Decorating
10 Times Wallpapering a Ceiling was the Right Strategy
Don’t ignore the blank canvas a ceiling offers – wallpaper can transform it into a fabulous feature
It might be called wallpaper, but there’s another place this decorative material can work wonders, and that’s on a ceiling. OK, papering up there is a little trickier than on a vertical surface, but the effects are well worth the extra effort (and statement ceilings are set to be a huge trend this year).
Wallpapering the ceiling can add character, appear to adjust a room’s proportions for the better, or bring pattern into a scheme even when you’d thought the feat was impossible – among other neat tricks. Intrigued? Read on.
Wallpapering the ceiling can add character, appear to adjust a room’s proportions for the better, or bring pattern into a scheme even when you’d thought the feat was impossible – among other neat tricks. Intrigued? Read on.
Boost character
If you’ve inherited a home that’s lost its architectural features along the way, textured wallpaper can put back the detail that ornate cornicing and ceiling roses used to provide – as it did in this Victorian living room. Try a tile-style design like this Anaglypta to reproduce the intricacy and geometry the period features would have had.
A bluffer’s guide to identifying period features
If you’ve inherited a home that’s lost its architectural features along the way, textured wallpaper can put back the detail that ornate cornicing and ceiling roses used to provide – as it did in this Victorian living room. Try a tile-style design like this Anaglypta to reproduce the intricacy and geometry the period features would have had.
A bluffer’s guide to identifying period features
Put on a show
A shower room with tiling all round doesn’t have to be a decorative dullard. In this room, a colourful geometric wallpaper up high packs a punch, turning a small space into a real treat.
Consider using wallpaper on the top of the walls as well as the ceiling in a small space like this one, as it will give your choice greater impact than an above-only display. White wall tiles will let the paper’s colours do all the talking.
Polyvine Decorators Varnish is often used on paper in bathrooms to protect it from the effects of steam and splashes.
A shower room with tiling all round doesn’t have to be a decorative dullard. In this room, a colourful geometric wallpaper up high packs a punch, turning a small space into a real treat.
Consider using wallpaper on the top of the walls as well as the ceiling in a small space like this one, as it will give your choice greater impact than an above-only display. White wall tiles will let the paper’s colours do all the talking.
Polyvine Decorators Varnish is often used on paper in bathrooms to protect it from the effects of steam and splashes.
Stay constant
Wallpaper can be a solution to the dilemma of an unusually shaped room in which it’s hard to tell what’s wall and what’s ceiling. In this bedroom, instead of breaking up the surfaces with different treatments, the owners have finished them all with a single wallpaper.
With a recessive white ground and a pale green and grey motif, it avoids closing down the space, and the continuous hit of pattern draws the eye to the room’s height and interesting shape.
If you face a similar challenge, a small-scale pattern is best – it would be tricky to make a large motif work across the room’s angles.
Wallpaper can be a solution to the dilemma of an unusually shaped room in which it’s hard to tell what’s wall and what’s ceiling. In this bedroom, instead of breaking up the surfaces with different treatments, the owners have finished them all with a single wallpaper.
With a recessive white ground and a pale green and grey motif, it avoids closing down the space, and the continuous hit of pattern draws the eye to the room’s height and interesting shape.
If you face a similar challenge, a small-scale pattern is best – it would be tricky to make a large motif work across the room’s angles.
Hide the blemish
In this home, a ceiling in poor condition was made over with wallpaper. In a tall room like this one, using a dark paper that makes the ceiling appear lower isn’t an issue and can even make the room feel more intimate.
Bear in mind that the problems with a ceiling need to be purely cosmetic if you’re going to use wallpaper in this way to improve its looks. Call in a professional if you need to check the structure, and be aware there’s only so far you can go to disguise uneven surfaces – replastering may be required.
In this home, a ceiling in poor condition was made over with wallpaper. In a tall room like this one, using a dark paper that makes the ceiling appear lower isn’t an issue and can even make the room feel more intimate.
Bear in mind that the problems with a ceiling need to be purely cosmetic if you’re going to use wallpaper in this way to improve its looks. Call in a professional if you need to check the structure, and be aware there’s only so far you can go to disguise uneven surfaces – replastering may be required.
