Which wallpaper should you choose for which room? Practical tips & inspiration

Choosing the right wallpaper doesn't start with the pattern, but with the room.

Every room has its own function, light, atmosphere and use. A bedroom calls for peace and softness, while a hallway mainly needs to withstand daily wear. In a children's room you want atmosphere and practical convenience, and in a bathroom the technical properties of the wallpaper are essential.

Furthermore, wallpaper does more than just dress a wall. Color, texture, material and pattern influence how a room looks and how you experience it.

In this blog we give practical tips and inspiration for choosing wallpaper per room. From the living room and bedroom to the hallway, bathroom and children's room.

Selected Tip: Always choose wallpaper based on three questions: how should the room feel, how is the room used and which quality suits it? Only then do you choose color and pattern.

Which wallpaper suits the living room?

Short answer: in the living room you can go almost any direction. Choose a natural texture for peace and warmth, a striking pattern for character or an acoustic quality when the room contains many hard materials.

The living room is often the place where different functions come together. You relax there, receive visitors, read, eat and perhaps children also play there.

That's why this is a room where wallpaper can really add something to the atmosphere.

Which wallpaper gives a living room a calm, luxurious appearance?

Look for natural colors and tactile materials.

Beige, sand, taupe, warm brown tones and grayed greens form a calm base. Combine them with wood, natural stone, wool and linen for a warm and layered interior.

A subtle texture can also do a lot. A linen look, grasscloth, raffia or other natural material gives the wall depth without the pattern dominating.

This fits beautifully with the trend of Tactile Walls: walls that are not only visually interesting, but through their material and texture almost invite you to touch them.

Can living room wallpaper be striking?

Absolutely. A living room is actually a good place for a statement wall.

Think of a large botanical pattern, a graphic design, a panoramic wallpaper or a rich texture. Especially behind a sofa, fireplace or dining table, a striking wall can create a clear focal point.

Within the collections of Selected Wallpapers you'll find wallpaper from Arte, Casamance, Elitis, Masureel, Pierre Frey and Thibaut, among others.

Which wallpaper is suitable for a living room with a lot of echo?

When a living room has many hard surfaces – for example a cast floor, large windows and a sleek ceiling – sound can easily bounce back.

Then acoustic wallpaper or another wall covering with sound-dampening properties is interesting. The fiber-rich or textile construction can absorb sound and reduce echo. Read all about acoustic wallpaper on this blog.

Which wallpaper do you choose for the bedroom?

Short answer: for a bedroom, preferably choose a color and material that radiate peace and security. Soft greens, grayed blues, warm neutral tones and tactile materials such as linen and textile are beautiful starting points.

The bedroom is a room where softness can play a major role.

That's not only in the color. The texture of a wall also determines how the room feels.

A smooth wall can be sleek and calm, while a woven or natural wall covering adds warmth and depth.

Which wallpaper color brings peace to the bedroom?

There is no color that has the same effect for everyone. However, you can look at the atmosphere that different color groups evoke.

Green feels natural and relaxed.
Blue can appear calm and serene.
Beige, sand and taupe give warmth and security.
Deeper brown tones make a bedroom intimate and cocooning.
Soft warm colors can give a bit more energy.

Do you want to wake up every morning in a room that feels a bit sunnier? Then a soft yellow, peach or terracotta shade can be surprisingly beautiful.

The most important thing is that the color matches you, the natural light and the rest of your interior.

Is linen wallpaper suitable for the bedroom?

Yes, the bedroom is actually one of the most beautiful rooms for linen wallpaper.

Real linen wallpaper has a natural fiber structure and subtle color nuances. This creates a wall that looks rich and refined without being prominently present.

However, the material is more fragile than, for example, vinyl. That's why you choose real linen especially when the wall is touched little and the experience of the material is more important than maximum practical applicability.

When is expensive linen wallpaper worth the investment?

When you consciously choose the appearance and experience of a natural material and the room is suitable for it.

Real linen wallpaper is not a practical choice because it has to withstand everything. It's a luxury material choice.

The natural fibers, small irregularities and subtle variations make the surface special. That's part of the charm.

Linen therefore comes into its own especially in:

• bedrooms;
• luxurious living rooms;
• stylish offices;
• boutique-like interiors;
• rooms where there is little direct contact with the wall.

In a busy hallway, children's room or humid space, a stronger or more wipeable quality such as vinyl wallpaper is often wiser.

Luxury doesn't automatically mean practical. It's about the right quality in the right place.

Which wallpaper suits the hallway?

Short answer: for a heavily used hallway, preferably choose a strong, wear-resistant and easily wipeable quality, such as a suitable vinyl quality.

The hallway gets a lot of wear and tear daily. Coats, bags, shoes, children and pets all move along the same walls.

Here the technical quality of the wallpaper is therefore at least as important as the pattern.

Why is vinyl wallpaper suitable for the hallway?

Vinyl wallpaper has a strong top layer and is easily wipeable with suitable qualities. This makes it a practical choice for rooms where the wall is used more intensively.

But practical doesn't have to be boring at all.

Especially in the hallway you can use a striking pattern or deep color. You stay there relatively briefly, so a pattern that might feel too present in the living room can work beautifully here.

Selected Tip: With a small or narrow hallway, don't automatically think light and plain. A well-chosen pattern can actually give the room character and depth.

Which wallpaper do you choose for the dining room?

Short answer: warm colors, rich textures and striking patterns work particularly beautifully in a dining room, because they contribute to an inviting and intimate atmosphere.

Terracotta, rust, olive green, deep blue tones, warm beige colors and brown tones are beautiful starting points.

Do you want to create the atmosphere of a boutique restaurant? Then choose a darker palette in combination with wood, natural stone, brass and warm lighting.

