Highlighting the ceiling is neither a new trend nor an easy feat (just ask Michelangelo), but it is definitely the direction many interior designers are taking to add freshness and whimsy to the home. Say goodbye to the traditional white stucco, and welcome color and pattern in a way that’ll breathe life and creativity into a space.
Putting wallpaper on the ceiling can be used to celebrate amazing architecture, or it can be a simple way to add energy to a boring white box. But from cavernous spaces to drab rooms, wallpapering your ceiling is a guaranteed way to quite literally elevate your look. Read below for our favorite inspirational examples and decorating tips from us here at The Kuotes!
Wondering how to wallpaper your ceiling? It’s simple: hire a professional. Wallpapering a ceiling is an interior design task that requires the eye and technique of a wallpaper professional—no matter how determined your DIY chutzpah. We promise it’s worth the investment as the results finish a look like nothing else.
Whether your home is traditional or modern, you’ll add pattern, emphasize height, and naturally inject a whimsical element into your design.
Photo via Greg Natale Designs
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Wallpapered ceilings work best when they are incorporated into just one or two rooms. We love this look in spaces with large, open ceilings that make a grand statement, but they’re also the perfect surprise design element for less frequently used spaces like closets, hallways, laundry rooms, and powder rooms.
These are areas of the home that don’t usually get much design love, so choosing wallpapered ceilings here is a unique way to demonstrate your thoughtfulness and attention to detail in your home.
We’re obsessed with the kitchen and dining room featured above. The wallpaper on the ceiling makes for a subtle, luxurious touch and adds depth and nuance to an otherwise simple, neutral look. Wallpaper doesn’t have to be bright and full of crazy patterns. Choose light and classic patterns for a design that’ll make your room feel larger and draw the eye upward without being too busy.
Photo via Mollie Johnson Interiors
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This dreamy bedroom above is classic and serene with its neutral, creamy palette and traditional lines. Adding a casual circular pattern to the ceiling with a hint of yellow lends a sense of irreverence to the space and keeps it from feeling too severe.
If bold and daring is more your style, use bright colors, metallics, and stripes or zigzags to give your space an unwavering energy. Then, balance the rest of your look with simple and sleek modern furniture. We absolutely adore the homage to David Bowie above with its standout ceiling wallpaper!
Photo via Lily Bunn Interiors
It doesn’t get more majestic than this teal entryway with its gorgeous gold leaf ceiling (this look is highly reminiscent of our Regal Royal lookbook, don’t you think?). The high-gloss walls and shiny ceiling lend a daring welcome into the otherwise traditional Upper East Side home. The bold, glitzy palette and the dramatic urchin ceiling fixture complete this room with some maximalist magic.
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Photo via Architectural Digest
Regardless of your design taste, your ceiling should enhance the style of your room. If your design sensibilities are not so subtle, a bold print on the ceiling might be the perfect solution to give your space that extra special touch. We love it eclectic styles, such as our Bohemian Rhapsody look (photo featured above) or Harlem Brownstone style.
