welcome mat, coat stand, and shoe storage to keep things tidy – especially when you have guests.
Choose your colour
The colour of your wallpaper isn’t just a matter of taste; it can make a difference to the feel of your rooms as well.
For small rooms and areas which don’t get lots of natural light, go for a wallpaper which is a lighter colour. It’s well worth looking at metallic and glitter wallpaper too, which naturally reflects light to make the most of darker spots in your home.
For bright and airy rooms, you can experiment with darker shades to make things feel cosier. Your bedroom can look fantastic with darker wallpapers and textured finishes to encourage relaxation.
What’s your style?
Wallpaper gives you the opportunity to be endlessly creative. You don’t need to be an artist to create a beautiful feature in your home using wallpaper!
We’ve helpfully split our wallpapers into popular design categories to help you. Animal lover? There’s plenty of animal wallpaper to make your own jungle oasis in your home!
If you’re stuck for ideas, try reflecting the world outside in your wallpaper choice. There are leaf and floral designs for rural settings, or brick effect wallpapers look great in urban apartments for an industrial feel.
If you’re going for traditional décor, timeless designs like damask and panel wallpaper are ideal for creating a classic cosy vibe. Going more modern? Try out some stylish geometric wallpaper for a neat finish.
Wallpaper finishes
If your walls are a bit lumpy and bumpy, using a textured wallpaper will help to cover up imperfections in your walls. Using a liner paper can also help if you’re worried about the wallpaper sticking, which is similar to using a primer before you paint.
Metallic and glitter wallpaper reflect light, making them a great choice for darker rooms and feature walls where you want to make a statement!
Paste the paper vs. paste the wall
Paste the paper
This is the traditional way of applying wallpaper to your wall, which involves applying wallpaper paste to the paper and letting it sink in before sticking onto the wall. You’ll need a pasting table for this, and can be a little time consuming compared to…
Paste the wall
If you’re not blessed with space or want to make your life a little easier, paste the wall wallpaper (as the name suggests) involves applying paste directly to the wall before applying your wallpaper.
Applying wallpaper this way means it’s easier to adjust the wallpaper once it’s on the wall, perfect for patterns or wall murals, and can make it easier to remove air bubbles. Paste the wall wallpaper also tends to be easier to peel off when you fancy a change!
For an in-depth guide on hanging wallpaper, you can read our blog on how to apply & remove wallpaper.
How much wallpaper do I need?
Wallpaper is sold in rolls and, depending on the size of your project, you may need multiple rolls to cover your wall. Here’s how to do the maths!
- Measure the width of all the walls you’ll be papering with a tape measure
- Divide this number by the width of your chosen wallpaper to give you the number of drops (meaning the number of individual panels to cover the wall)
- Measure the height of the wall from the top of the skirting board to the ceiling, adding on an extra 15cm as a safety buffer
- Multiply this number by the number of drops to give you a grand total of how much wallpaper you need
Why is the batch number important?
Sometimes there can be small differences in the colour between 2 batches of wallpaper, so if you’re buying multiple rolls, grab them from the same batch number so they match up perfectly.
Hopefully our handy guide has helped you traverse the vast world of wallpaper! When you’re ready to get started, visit our wallpaper hub to see the whole collection.
If you’ve transformed your space, we’d love to see your wallpaper creations! Get in touch with us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & X.