When it comes to redecorating a bedroom, most interior designers agree that wallpapering the wall behind your bed’s headboard is a great way to create a focal point, the foundation upon which to base the rest of the room’s décor. Deciding on a specific style, however, is a personal choice that depends on a variety of factors and on your personal taste. The world of DIY decorators is split in two groups: those who know exactly what they are looking for and those who would like something different for their bedroom but are not exactly sure what. This article is mainly dedicated to those of you who feel they belong to the second group. While browsing through the countless models available in a wallpaper online store is a great way to get a feel for what is available, sometimes it can be difficult to relate to the spotless and perfect interiors on show. “OK, this one looks great, but how will it look in real life?” is a common - and perfectly reasonable - question that we have heard many times. How does a wallpaper look in a real-life scenario, without clever lighting and a professional photographer taking the perfect shot?
To give you a taste of what to expect in your decoration projects, we have put together a selection of real-life pictures our customers sent us over the years to showcase their work. They have shared their remarkable bedroom transformations with us, taking their own pictures without a professional photographer or light design specialist at hand. We hope their raw beauty will inspire you and guide you to pick the right style and design for your own project.
Japanese gardens
A headboard wallpaper featuring Van Gogh’s memorable Cherry Blossoms painting can transform a bedroom into a serene oasis of oriental peace, making you feel like you’re in the heart of Kyoto's most enchanting gardens. You can complete this look by adding potted bonsai trees for an authentic touch and including bamboo furniture or accents for a Zen vibe. If you want to go all in, you can incorporate shoji screens for soft ambient lighting.
Ethnic vibes
A bedroom is your own personal space and the perfect canvas to reflect your wanderlust or your desire to escape your daily routine and travel to faraway lands. You can embrace your passion for the exotic with a headboard wallpaper featuring intricate ethnic patterns in vibrant colours or unusual leather imitation motifs. Textile patterns will help you infuse your bedroom with a sense of warmth and comfort. Of course, the wallpaper must be complemented by matching décor to develop its full effect: add ethnic throw pillows and bedding, art or decorative pieces that provide a regional flair and go for wooden furniture with intricate carvings or patterns.
Vintage energy
Whether you are a child from the 60s and 70s eras, feel nostalgic for the groovy energy those decades emanate or are simply a lover of vintage aesthetics, wallpapers adorned with retro motifs and colours have the power to turn the headboard wall into a time machine. With complementing décor, the room can feel like a blast from the past, with an unmistakable vibe that makes every night feel like a stylish trip back in time. Mid-Century Modern furniture pieces are a great match, as well as vintage-inspired lighting fixtures and retro artwork and posters.
Italian villa
If you long for an Italian escape, why not transform your bedroom into a romantic space reminiscent of a luxurious Italian villa? Pick a headboard wallpaper that can capture the essence of Italy's charm, whether it’s a breathtaking countryside, a timeless architectural piece or one of the complex floral displays that are ubiquitous in Renaissance villas. To complete the look, opt for rustic wooden furniture, perhaps with wrought iron details, and use Italy-inspired colours like terracotta and olive green. Lighting should be provided by soft, warm lighting fixtures with amber or gold-coloured glass shades to create a fittingly cosy and romantic ambiance.
Forest retreat
Why not transform your bedroom into a tranquil forest retreat with a headboard wallpaper that brings the beauty of nature indoors? Wall décor mimicking a lush forest will help you benefit from the traditional Japanese art of “Shinrin-Yoku” (bathe in the forest), a healing method according to which you can feel calmer and more balanced by simply taking a walk in the forest. Featuring a colour palette in a soothing blend of deep greens, earthy browns, and soft mossy tones, the headboard wall becomes a gateway to the great outdoors, a woodland sanctuary where to seek rejuvenation. To complete the look, incorporate natural materials like wood and stone, add some indoor plants or (if you are daring and have the space) a living green wall and use earthy hues for bedding and décor.
