Wallpaper and murals aren’t just pretty backgrounds anymore; they’re also powerful design tools that can make a room look amazing. In a maximalist world that values individual style and strong artistic statements, picking the right wallpaper is just as important as picking out furniture or lights. This guide will teach you how to choose the best wallpaper or murals for your home, whether you like the lush color of tropical wallpaper, the maturity of marble prints, the classic beauty of chinoiserie, or the dreamy look of watercolor designs.
How Wallpaper Can Help You Design Your Home
Wall art sets the tone. It gives a room its energy and can turn even the smallest wall into a work of art. Wallpaper in maximalist homes isn’t subtle; it’s dramatic, layered, and on purpose. It can tie together the theme of a room, give it more depth, and even make it look like there is more space or height. But picking out wallpaper isn’t just about picking out a style. You should consider the wall space, lighting, how close the furniture is, the height of the roof, and the effect you want to achieve.
Wallpaper gives you character, depth, and movement that paint doesn’t. There are walls that look like silk, linen, or stone. Some are digitally printed works of art that can cover an entire wall and be the center of attention. It’s important to know what you want to achieve
Tropical wallpaper makes a lush, alive statement
When you put up tropical wallpaper, your house feels alive and like a vacation right away. Imagine palm leaves that are too big, birds from far away, banana trees, and deep wild greens. These styles give a room movement and a strong sense of personality.
Tropical wallpaper give rooms a lively and natural look. They look great in dining rooms, powder rooms, home offices, and sunrooms. Here’s what you should do to make a room feel warm and welcoming all year long. It will reflect natural light and make the plants stand out more in well-lit places.
Color is very important here. A lot of tropical wallpaper has greens, golds, and earthy browns with pops of coral, aqua, or lemon that are lighter. To make the island-themed theme even stronger, pair with natural wood finishes, bamboo furniture, or even metal highlights.
When you plan the size, keep in mind that big patterns look best on walls that are medium to large. If your walls are very narrow, don’t use busy tropical prints because the design might look crowded.
Smooth and fancy, marble wallpaper has a high-end look.
Marble wallpaper gives any room a classic, elegant look that comes from nature. It looks like the lines and veins of real stone, but it’s lighter. Marble wallpaper gives any room a high-end, finished look and is great for entryways, living rooms, and guest bedrooms.
It’s so powerful because it can be used as a basic but stylish background. Lighter colors of marble, like white and gray, make it easy to add more decorations on top of them. Darker colors, like emerald green, blue, or black, add drama and a modern look.
This wallpaper looks great in rooms with high ceilings where you want to make the walls look longer or more sophisticated. For a modern luxe look, pair with gold or brass accents, plush furniture, or simple lighting.
For murals, you could use a whole accent wall with marble lines that run together. It will make the room look and feel more expensive right away by making it look like a handmade stone slab.
Chinoiserie wallpaper: Classic Art for Elegant Rooms
Chinoiserie wallpaper is a classic style that comes from how Europeans interpreted East Asian art in the 18th century. With great attention to detail, it shows delicate landscapes, birds, pagodas, flowering vines, and scenes from nature. If you like detailed designs and visual stories, chinoiserie is the best style for you.
In dining rooms, halls, libraries, and formal living rooms, it looks great. Most of the time, the patterns are soft colors like powder blue, blush, cream, or sage. For a more dramatic look, though, darker jewel tones can also be used.
Position is an important thing to think about when buying chinoiserie. As the patterns tend to run horizontally with branches or scenery that spread out, it looks best on walls that are smooth and don’t have a lot of doors or windows that cut through them.
In terms of size, chinoiserie paintings are usually put up as panels or custom-made wall pieces. Carefully measure the length and width of your wall, and leave space for the pattern to line up. Most of the time, these paintings come in rolls or full sheets that need to be perfectly matched to make a smooth finish.
Chinoiserie goes well with rich fabrics, old furniture, and frames made of carved wood. It gives the room a polished, gallery-like feel and makes people want to stop and enjoy the art.
Watercolor Wallpaper: Whimsy Meets Tranquility
Watercolor wallpaper is a relaxing and creative background for people who like soft motions and airy grace. It looks like watercolor drawing with brushstrokes and spreading, so it’s great for bedrooms, nurseries, creative workshops, and reading places.
A lot of watercolor wallpaper has ombré effects, surreal flower designs, or dreamy cloudscapes. Tones that are soft and washed out are used a lot. Think blush pinks, light lavenders, seafoam greens, and icy blues. But painting types with more color, like cobalt blues or sunset oranges, are also becoming more popular.
This style works especially well in places that need a softer look. If your furniture is soft and stacked, painting walls will give the room a nice balance. Because the paint-like colors draw the eye up or outward, it can also make small rooms feel bigger and more open.
Watercolor wallpaper can be used all over a room without making it look too busy because it looks like it was painted. Putting it on all four walls makes the room look like a dreamy nest.
Scale, color harmony, and how to use it
It’s important to know the size of any wallpaper or painting you want to buy. Patterns on a large scale need bigger wall spaces to look good. Accent walls, dressing rooms, and entryways are better places for small or repeating patterns.
Another important factor is color matching. Find the main colors in your wallpaper and use them in a subtle way in your rug, pillows, or curtains. Wallpaper should never feel like it stands out; it should fit in with the overall color scheme of the room.
In practical terms, always:
1) Find the exact height and width of your wall.
2) Take into account the need to repeat the pattern and trim it.
3) If you need to put wallpaper in a high-traffic or damp place, like a bathroom, choose wallpaper that says it will last.
4) For short-term or rental areas, choose peel-and-stick choices.
If you’re not sure about wallpapering the whole room, try out a panel or just cover one important wall. Murals are great for making a statement behind beds, eating tables, or desks.
Using lighting and texture to set the mood
Lighting has a big effect on how wallpaper looks. Tropical or watercolor designs look their best when they are lit by natural light, while marble or chinoiserie prints look their most elegant when they are lit by artificial light. Before making your choice, you should always look at wallpaper samples both during the day and at night.
Feel is also important. Some walls have finishes that look like textiles or are stamped. Some are smooth and some are dark. A satin or lightly reflective finish gives wall paintings an art gallery look, especially when lit by soft lights.
If the room allows it, put mirrors, statues, or big pieces of art on top of wallpapered walls. Every part of a maximalist design should add to the visual story because maximalist design loves complexity and story.
Final Thoughts: A Wall Is a Canvas Waiting to Be Filled
Wallpaper and paintings are one of a kind ways to use design to show who you are, your style, and your feelings. Every wall in your home can become a unique piece. It could be a painting with a soft brush stroke, a marble wall with a rich history, or a wall covered in a lush tropical pattern. Think about the size of the room, how well the colors go together, the lighting, and your own style goals when making your choices. You’ll be amazed at how one wall can change the whole look of a room.
The bold collection at Maia Homes has beautiful, high-end, and maximalist wallpaper and paintings that will make any room come to life.