Funky Wallpaper
Funky, quirky and unusual wallpapers are not a question of the given space, but of individual tastes. They attract attention, are surprisingly different and provide design ideas far from the mainstream. More
Funky Wallpaper: The Guide
Wallpapers with unusual, striking or extravagant designs make life colourful and varied. They captivate us with their strong, striking expressiveness and intoxicating colourfulness. Extraordinary wallpapers are ideal for bringing wit, irony, art or a touch of provocation into the room. Forget monotony and mainstream - funky wallpaper models are much too unusual and multi-faceted.
Table of Contents
- What are funky wallpaper patterns?
- Which funny and outlandish motifs make wallpapers extraordinary?
- Which artistic motifs make wallpaper particularly striking?
- Why are kitsch and art close together in funky wallpapers?
- Which rooms are most suitable for unusual wallpaper motifs?
- Why are funky wallpaper motifs so popular with children and young people?
- How can extravagant wallpaper models be skilfully used in a room?
- Which unusual wallpaper colours are particularly unconventional?
- Our tips: Ideas that put extravagant wallpaper in an exciting context
What are funky wallpaper patterns?
Funky wallpaper patterns attract attention because they are surprisingly different and far from ordinary or classic pattern designs. Instead, they are special, unusual, extravagant, have an unconventional or even funny touch.
Special
If we say something is special, it generally means that it stands out from the crowd and as a result has a higher or differently defined status. This is why unusual patterned wallpaper models can also be described as unique creative creations that do not have to please everyone - just those who feel a connection to them.
Unusual
The word "unusual" has several synonyms, including extraordinary, abnormal, bizarre, alienated. It is used to describe processes or things that do not fit into any normal scheme, that deviate from the norm and standards. Unusual wallpaper patterns create a surprise effect in the viewer, which can come in many different ways.
Extravagant
The term extravagance often stands for a certain attitude to life that is deliberately displayed. On the one hand it is important to stand out from the crowd, on the other hand it is important to pursue one's individual tastes in terms of fashion, design and interior décor. Extravagant wallpaper designs can be a little exaggerated and outlandish, sometimes with slightly crazy pattern motifs.
Unconventional
When it comes to unusual wallpaper, conventions are thrown overboard. Rules are there to be broken, priority is given to creative, artistic or spiritual freedom. Unconventional pattern designs have the potential to cause a stir/stir things up, which is what makes them even more exciting.
Funny
Funny wallpaper motifs put a smile or a huge grin on the face of the viewer and create a pleasant and relaxed mood. They stimulate communication and subconsciously convey that life is too short not to laugh every day. Funny objects, cute animals or cheerful scenes on wallpaper can achieve this in no time at all.
Which funny and outlandish motifs make wallpapers extraordinary?
For extravagant wallpaper, it's often obvious motifs that can be placed in a new, crazy context, e.g. dogs, cats, foxes, monkeys or animals in fancy dress costumes. Even a funny take on everyday objects, sensual images and comic elements are options.
Dogs
Dog motifs for unusual wallpapers are based on different breeds. Particularly popular dog breeds are pug, poodle, golden retriever and dalmatian, although dogs of various different breeds can also appear together. Whether pop art, silhouette motif, colour study or framed picture gallery - the choice of funny as well as artistic designs is huge.
Cats
For many people, cats are an important part of everyday life. As a result, wallpapers with funny cat motifs appeal to adults and children alike. They are presented from classically beautiful, black and elegant, to mischievous or with spectacles on the nose. In terms of styles and colour, anything is possible.
Foxes
Foxes are often chosen as a motif for unusual wallpapers. This wild forest (and city) animal has similarities with both dogs and big cats. Foxes are playful, smart and family-oriented. They also feature prominently in the list of mythical animals. Their depiction on wallpaper varies from authentic and abstract to stylised and child-friendly designs.
Monkeys
Monkeys are masters of situation comedy and love to play practical jokes. Large and small monkeys are popular motifs for extraordinary pattern wallpapers, for example chimpanzees, orang-utans, gorillas, lemurs, gibbons and squirrel monkeys. The type, size and representation of the monkeys have a distinct impact on the effect of the wallpaper which can range from cute to bizarre.