Go for broke
A pattern that might overwhelm a room if it were used on the walls can be just the ticket on the single surface of a ceiling. In this child’s bedroom, a multi-coloured design adds a burst of brilliance, while the walls are left in a restful blue that tones with the navy shades on the ceiling.
A pattern that might overwhelm a room if it were used on the walls can be just the ticket on the single surface of a ceiling. In this child’s bedroom, a multi-coloured design adds a burst of brilliance, while the walls are left in a restful blue that tones with the navy shades on the ceiling.
Paper for the long-term
Here’s another kid’s room scheme with a no-holds-barred ceiling pattern, this time set against white walls. This design is more sophisticated, so it’ll last through the childhood years – something that’s worth considering if you don’t want to be up a ladder again any time soon.
Here’s another kid’s room scheme with a no-holds-barred ceiling pattern, this time set against white walls. This design is more sophisticated, so it’ll last through the childhood years – something that’s worth considering if you don’t want to be up a ladder again any time soon.
Reflect on finish
If you’re finding it hard to create the decorative interest you’d like in a hallway, check out this space. The trellis-patterned wallpaper on the ceiling adds a layer of detail, and its metallic finish glows when illuminated by the pendant light.
The colour of the paper coordinates with the above-dado paintwork, while white panelling is crisp below dado height and protects the walls from scuffs and marks in the busy hall.
If you’re finding it hard to create the decorative interest you’d like in a hallway, check out this space. The trellis-patterned wallpaper on the ceiling adds a layer of detail, and its metallic finish glows when illuminated by the pendant light.
The colour of the paper coordinates with the above-dado paintwork, while white panelling is crisp below dado height and protects the walls from scuffs and marks in the busy hall.
Fly high
Hard-working spaces, such as utility rooms, can benefit from a touch of prettiness, and with the walls often filled up by appliances and cabinetry, the ceiling can be the venue to introduce it.
A bird motif in this room keeps things bright and breezy – a mood that’s just right for a laundry room, after all – and repeats the refreshing aquamarine of the units.
10 fresh design ideas for utility rooms
Hard-working spaces, such as utility rooms, can benefit from a touch of prettiness, and with the walls often filled up by appliances and cabinetry, the ceiling can be the venue to introduce it.
A bird motif in this room keeps things bright and breezy – a mood that’s just right for a laundry room, after all – and repeats the refreshing aquamarine of the units.
10 fresh design ideas for utility rooms
Look up
Where might you best appreciate a wallpapered ceiling? Well, from the bath would be one place, and this room lets bathers contemplate a delicate, watery-toned print.
A large mirror beside the bath multiplies the view of the wallpaper and visually stretches the boundaries of the room, as well as brightening it. The above-basin mirror, meanwhile, gives the room’s users yet another glimpse of the pattern as well as being functional.
Where might you best appreciate a wallpapered ceiling? Well, from the bath would be one place, and this room lets bathers contemplate a delicate, watery-toned print.
A large mirror beside the bath multiplies the view of the wallpaper and visually stretches the boundaries of the room, as well as brightening it. The above-basin mirror, meanwhile, gives the room’s users yet another glimpse of the pattern as well as being functional.
Make the outlook bright
This retro-style pantry doesn’t miss out on a boost of pattern thanks to the sunny ceiling paper that continues the vibrant palette of the room beyond. A clear glass lampshade like this one is a natural choice if you’re papering a small ceiling that has a pendant fitting, so as much of the pattern as possible remains on show.
Which is your favourite of these wallpapered ceilings? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
This retro-style pantry doesn’t miss out on a boost of pattern thanks to the sunny ceiling paper that continues the vibrant palette of the room beyond. A clear glass lampshade like this one is a natural choice if you’re papering a small ceiling that has a pendant fitting, so as much of the pattern as possible remains on show.
Which is your favourite of these wallpapered ceilings? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
The kitchen in this period home, relocated in the former dining room, features an island designed to look like a contemporary art installation as its centrepiece. Look up and you’ll see the ceiling is filled with butterflies in a continuation of the decorative direction of the design.
The ornate ceiling structure in this room provides a series of frames that make the butterflies appear as pinned collections. To recreate the look, choose a wallpaper featuring regular rows of butterflies rather than a trail.
Browse wallpapers in the Houzz Shop