Ideas by Room
Best Wallpaper for Living Room Walls: 8 Designs by Style
The best living room wallpaper suits the way the room is furnished and lived in. Here are eight designs ranked by style, from classic to industrial, two alternatives, and a short guide to the paper and the wall.
The short version
- Our pick overall: Evensong, Linen, a vast old-master sky in ivory and cream that works with almost any sofa.
- Start from your furniture. Japandi, mid-century, classic or industrial: each style has a design that fits it.
- Scenes for big walls, patterns for busy rooms. A panorama makes a focal point; an even pattern hides the gaps between furniture.
- Pre-Pasted is the family pick. It is a 300 gsm non-woven with a textured matte finish, and you only wet the back to hang it.
- Every design is printed to your wall's size, so the scene or pattern fits from corner to corner.
The best wallpaper for a living room is a design that matches your furniture and still feels calm after a long evening: a quiet scene, a soft pattern or a texture on a matte paper. Our pick is Evensong, Linen, a non-repeating skyscape in ivory and cream, painted like an eighteenth-century landscape oil.
Below are eight living room designs ranked by style, then two alternatives to wallpaper, and how to choose the paper for a room that gets daily use.
The 8 best living room wallpapers at a glance
| Design | Best for | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Evensong, Linen | Any living room | Old-master sky in ivory and cream |
| 2. Kasumi, Stone | Japandi and Scandinavian rooms | Ink wash mountains in dove grey |
| 3. Glasshouse, Sage | Mid-century modern rooms | Screen-print banana leaves in sage |
| 4. Kiri, Cornflower | Calm, minimal rooms | Ink wash cheetahs in dusty blue |
| 5. Pavilion, Blush | Classic rooms with dark wood | Cranes in flight, blush and terracotta |
| 6. Gesso, Loch | Bold, creative rooms | Gouache brushstrokes in teal |
| 7. Seaward, Cornflower | Coastal living rooms | Open sea in soft blue |
| 8. Clerkenwell, Ink | Loft and industrial looks | Charcoal brick effect |
The ranking: 8 living room designs, then 2 alternatives
All eight come on three papers: Non-Pasted ($7.95 per square foot), Pre-Pasted ($8.95) and Peel and Stick ($10.95), printed to order in the EU and shipped free with duties included.
1. Evensong, Linen: best living room wallpaper overall
Best for: a living room of any style, especially one with mixed furniture.
Evensong, Linen is a vast, non-repeating skyscape in ivory and cream, with soft taupe and charcoal ink details. Gentle, painterly brushwork gives a hazy sky and a calm horizon, like an eighteenth-century landscape oil.
Because it is mostly sky, it sits behind a sofa, shelves or a television without competing with them. It can also go on the ceiling.
- Neutral enough for any furniture
- Japandi version in bone and oatmeal: Mizuho, Oat
- Pairs with linen, aged brass and off-white furnishings
2. Kasumi, Stone: best for Japandi living rooms
Best for: a Japandi or Scandinavian living room with light wood and linen.
Kasumi, Stone is a panoramic, non-repeating scene of mountain peaks in a delicate ink wash of dove grey and silver-grey. The composition is airy yet evenly filled, with a calm horizon and generous quiet areas.
- Zen, minimal and Scandinavian
- Dark navy chinoiserie alternative: Kunlun, Midnight
- Pairs with oak, stone textures and soft linen
3. Glasshouse, Sage: best for mid-century rooms
Best for: a mid-century modern or retro living room.
Glasshouse, Sage is a graphic take on tropical foliage: flat banana leaves in muted sage and soft stone on a warm off-white ground, in a mid-century screen-print style with subtle grain. The repeat is medium in scale.
It is cheerful without being loud, and a terracotta pot or two brings out the green.
- Retro screen-print look
- Deeper green jungle: Kipuka, Moss
- Pairs with terracotta, brass, oak and cream linen
4. Kiri, Cornflower: best subtle pattern
Best for: a calm living room that needs pattern but not a bold print.
Kiri, Cornflower turns cheetahs into abstract forms in a delicate ink wash of dusty blue and slate, drifting across a warm off-white ground with generous negative space. It is an animal print in name, and a quiet pattern on the wall.