Animals in fancy dress
In reality, animals in fancy dress or with "human" clothing are the exception rather than the rule (e.g. dog sweaters), which is why they appear strange and funny to the viewer. On amusing wallpapers, dogs, cats, mice and many other animal species appear with hats, crowns, bows, in rustling robes and colourful shreds. This immediately creates a good mood.
Ironically depicted everyday objects
Many articles of daily use are suitable as pattern motifs for unusual wallpapers. The seemingly banal is given a completely new expression via ironic representation. Spoons, plates, toys, fashion accessories, shoes or historical toilet bowls advance to interesting wallpaper patterns. Other options are fruit, vegetables and other food items.
Sensual illustrations
Extravagant wallpaper always has certain emotional aspects that act as a stimulus on different levels. Sensual images such as flirty pin-up girls, historical corsets or sexy high-heels stimulate the imagination and let the thoughts wander. This also triggers creative inspirations.
Elements for comics
Comics have long since ceased to be just for children - adults have also become completely addicted to the colourful pictures with speech bubbles. They trigger memories, have a modern feel and, thanks to their colourful design, are very mood-enhancing. The market offers motif classics such as Mickey Mouse, Spiderman and lots of new comic ideas for every target group.
Which artistic motifs make wallpaper particularly striking?
On exceptional wallpaper models, art has a high value if it captivates the viewer at first glance. In terms of unusual wallpaper, this is primarily achieved through graphic art, geometric patterns, abstract paintings and psychedelic motifs.
Graphic art
Graphic art includes photography as well as prints created with classical and experimental methods. In the 1960s, Pop Art made graphic art an important artistic medium, for instance with the serial silkscreen works of Andy Warhol. The oversized and colourful motifs of Pop Art are also popular as wallpaper designs.
Geometric patterns
Geometric patterns run like a thread through many style eras. They are elementary in architecture and the basis of every design. They can be ornamental, modified (Art Nouveau, Art Deco) or authentically puristic (Bauhaus). The interplay of form, size and unusual colour combinations achieves a striking effect.
Abstract paintings
Funky wallpapers reminiscent of or based on abstract paintings generally boast very intense colours, but they are not tied down to a specific colour palette. Amongst the art movements which inspire the motifs are Impressionism, Expressionism or Cubism, but again, there are no limits to the art styles that serve as inspiration.
Psychedelic patterns
Psychedelic patterns such as those found in Op Art or Surrealism are inseparably linked to the hippie culture of the 1960s. The intense optical illusions created by the black and white or colourful pattern constructions can evoke a euphoric or trance-like state. These wallpaper patterns should only be used in moderate doses at home.
Why are kitsch and art close together in funky wallpapers?
Art uses kitsch and vice versa, at least when it comes to extravagant wallpaper. Both complement each other through overt sentimentality, deliberately exaggerated depictions, provocative decadence and the use of clichés.
Overt sentimentality
In art, kitsch is usually seen as a cheap imitation of inferior quality. The most important characteristic of all things kitsch is its exuberant sentimentality. Kitsch often presents an intact, happy and light-hearted world that is rooted in nostalgia. In art, this kind of irritation is a popular stylistic device to trigger a pleasurable aha-experience or a wow-effect.
Deliberately exaggerated depictions
At first glance, the observer recognises exaggerated representations in unusual wallpaper motifs. They attract attention because they deviate from the norm. Here, too, art has a finger in the pie, because it wants to bring irony and comedy into focus or hold a mirror up to society.
Provocative decadence
Excessive, wasteful and with one foot in the abyss - that's how the word decadence can be explained. In order to provoke, it doesn't shy away from scandal. This means, for example, that an already very opulent pattern motif is further exaggerated through format and colouring.
Use of clichés
Clichés are preconceived, already outdated opinions that persist like prejudices. On unusual wallpaper, this pigeon-hole thinking can be represented by corresponding pattern motifs, but always with a laughing, winking eye. Designers can exploit a plethora of clichés about women and men, hobbies and places.
Which rooms are most suitable for unusual wallpaper motifs?