Tropical getaway
Sometimes escapism is exactly what we need to survive long winters and the strains and stresses of our daily life. A tropical-inspired headboard wallpaper, with vibrant palms and exotic flowers, can turn the bedroom into an eternal-summer paradise, offering that sought-after getaway vibe. Obviously, this tropical focal point needs to be matched with fitting interiors; opt for either sophisticated dark leather to provide a contrast, or rattan furniture and wicker accents to complement the look. Include tropical plants and palm leaf prints and lighting in a golden hue that will remind you of the sun’s warm embrace.
The allure of the Orient
Whether you’ve visited multiple times over the years or have never been there, the so called “Orient” has a unique effect on our souls. You can choose to bring an air of mystique and elegance with a headboard wallpaper featuring intricately designed Oriental motifs or an Indian forest straight out of a Rudyard Kipling novel. A headboard wall decorated in this way has the power to transport you to distant lands, where every evening becomes a journey through the enchanting tales of The Arabian Nights. Complete the look with rich textiles like silk and velvet for bedding, curtains and throw pillows, ornate brass accents for lamps, mirrors and decorative trays, and mandala-inspired artwork. You can go a step further and use incense burners to fill the air with the fragrant notes of sandalwood, jasmine, and exotic spices. Lighting should be soft, casting an inviting glow, to further emphasise the room's enchanting atmosphere.
Geometrical minimalism
The symmetrical nature of geometric patterns is a natural match for the minimalist elements often found in contemporary interior design solutions. If your current bedroom showcases a contemporary design, a headboard wallpaper featuring geometric patterns with clean lines and subtle shapes creates an atmosphere of sleek sophistication, where simplicity and style coexist in harmony. A great addition to modern furniture in a minimalist style, it should be complemented with crisp white sheets and duvet covers that provide a stark yet inviting contrast against the wallpaper's geometric pattern. Uncluttered surfaces and vintage lighting fixtures, like pendant lights with geometric shades, complete the look. Use a monochromatic scheme with subtle pops of colour for the other walls of your bedroom.
Art Deco luxury
A great option to complement antique furniture, especially the bed, is to go for an Art Deco-inspired headboard wallpaper. The glamorous patterns are a very suitable tool to bring the roaring '20s back to life, turning your bedroom into a lavish boudoir reminiscent of the grandeur of the Great Gatsby era, where every night feels like an opulent soirée in the heart of a glamorous city. Complete this sophisticated room design with mirrored accents, plush velvet upholstery and metallic and glass décor elements.
William Morris-style floral calm
A classic choice which has become trendy again during the last few years (although one could argue it never really went out of fashion), a floral William Morris wallpaper for your headboard wall provides a sense of timeless tranquillity. Soft botanical prints adorning the headboard wall help recreate the atmosphere of quiet calm and natural beauty of an English garden. Its muted and earthy tones turn your bedroom into a serene haven that should be completed by floral-patterned bedding and curtains in the same palette as the wall décor. Antique wooden furniture and furnishings complement this sought-after style, along with plenty of fresh flowers in beautiful vases.
Quirky and designer-y
If you have an eccentric flair and would like your bedroom design to reflect your creativity and distinctive style, a unique designer wallpaper featuring whimsical patterns or avant-garde designs can turn your headboard wall into an artistic canvas. Incorporate unique décor pieces that are meaningful to you, for instance abstract artwork. Mix and match eclectic furniture, maybe adding oversized, attention-grabbing pieces and decorative objects and consider unique lighting fixtures that provide both illumination and flair.
Lines and stripes
Maybe you are not looking for anything too unusual and artsy, but long instead for the minimalist elegance of a headboard wallpaper with simple, elegant stripes or lines, adding a sense of order to the bedroom design. If this is the case, you can either opt for monochromatic shades or subtle colour variations to create a clean and stylish bedroom where every element has its place, promoting a sense of calm and simplicity. This look works well with sleek furniture and uncluttered surfaces. You can go for bedding and curtains with striped patterns or provide contrast with delicate floral motifs. Complete the look with rugs and textiles in wool or linen which add depth without distracting from the headboard motif, and lighting fixtures with linear elements.