Wallpaper is one of the few decor staples with a rare ability to elevate almost any space, from tiny bedrooms to half bathrooms. Whether you're hanging it yourself or using a more temporary peel-and-stick option, wallpaper can add so many gorgeous touches to your space - vibrant colors, texture you swear you could feel, and eye-catching patterns (even those you create yourself!). But there's a particular magic that interior designers create when they draw eyes upward with wallpaper onto the ceiling.
"The ceiling is often referred to as the 'fifth wall,' yet it's frequently overlooked," says Lindsey Jamison, partner and lead designer at Rumor Designs. "It's crucial to remember that the ceiling can be a powerful design element, adding drama and defining a space. Whether it's an entire ceiling or a smaller area - such as inside a coffered ceiling in a dining room or a reading nook - wallpaper adds personality and creates a memorable moment."
How Ceiling Wallpaper Elevates Your Design
Jamison explains that ceiling wallpaper quite literally draws eyes upwards, creates an overall more intentional look (with less effort!), and adds visual interest to rooms where walls are dressed in neutral shades. "My favorite reason to wallpaper a ceiling is its unexpected nature," she adds. "Walking into a room with a beautifully wallpapered ceiling is always a delightful surprise that brings a smile and finished look to a space."
And in a time when maximalist interiors are all the rage, wallpaper is one of the surest ways to add drama to a room. Courtney Smith, principal and founder of Courtney B. Smith Design, says she's seen the interior design industry fully embrace this look ahead of next year's trends: "We love wallpaper in lots of instances because it gives us an opportunity to add pattern and texture, and creates an envelope that feels intentional."
At Apartment Therapy, we've certainly toured many beautiful homes that capitalize on pure ceiling magic (paint included!). If you're looking for inspiration for your own space, design pros are sharing ingenious ways they've created statement ceilings just by using wallpaper. Whether you're looking to drop guests' jaws in a living room or reimagine a cozy bedroom, these ceiling wallpaper ideas can help you elevate your decor.
- Matching Trim
A child's room might be the ultimate place to display wallpaper on the fifth wall. But the way in which Regan Baker of California-based Regan Baker Design installed it in this Sonoma home feels simultaneously playful and sophisticated.
"We chose a subtly patterned wallpaper from Abigail Edwards' collective for The Pattern Collective for the ultra-high-pitched ceilings, which gives them a textured effect," Baker shares. "Contrasting baseboards and window trim in a cheerful shade of teal gives further depth to the space."
- High-Definition Hosting
Ceiling wallpaper is surely an eye-catching detail, but imagine the power it holds when it's in the first room guests see when they enter a home. Essentially, it sets the bar for the rest of the space.
That was the brief that Camila Gusmao, of Decorating Den Interiors in Florida, received from her client. All of the elements, including the tamarind wood table and the crystal chandelier, revolve around this Vahallan wallpaper.
- Cozy Bedroom Ceiling
Picture it: Lying down after a long day of work, only to get lulled into sleep by counting the patterns in your ceiling. That's the primary case for the bedroom pictured above.
"Throughout this house, we used wallpaper on the ceiling, so we continued that in the primary bedroom to create more texture and accentuate the height of this room," Baker says. "Facet from Innovations was the perfect choice with the dark teal blue paint highlighting the curved detail above the bed and carrying out the moody vibe."
- Repeating Patterns
When Smith had the opportunity to design a home's quaint office space, she thought long and hard about choosing the right pattern. She landed on Peter Dunham Textiles' "Fig Leaf" wallpaper because it isn't vertically oriented, which she says are actually much more effective on ceilings than regular interior walls.
- Punchy Paisley
Wallpaper can easily offset and accentuate smaller spaces in your home, which is especially true for work spaces.
"Both of these rooms are home offices, and the use of wallpaper on the ceiling helps wrap the spaces in warmth and ups the energy, which helps make excel spreadsheets much easier to tackle," Smith explains of the two office spaces. (For this room, Smith used Sister Parish's "Desmond" wallpaper.)
- Contrasting Patterns
Don't be afraid - using two clashing patterns on the wall and your ceiling can actually make the space feel more cohesive despite feeling counterintuitive.
Kristina Phillips, a New Jersey-based interior designer, best showcases this in a nursery space. "Wallpapering a ceiling can be a fantastic way to add a bit of whimsy to a space," she says. "The walls were papered in a vertical stripe, so to offset the linearity of the room, I papered the ceiling with a star motif."
- Understated Elegance
Entryways often open up into sprawling dining rooms, and so this designer wanted to create a "curated vignette to entice guests to enter." Baker's enchanting room beckons you through cozy neutrals and a moody ambiance. The Phillip Jefferies' "Metallic All Over" wallpaper on the ceiling lends itself to the overall vibe.
- Trompe L'oeil Themes
"In this side entry, there was a layering of finishes and patterns, including a plain grass cloth with a lotus motif window treatments," Phillips explains. "The walls were painted Farrow & Ball's Parma Gray, and the ceiling was papered in the iconic Cole and Son's Nuvolette wall covering."
- Monochromatic Color Scheme
One of modern designers' most popular wallpapers for ceilings is Cole and Son's Nuvolette pattern, also shown in the room above. It's extremely versatile; this living room, designed by Jamison, feels much more contemporary and less sterile by offsetting the room's color scheme with a repeating pattern.
- Offsetting White Walls
Upon first glance, Jamison's dining room space may feel disjointed - but the contrasting elements work together to define the space. There's a through line that connects both the ceiling and the eye-catching throw rug beneath the dining table: a vibrant pop of blue.
- Gold Makes It Regal
It's easy to create a "wow" factor with a bold metallic wallpaper that enhances beautiful lighting, as was done in this regal living room designed by Vanessa Deleon, principal designer and founder of Vanessa Deleon Associates.
