I wallpapered our house and I have no regrets

We’ve been spending way more time at home —for obvious reasons—than we initially intended, which means all those grand ideas I had about home renovations and little facelifts here and there are now must-dos because we are tired of staring at the same four walls day in and day out.

First, we started by painting the stones on our fireplace. They were gray and boring and my husband decided to give them a more modern look by painting them white. The final result looks amazing, which gave us the courage to handle the next item in our to-do list: wallpaper.

I know wallpaper had its comeback awhile ago, but my husband was very anti because a decade ago he was tasked with the not-so-fun job of removing all the old wallpaper from his family’s home. We’re talking 1970’s wallpaper. In an entire house. All by himself. So I get why whenever I mentioned wanting to add some fun design to our kids’ room, or maybe the half bathroom he would shake his head no and change subjects. Fast forward to 2020 when we now have time and, more importantly, brands have come out with peel and stick wallpaper which reduces the amount of steps in the process.

So, with peel in stick in mind, I convinced my husband that we could do it. So we ordered all the paper needed and got excited for our DIY project. Except, when the beautiful and intricately designed paper that we ordered from Rifle Paper Co. in collaboration with York Wallcoverings came, and we looked at how many angles our bathroom has (a lot, it’s under a set of stairs, so no regular walls) we realized we were way over our heads. We hired a professional to help us out because we wanted to make sure all the tiny leaves and flowers matched together. We also went super over the top and added wallpaper to the ceiling. The end result is breathtaking.

Now we want to wallpaper our entire house, and continue with all the little home projects we have in our list. It looks like we are going to be quarantine for a lot longer than we all expected (8 months and counting now), so we want to love every single little corner of our house. Next up, wall papering my tiny office corner.

Are you ready for a fun challenge? Here are some wallpapers to inspire you:

Rifle Paper Co

1. Rifle Paper Co – Juniper forest peel & stick

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$50

This is the one we used and I’m obsessed. It is, of course, dark so it’s ideal for smaller rooms (like powder rooms) or an accent wall in a bigger room. This design comes in 27 inch rolls with a 24 inch repeat.

SHOP

Marley+Malek Kids

2. Marley+Malek kids – Stripe

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$360

If you are a total n00b at wallpapering and want an easy start, this design is perfect for a nursery or playroom and will be easy to match the lines. Double rolls measure 27″ wide x 30′ long.

SHOP

Rifle Paper Co

3. Rifle Paper Co – City maps peel & stick

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$50

If you are a map nerd, this wallpaper is ideal for you. Featuring cities from all over the world, with cute illustrations of iconic landmarks. This design comes in 27 inch rolls with a 24 inch repeat.

SHOP

Marley+Malek Kids

4. Marley+Malek kids – Traffic jam

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$360

For the car lover in your family, this simple yet fun wallpaper is ideal for playrooms. If you want to get even wilder, why not let your little ones color in some of the cars for a unique touch. Double rolls measure 27″ wide x 30′ long

SHOP

Rifle Paper Co

5. Rifle Paper Co – Garden party peel & stick

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$50

For a more classic (but not grandma-y) look, this traditional flower print is beautiful and elegant. This design comes in 27 inch rolls with a 24 inch repeat.

SHOP

Marley+Malek Kids

6. Marley+Malek kids – Row your boat

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$260

Another simple design for those who want a little touch that is not super drastic. You can choose between blue or gray boats. Double rolls measure 27″ wide x 30′ long

SHOP

Rifle Paper Co

7. Rifle Paper Co – Hydrangea

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$110

I am OBSESSED with this print and decided this is what I’m going to use for my office. So delicate and chic with just the right amount of color. Comes in 27 inch rolls with a 25.25 inch repeat.

SHOP

Rifle Paper Co

8. Rifle Paper Co – Fable

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$110

If your nursery will have a theme, like forest or wildlife, you must get this wallpaper. It’s so elegant and classic and will look amazing as a accent wall. Comes in 27 inch rolls with a 25.25 inch repeat.

SHOP

Carter + Main

9. Carter + Main – Jungle leopard

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$89.99

Tiger King anyone? Go big or go home with this jungle print wallpaper that will make heads turn. This print is self-adhesive so just peel the back and get working. Roll is 26′ wide.

SHOP

A version of this story was published November 13, 2020. It has been updated.

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