10 of the best wallpaper designs and ideas

The current trend for decorating a ceiling with a patterned wallpaper has the benefit of making tall ceilings seem a little lower and most rooms feel cosier. Because the design will be seen from all angles, non-directional patterns are best. Opt for small-scale, all-over floral or trellis motifs for a summery feel; stripes for a smart, tailored look; or stars or clouds for a whimsical feature. If you like an industrial look, faux-effect wallpapers that mimic distressed wood or tin tiles are an option. Paint the walls in a toning colour to complete the scheme.

Some wallpaper designs are as well composed and beautifully drawn as a work of art, so why not treat them in the same way? Choose an element of the design and frame it as you would a picture or, for a more permanent solution, paper inside the panels of a traditional door to match the room. For even more decorative impact, use moulding to create panels on plain walls and hang paper within them.

Open-plan living areas work best when the space is structured and zoning is a way of using visual signals to indicate different areas. Wallpaper can be a useful tool for this task and companion designs from the same collection will make it easy to create interesting schemes. Use them to suggest changes of mood in a through-room used for lounging and dining, or to produce a bright environment for eating in a family kitchen. Take care to maintain a feeling of continuity, linking the different spaces with colour and pattern.

The fashion for feature walls may have cooled somewhat, but they are still a great way to add a decorative flourish to your space. They are also useful for trying out a daring colour choice, or to indulge in an expensive wallpaper. Select the wall you wish to highlight carefully. Generally, the fireplace wall is already the room’s focal point and therefore the chimneybreast provides a natural candidate. However, if you plan to go for a daringly bold pattern, using it as the backdrop for the sofa or bed will ensure it has impact when you enter the room without dominating the view.

Niches either side of a fireplace or elsewhere invite special treatment. Decorate them with patterned wallpaper in a tone darker than the neighbouring walls to make them seem deeper and to highlight the furniture and objects within them.

Use wallpaper to line the back of a display cabinet, and you’ll give the pieces on its shelves more impact. Choose a design that relates to the colour or theme of the items, grouping them with space between so the pattern is seen.

For ultimate dramatic effect, a mural is hard to beat. Made to order to ft the space exactly, they are digitally printed and hung just like wallpaper. With hundreds of images available, you can easily find a design to suit your room and preference.

There’s no reason for lack of space to cramp your style and, while decorating with light colours and proportionately scaled patterns is good advice for smaller rooms, there is scope to be daring too. Wallpapers in deep, jewel-like tones can create drama and large-scale designs an air of intimacy. Use stripes and trailing linear designs to advantage, placing them vertically to give an illusion of height in the room and horizontally for an impression of breadth. A patchwork of colours will make the space feel crowded, but tricks like papering a flush door to match the walls will give a sense of calm and continuity.

Wallpapers and fabrics from co-ordinated ranges make decorating easier, though the resulting scheme could have an off-the-peg, ready-made feel about it. Designs like those shown here come from collections with so many alternative textures, patterns and colourways that you can combine them to create looks that are uniquely your own. Choosing wallpaper with a large pattern draws the eye away from the centre of the room, opening up the space, and a verdant colour scheme ensures a vibrant atmosphere.

If you're a Farrow & Ball fan, read our list of the best Farrow & Ball wallpapers.

Pattern on all walls makes a strong statement, so take time to choose the right design. Wallpapers in timeless styles provide a complementary background in traditional rooms furnished with antiques and won’t steal attention away from key pieces. Look for motifs that owe something to the past and have an affinity with vintage but, unless you’re aiming for an authentic look, there is no need to stick to faithful copies. Reinterpretations of paisley, toile de Jouy, florals and medallion patterns will give a refreshing twist.