"I often use wallpaper to bring depth, texture, and surprise to a space - and we've become known for our gold metallic ceilings that catch the light and add instant glamour," she says. "Whether in a dining room, bedroom, or a boutique hospitality project, it's a detail that transforms the mood of the entire room."
- Moldings Work as a Frame
In this bedroom by Deleon, an abstract wallpaper underscores the warm, earthy tones that tie this space together; crown molding also frames the ceiling as art. "I always consider proportion, lighting, and balance so the ceiling enhances rather than competes with the design," she adds. "For anyone trying it themselves, start small and let your ceiling become the statement piece that elevates the entire space."
- Geometric Figures
In this stunning modern-style kitchen from New York-based design firm White Webb, block-print wallpaper creates an added layer of complexity in a space dominated by sleek stainless steel. The repeating look is defined by the circular motifs featured in DesignTex's Bocce Block.
- Tonal Color Schemes
The mix of textural geometric patterns in this study's wallpapered ceiling (offered by CMO Paris) helps to create a cohesive feel. The team at White Webb ensured that the natural lighting from nearby windows also accentuated the wallpaper's metallic finishes.
- Mirroring Upholstery
Designers at Philadelphia-based Studio IQL echoed the ceiling in this living room by using the same print as upholstery in a custom-built bench seat. The foiled look is subtle upon first glance, which is intentional: "Balance [the ceiling] with restraint," says principal designer Val Nehez. "If you wallpaper the ceiling, keep walls and furnishings simpler to let the ceiling shine."
- Embracing Florals
Your laundry room will be literally smelling of roses when you choose to emulate Studio IQL's moody floral ceiling. The dark background is offset by blasts of direct sunlight from a nearby window, which helps to create a dramatic vibe (even in a utilitarian space!). "Use lighting strategically; the way light hits a textured or reflective wallpaper can add dimension and mood," Nehez adds.
- Highlighting a Tray Ceiling
Nicole Lloyd Beat, an interior designer with Toledo, Ohio's Lloyd Design Team, deliberately introduced texture by selecting a wall covering that invoked nature's touch. "In this dining nook, a forest-green grasscloth graces both the tray ceiling and its surrounding walls, wrapping the space in warmth and charm," she shares.
- Industrial Touches
In this White Webb project that features a gallery hallway, the pewter gray geometric wallpaper by Wolf Gordan helps to reflect lighting back into the ethereal space below.
- Echoing Flooring
Caron Woolsey, founder and principal designer of Houston-based CW Interiors, tapped into an earth-toned floral wallpaper to elevate this dining room; the color scheme perfectly foils the accent rug featured below. "For those trying the look, start small and choose a pattern that complements your palette rather than competes with it," Woolsey advises. "The result should feel intentional and artful, not busy."
- Creating Transition
Beat unified an entire first floor, thanks to a bold floral ceiling that boosts your mood as you travel from room to room. "A midnight-blue floral ceiling in a sitting room connects the dining room and adjacent kitchen beautifully," she shares. "It's an unexpected design thread that brings all three spaces together."
- Accenting Furniture
In this hosting area of a New York City Parisian-inspired apartment, you might assume that the ceiling could simply be painted with Benjamin Moore's "Duxbury Gray." While that's a gorgeous color, it doesn't bring a lot of drama into the space. However, a floral-patterned wallpaper that has an almost black background adds serious va-va-voom to this room.
- Statement Ceiling
What makes the dining nook in Becks Huntley's home so special isn't that it's mostly a stark white color - or even that there's a strip of bold floral wallpaper in its center. It's actually that the strip continues up to the ceiling. Because it's a nook rather than a set room, Huntley chose to offset the space with a dramatic flair, dubbing the project as a "wallpaper canopy."
- Moody Patterns
New York-based interior designer Alvin Wayne has always had a bold interior vision (which is why Apartment Therapy covered his Long Island apartment twice). In his first house tour, the primary bedroom's ceiling was left untouched. However, when he later reimagined the space he went darker using Belarte Studio's "Artistic Lines" wallpaper on the walls and ceiling. Even though it's black, it doesn't feel overwhelming - but rather calming.
- Colorful Maximalism
This Chicago home is filled to the brim with patterns and color; unsurprisingly, that level of vibrancy continued into the bedroom. The sloped nature of this ceiling helps the bold floral pattern feel almost lifelike, as if they were cascading down the wall. Rather than trying to disguise the lower ceiling, the wallpaper accentuates it in a truly gorgeous way.
- Bold Pink Ceiling
The owner of this London home overhauled her space during the COVID-19 lockdown to embrace head-turning design. "The best thing we ever did was not to limit the amount of color in our home; it's made us feel so happy," the homeowner shared with us. "The rest of the world may feel grey at times, but it's always colorful here!"
- Bringing Nature In
Wallpapers that bring in features that feel au natural (or are actually depicting nature, including historical verdure motifs) can perfectly offset a sunny kitchen.
- Analogous Color Scheme
A vintage-inspired scalloped wallpaper perfectly accents the window dressings in this maximalist Los Angeles bungalow. The warm apricot hue is a lovely foil to the bright yellow fireplace with custom tile inlays.
- Graphic Illustration
This DIY job in a historic New Jersey Victorian home proves that a showstopping wallpaper doesn't need to be exactly symmetrical to get the job done.
- Cheeky Print
The tongue-in-cheek motif of this dining room's floor-to-ceiling wallpapered look is actually hand-painted. The bohemian Minneapolis bungalow makes use of the same wallpaper in its living room as well.
- Color-Drenched Bedroom
This Wallflora foliage-inspired wallpaper helps to establish the color-drenched blue interior in this primary bedroom. The cool-toned print continues up the wall and over the canopy bed in this New Jersey home.
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