Vintage floral wallpaper adds timeless charm to a home

Decorating with throwback patterns is an opportunity to make your home reflect your personal style. Incorporating floral patterns into a room in unexpected ways lends energy, life and color to the whole space. One way to do this is with vintage-inspired wallpaper.

Decorating with vintage floral wallpaper gives the whole space a timeless, comforting feel, while paying homage to one of your favorite decades for design. For instance, fans of the Victorian period may use a rose pattern to turn a corner of their living room into a romantic nook by using paper to create two distinct spaces in a single room. 

These ideas will help you incorporate some of the fine detailing and elegance of a classic pattern with the flow and feel of you home.

Unconventional Surfaces

Even though most styles available today are designed to make application and removal easier, if you’re putting up wallpaper you want to be confident you’ll love it. Say you’ve fallen hard for a black and white peony design, but you’re not sure if it’s too much. Test out the staying power of your love by first applying the pattern to your desk, a work table or the side of a cabinet.

Covering worn furniture, frames and other accents with wallpaper is also a crafty way to experiment with multiple patterns. Pair these pieces with solid curtains, rugs and other fabrics to achieve visual harmony.

Add Depth with Texture

Floral designs have an irresistibly tactile appeal that adds softness to an office or room with little natural light. Combine this with the slightly raised quality of flock paper, and you gain a sense of depth. Use this to turn a plain, narrow hallway into a place of curiosity.

Tone down the visual by choosing a design with two shades of the same color. From a distance, the wall may look like a solid color only to surprise the eye as it draws closer. Mount wall sconces to cast a romantic glow on the walls come night.

Go for the Glamour

Turn a crowded entryway into a breath of fresh air with a jazzy, 1920s-inspired design. A layered pattern with small flower heads in vibrant colors will make a glamorous first impression, and set a tone you can continue throughout the house. Add art deco-inspired geometric accents with pillows, lamps and picture frames.

Create an Accent Wall

The bolder your vintage floral wallpaper, the more you may appreciate neutral furniture and fabrics in the rest of the room. Instead of overpowering the room with a strong design, use it on a single wall to add visual interest without stealing the show. Accent walls enhance to mood in a space and give you plenty of design fodder to play with.

Choose the strongest color in the pattern, and paint the molding the same color, or find a complimentary focal piece like a rug or curtains.

Don’t Overdo It, Unless You Want To

Say your favorite style decade was the 1960s. Do guests need to be reminded of this everywhere they look? Choose one room or corner to channel the love, and throw subtlety out the window if you prefer a vibrant space.
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Many designs in the 60s were all about curves – curvy petals with loose, spiraling vines in not-so-natural colors. Pinks, oranges and red hues will warm up any room and pop against a modern, white couch. 

Application Tip

Whether you want to add spring colors to a sun room or delicate summer blooms to a bedroom, choosing wallpaper you love is only the beginning. Applying actual vintage paper is messier and more difficult than working with modern paper with a vintage-style design. If you love the look of vintage, but don’t want the hassle, look for a store than offers the best of both worlds: a vintage floral wallpaper pattern made for today’s DIYer.