A panoramic wallpaper can also work beautifully here.

A landscape, botanical scene or artistic pattern immediately gives the dining room more depth and makes the wall part of the experience.

Which wallpaper is suitable for the children's room?

Short answer: choose a wallpaper that adds atmosphere and imagination, but also look at the practical properties. For intensively used walls, wipeability and wear resistance are important considerations.

A children's room can be cheerful. Animals, flowers, stars, botanical patterns and imaginative landscapes can create their own world.

But it's smart not to look only at today.

A pattern that remains beautiful in a few years grows more easily with your child. Then let the age phase return in accessories, bedding and decoration.

Which colors work beautifully in a children's room?

Soft green, lilac, powder pink, light blue, warm yellow and sand are versatile colors.

Do you want to create a calm bedroom? Then choose a wallpaper with a soft design and few hard contrasts.

Can the wall be the eye-catcher? Then you can choose a striking pattern and keep the rest of the room calm.

Which wallpaper is practical for small children?

Look at the wipeability and wear resistance of the specific quality. A fragile natural material is beautiful, but not always the most logical choice for a wall where small hands, toys or other signs of use regularly pass by.

Selected Tip: Let the wallpaper determine the atmosphere and keep the accessories flexible. This way the room can change without having to re-wallpaper the wall.

Which wallpaper can go in the bathroom?

Short answer: yes, wallpaper can go in the bathroom, but not every quality and not in every place.

This is a room where you first need to look at the technical application and only then at the pattern.

For drier parts of the bathroom, suitable moisture-resistant or vinyl qualities can be applied. For direct wet zones, such as a shower, special waterproof systems are needed. Standard wallpaper is not suitable there.

That makes bathroom wallpaper particularly interesting: with the right technique you can go much further than a standard tiled wall. We have written an extensive blog about this.

Which wallpaper suits an office?

Short answer: for an office, choose a color and material that give peace, but that also match your personality and way of working.

Soft greens, blue tones and warm neutral colors are beautiful starting points.

A natural texture can give the room peace, while a graphic pattern or special mural can actually be inspiring.

Can acoustic wallpaper help in an office?

Yes. Especially in a home office with hard floors, large windows and few soft materials, acoustic wall covering can help reduce echo.

That's not only more pleasant during work, but also during video calls.

Acoustic wall covering combines functionality with appearance. The Selected Wallpapers collection includes for example Texdecor Vinacoustic, but also various other high-quality acoustic qualities.

Which wallpaper do you choose for the toilet?

Short answer: the toilet is an excellent room to show a bit more courage.

Because you stay here relatively briefly, you can choose a pattern that might be too striking in a larger living space.

Think of a dark botanical pattern, a graphic design, a mural or a rich color.

A small room can gain a grand appearance this way.

Here too: choose a quality that suits the use of the room.

Which wallpaper material suits which room?

Mainly doubting about the quality? Then this simple classification helps.

Linen wallpaper

Beautiful for: bedroom, living room and luxurious office. Especially interesting when tactility, warmth and luxury are important.

Natural wall covering

Think of: grasscloth, raffia, jute and other natural materials.

Beautiful for: living room, bedroom and dining room.
These materials add a natural, layered appearance.

Vinyl

Beautiful for: hallway, toilet and other intensively used rooms.
Practical and strong, without having to compromise on design.

Acoustic wall covering

Beautiful for: living room, open kitchen, office, bedroom and playroom.
Interesting when you want to improve the acoustics in addition to appearance.

Waterproof wall covering

Beautiful for: bathroom and specific wet zones.
Here the technical application is essential. A bathroom quality is not automatically suitable for direct contact with water.

How do you choose the right wallpaper color?

Don't start with the color you like, but with the atmosphere you want to create.

Ask yourself:

Do I want peace?
Look at soft greens, blues, sand tones and neutral colors.

Do I want warmth?
Think of beige, taupe, terracotta, rust and warm brown tones.

Do I want energy?
A warm color or striking pattern can give more dynamism.

Do I want luxury?
Don't only look at color, but especially at material and texture. A deep color in a rich texture can feel much more luxurious than the same color on a smooth wall.

Do I want a natural atmosphere?
Botanical patterns and natural materials fit beautifully with that.

And don't forget the light.

A color can appear very different in a north-facing room than in a sunny space. That's why a sample is so important.

How do you know if a wallpaper truly fits your space?

A wallpaper can look beautiful online and still turn out differently at home.

That's because on a screen you don't see how a material catches the light, how large the pattern really is, or how the color works next to your floor and furniture.

Therefore, always order a sample before making a final choice.

View the sample:

• in the morning light;
• during the day;
• in the evening under artificial light;
• next to your floor;
• next to curtains and upholstery;
• with wood, stone and other materials in the space.

Moreover, don't just look at the wall.

Ask yourself:

Does this wallpaper fit the way I use this space?

That answer might lead you to ultimately choose a different material than you initially thought.

What is ultimately the best wallpaper?

There is no universally best wallpaper.

The best wallpaper is the wallpaper that fits the space and how you want to experience that space.

A soft linen texture can transform a bedroom into a peaceful cocoon. A strong vinyl quality can make a hallway both beautiful and practical. A bold pattern can give a small toilet character. And acoustic wall covering can make a large living room not only more beautiful, but also sound more comfortable.

That's why at Selected Wallpapers we always look beyond just the pattern.

Color. Material. Quality. Light. Acoustics. Use. Atmosphere.

When these elements come together, a wall is created that is not only beautiful to look at, but truly becomes part of the interior.

Still torn between different directions? Then start with a few samples and compare them at home. Sometimes you only know which choice is the right one when you actually see the material in the space.