Wallpaper in Frames

I have a hang-up about hanging wallpaper.

When we moved into our house in 2004, most rooms were wallpapered. Ghastly wallpaper, like one bedroom had navy background with dark forest green leaves. Looked like colorful mud on the wall. One bathroom had thousands of ivy leaf vines on white paper. It hurt our eyes and was distracting in the mirror when you’re trying to focus on your face in the morning. Oh I could go on … most wallpaper was promptly removed. It took lots of time and sweat equity, and then great expense when we failed to remove paper that was super-glued to the walls and we hired help.

I will not be hanging wallpaper again.

But there are some inspiring wallpapers out there. Some are huge bold prints that I might like in a smaller dose but not all over a room or big wall:

Schumacher Tokat Wallpaper

Some beautiful wallpapers are pricier:

Schumacher Fern Tree Graphite Wallpaper

There’s a lot of pretty vintage wallpapers but limited quantities of them, like this 1950s wallpaper from Hannahs Treasures Etsy store:

Vintage 1950s Wallpaper from Hannahs Treasures Etsy Shop

So what if you want to use a wallpaper that’s very bold, expensive or limited in quantity? Or you rent?

Why not treat wallpaper like a large painting or print, and frame it? Here are some examples of framed wallpaper …

From Canadian House and Home, these framed wallpaper panels in a landing add a lot of impact behind a console table:

Framed Wallpaper Panels via Canadian House and Home

The large frame around this de Gournay wallpaper “grounds” it and adds extra visual interest. By Laura Vinroot Poole via Charlotte Home+Garden:

Framed de Gournay Wallpaper via Charlotte Home+Garden

… and Domino:

Laura Vinroot Poole House Framed de Gournay Wallpaper

Here framed wallpaper anchors a bed. This might be from Elle Décor but don’t quote me on that:

Framed Wallpaper Behind Bed Headboard

This is an innovative use of wallpaper, by Woodson & Rummerfield in Christina Aguilera’s home:

Framed Wallpaper in Christina Aguilera's Home by Woodson and Rummerfield

If you like the idea of curved corners like this in molding, here’s a place to get it for a decent price.

Shared at Houzz by Maison21, this is a perfect alignment of framed wallpaper to highlight this table, lamps and benches:

Framed Wallpaper via Maison21

Here, wallpaper framed with molding gives a sconce more presence on the wall, from NEWmouldings.com:

Framed Wallpaper Around a Sconce

I love how wallpaper is used to make a little “room” within a larger room here by Jessica Lagrange Interiors:

Framed Wallpaper via Jessica Lagrange Interiors

Here’s another scene, like the one above, of wallpaper treated as framed art, by Schuyler Samperton:

Framed Wallpaper by Schuyler Samperton

Wallpaper can also be the headboard, as shown here via Castorama:

Framed Wallpaper as Bed Headboard via Castorama

From Better Homes & Gardens, this dining room shows how framed wallpaper can be layered over another pattern on the walls for extra drama:

Framed Wallpaper via BHG

Another example from BHG, this wallpaper is perfectly chosen for the sofa and accessories. If you get bored of the wallpaper, or you change the room, you could easily switch the wallpaper when it’s framed:

BHG Framed Wallpaper Makeover

Here’s another example of a large piece of wallpaper behind a sofa. It’s Cole and Son Cow Parsley wallpaper featured in Country Home:

Framed Wallpaper via Country Home

I love, love, love how this wallpaper is framed with this table and layered with this picture frame. In Julie Charbonneau’s Montreal Home featured by Canadian House & Home:

Framed Wallpaper via Canadian House & Home

Here wallpaper segments are framed under a chair rail along a staircase, by Centsational Girl:

Framed Wallpaper Under Chair Rail via Centsational Girl

Finally, if you don’t want anything attached to the wall – perhaps you are renting – you can frame wallpaper and lean it against the wall. From Apartment Therapy:

Framed Wallpaper via Apartment Therapy

If you are like me and not interested in pasting wallpaper to your walls, would you be willing to frame it? I admit I might be interested now.





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7 Replies to “Wallpaper in Frames”

  1. Well, I love these ideas. So many great wallpapers, but too bold for an entire room or even a wall. Framed, however, and they are both an artistic flare and an architectural statement. I kept trying to find the one I liked best, but they kept getting better and better…I’m a big fan of botanical and oriental prints, so you know many of them caught my eye. Thanks for such a creative article, warmed me up!

  2. I love it! Really pretty options. I have some wallpaper from Anthropologie that’s waiting to be framed. Do you have any suggestions on what surface material to use?

    1. I think many of these wallpapers could be temporarily applied to the wall, perhaps with a gentle double-sided tape, to keep them smooth, and then cut architectural molding to size and tack it to the wall around the wallpaper. That keeps the cost more economical than using large picture frames.

      Or, you could assemble a frame with the molding, then staple or tape the wallpaper to the frame, and then hang the frame on the wall.

      Those are the main ways I could think of that would allow you to hang larger pieces of wallpaper economically and not permanently to the wall.

      If anyone else has ideas, let us know here!

  3. What a clever idea, I love this. I might do this in my apartment here, since I cannot change much. I want (lust after) that green leather couch, too.

    1. Yes this is great idea for renters. And the before and after with that green couch is amazing – it looks fine before, but it looks great after! What vision to do that. The link for those photos shows a whole room made over like that.

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