Extravagant wallpapers are less a question of space, but more of individual taste and design intent. That is why they unfold their striking effect in the toilet and bathroom just as impressively as in the kitchen, dining room, hall, living room and bedroom.
Toilet
In most apartments and houses, the toilet is a rather small and narrow room. It requires an original design that offers plenty of visual input and a pinch of irony. From historical toilet bowls to entertaining comic reading material and colourful street art graffiti, there are thousands of wallpaper patterns waiting to be discovered.
Bathroom
Fantastic oases of cleanliness and self-care usually spring from vivid imaginations. Tropical-exotic sceneries, abstract underwater landscapes, fairy-tale mermaids or the majestic peacock that shines in the most beautiful colours: These are just a few examples of the exceptional wallpapers available on the market. Unconventional wood or stone designs also beautify modern bathrooms.
Kitchen
Anyone who enjoys the pleasures of cooking will opt for patterned wallpaper that makes witty references to the food or cooking utensils used in the kitchen. These can be funky pineapples, oversized lobsters, dancing fish, antique cutlery or ice-lolly garlands. Tip: cult retro patterns contribute to the enjoyment of cooking.
Dining room
As in the kitchen, funky dining room wallpapers can relate to themes such as enjoyment, delicacies or certain foods. But large-scale art, abstract paintings and striking vintage patterns are suitable for this convivial room, too. Forest or tree landscapes and exotic Art Nouveau motifs are also popular.
Hallway
The hallway is the entrance area to the house or apartment and should give an indication as to the rest of the interior. The appearance of the hallway is seen as a suggestion of what the inhabitants might be like. Original wallpaper motifs open up a wealth of options for showing off one's best side and revealing a little about one's own personality. Examples would be Chinoiserie patterns or extravagant material imitation wallpapers.
Living room
The living room is both a retreat and a representative space. This dual use requires a wallpaper design that pleases the host and impresses the guests. Unusual iridescent materials in combination with extraordinary patterns as well as artistic pop-art wallpaper designs and spectacular metal or flock wallpaper models are all fabulous options.
Bedroom
The bedroom is the place for fantastic, fairytale, romantic concepts. Magical and curious pattern motifs as well as floral luxury prove to be very effective in this rest and relaxation room. A deliberately exaggerated romantic theme is also possible.
Why are funky wallpaper motifs so popular with children and young people?
When it comes to fantasy and imagination, children are not easily fooled. Bizarre and imaginative patterns arouse their curiosity and playfulness. Kids tend to really enjoy retro and vintage wallpaper models far removed from the mainstream and love cool graffiti wallpaper.
Children: masters of imagination
Where a child's imagination recognises a forest paradise with a thousand animals, the adult may see only three lines and a few dots. Children's powers of imagination and interpretation are simply amazing. And that is a good thing, because this is part of their natural development. Unusual wallpapers stimulate children's creativity and learning processes.
Bizarre and whimsical patterns
The more outrageous, the better. Bizarre and whimsical patterns challenge and strengthen children's brain structures. It is important that colour compositions as well as pattern elements are geared to the age of the child to avoid overwhelming her or him. Geometry, people, animals, toys and nature can all be newly interpreted in unusual pattern motifs for children's wallpaper.
Retro and vintage far from the mainstream
Retro and vintage patterns are often found on children's wallpaper in a very fresh and colourful context. Comic wallpapers with timeless childhood heroes or geometric patterned wallpapers inspired by the large-scale, colourful designs of the 1970s provide great choices.
Cool graffiti wallpaper
Children love anything that is forbidden, so what could more suitable than graffiti to express rebellion and self-realisation. With cool graffiti wallpaper, older children and teenagers can make a statement against the norms of adults and effectively claim their realm with colourful street art.
How can extravagant wallpaper models be skilfully used in a room?
Extravagant wallpaper should be seen and admired and if applied in the right place, it will attract the necessary attention. Feature walls or ceilings as well as wallpapered furniture are particularly suitable.
Feature wall
A feature wall adorned with an extravagant wallpaper model, ideally opposite the door, is a fantastic eye-catcher. It is also suitable as a design tool when the size and shape of the room only allows for a small amount for striking, colour-intensive wall art.
Ceiling
The ceiling is a worthy choice for unusual wallpaper, but it takes a bit of courage and a skilled hand to wallpaper this part of the room. In bedrooms, children's rooms, toilets or corridors, unconventional wallpaper patterns on the ceiling are guaranteed to cause a stir.
Wallpapered furniture
With an extraordinary pattern wallpaper, a piece of furniture turns into a stunningly unique eye-catcher. Who else has a wardrobe or chest of drawers in Pop Art style or with pretty pin-up girls from the Swinging Fifties? Even exaggerated baroque or damasks patterns or North-African tile designs look fantastic on furniture.
Which unusual wallpaper colours are particularly unconventional?
The choice of colours has a considerable impact on the effect of unconventional pattern designs. Bright colours such as green, orange, yellow, red, a cheeky pink, deep black or a mix of bright colours make up the colour palette of funky wallpaper.
Green
Green exudes a natural freshness, especially in combination with yellow or blue. For funky wallpaper models, the most popular shades are apple green, grass green, poison green, turquoise green and meadow green. Olive hues bring yellow, red and orange into contrast. Green stands for life and renewal, which is why this colour has a very invigorating, inspiring character.
Orange
Orange is the happiest, most positive colour of all. Wherever this mix of red and yellow is seen, the mood brightens and fun ensues. The fruity effect which is reminiscent of delicious oranges or tangerines also contributes to a stimulating atmosphere. In terms of unusual wallpaper patterns, orange often comes in various intermediate shades, including scarlet orange, sixties orange or Jaffa.
Yellow
Cheerfulness, light-heartedness and freshness are all associated with yellow. Like orange, yellow has a stimulating effect, especially when it is a bright sunny yellow. Other sought-after nuances of the yellow colour scale for striking wallpaper are grapefruit, lime, chrome yellow and mustard yellow.
Red
Red is considered a signal colour, so it is an obvious eye-catcher. In colour psychology, red is the colour of love and passion, of fire and blood. Hardly any other colour has such an invigorating and impulsively spirited charisma, which makes it the perfect choice for extravagant or crazy pattern wallpaper.
Pink
Although pink has not yet lost its reputation as a girl's or feminine colour, it has been used for just as long as a fantastic stylistic tool for provocation and rebellion. Similarly, pink is suitable for sugary exaggerations and as an expression of fabulous kitsch. The pink colour palette provides a number of stunning intermediate shades, e.g. bubblegum, ballet slippers or watermelon.
Black
For extroverted and unusual wallpapers, black is the new colourful. In combination with white or with neon colours, idiosyncratic contrasts are created. Black also intensifies the effect of the pattern.
Multi-coloured
Bright colours characterise a large variety of unusual wallpaper designs. What at first glance seems to be a random combination of different colours is in reality a perfect and deliberate mixture which in itself appears coherent and balanced.
Our tips: Ideas that put extravagant wallpaper in an exciting context
- Crazy animal wallpaper furniture for children's rooms: Funny wallpapers transform the bed, wardrobe or chest of drawers into wild jungle animals. Lemurs, elephants, jaguars and toucans are perfect as pattern motifs. Individual pieces of furniture are given a completely new context in the child's world.
- Pop art by Flavor Paper: American wallpaper manufacturer Flavor Paper merges star appeal and art with perfect craftsmanship. The range includes wallpapers with cult motifs by Pop Art king Andy Warhol, including "Marilyn" and "Flowers", which make a feature wall the centre of attention.
- Old Masters meet modern furnishings: Family, friends and guests gather in the dining room and indulge in the pleasures of fine dining. Exceptional wallpapers with art masterpieces as their motif add to the culinary pleasure just as much as they work with puristic modern interior decoration concepts.
- Industrial kitchen with graffiti: Add a colourful touch to the sober Industrial style in the kitchen. The ingredients: Kitchen furniture made of cool aluminium and stainless steel, concrete-look walls and a feature wall with the cheerful graffiti seen in big cities. You can bet that this is where you will come up with the most creative recipes of your life.