- Medium repeat, balanced rhythm
- Warm version: Serafina, Oat
- Pairs with blonde wood, raw linen and off-white ceramics
5. Pavilion, Blush: best classic pattern
Best for: a traditional living room with dark wood furniture.
Pavilion, Blush is a classic pattern of cranes in flight, painted with a refined gouache-style touch in muted blush and gentle terracotta on a warm off-white ground. A dozen or more motifs spread evenly, so there are no empty patches.
The pink is soft and warm rather than sweet.
- Chinoiserie spirit, medium scale
- White and gold version: Fledgling, Ivory
- Pairs with cherry wood, linen and brass
6. Gesso, Loch: best bold modern design
Best for: a creative living room or a living room that doubles as a workspace.
Gesso, Loch is a fluid pattern of gouache-style brushstrokes in deep teal and sea green on a warm off-white ground. The marks are evenly spread in a medium repeat, so the wall feels lively from every angle.
- Bold, bright and characterful
- Wide blush alternative: Kinley, Rosehip
- Pairs with oak, brushed brass and cream linen
7. Seaward, Cornflower: best coastal design
Best for: a coastal or beach-house living room.
Seaward, Cornflower is an open ocean and sea view in soft blue tones, with an airy mood. It suits a living room that already leans on white, light wood and natural linen.
- Airy, coastal palette
- With a beach: Aldeburgh, Cornflower
- Grey and blue mix: Seascape, Slate
8. Clerkenwell, Ink: best loft look
Best for: an industrial or loft-style living room without real exposed brick.
Clerkenwell, Ink is a modern brick texture in charcoal, black and grey, with a calm but dark mood. It is meant for one feature wall, with the other walls kept lighter to balance it.
Warm wood, leather and brass soften it; black metal keeps the industrial edge.
- Brick look on a flat wall
- Suggested for living rooms, kitchens and offices
- Best on one wall
9. Alternative: paint and a gallery wall
A painted wall with framed pictures is a flexible way to add colour and interest. It changes piece by piece, where a mural changes the whole wall at once.
10. Alternative: wood slat or panel walls
Timber slats and panels add real texture to a living room. They involve fixing to the wall; see our wood accent wall ideas for the options.
Explore living room wall murals
Scenes, patterns and textures, each printed to the exact size of your living room wall.
How we chose
We grouped the living room designs in our collection by the furniture styles people actually live with (classic, Japandi, mid-century, coastal, industrial, modern) and picked the design that fits each one best. We favoured designs that stay calm at sofa distance: scenes with quiet areas, or patterns with an even, medium-scale repeat.
Evensong, Linen ranks first because it suits the widest range of rooms. Price did not change the order: on a given paper, every design costs the same per square foot.
Buying guide: living room wallpaper
Which paper for a living room?
| Paper | Weight and finish | Best living room use |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Pasted, $7.95/sq ft | 190 gsm, smooth matte | Adult living rooms; the most traditional finish, A+ indoor air rating |
| Pre-Pasted, $8.95/sq ft | 300 gsm, textured matte, fine grain | Family rooms; wet the back and hang |
| Peel and Stick, $10.95/sq ft | 370 gsm woven polyester | Rentals; repositionable for 24 hours |
All three wipe clean with a damp cloth, carry an ASTM E84 Class A fire rating and come off the wall in one piece.
One wall or all four?
A scenic mural usually goes on one wall, the one behind the sofa or facing the door. A quiet pattern such as Kiri, Cornflower can wrap the whole room. In a small living room, a pale scene with a low horizon keeps the wall open. For the scenes we rate highest, see our ranking of the best wall murals.
Mind the light. A living room is seen by day and by lamplight. Order a 30 x 20 in sample and look at it at both times. Its price comes back as a credit on your mural.
For layout ideas, read our living room accent wall ideas. To work out your wall area, see how much wallpaper you need. For the bedroom, see our ranking of the best wallpaper for bedrooms. For the entrance, see our ranking of the best wallpaper for hallways.
More living room designs
Aldworth, MossPrinted to your wall size
Rive Gauche, OatPrinted to your wall size
Lavenham, HeatherPrinted to your wall size
Common questions
What type of wallpaper is best for a living room?
A matte paper in a design that suits your furniture. Non-Pasted is the classic choice for a living room you own. Pre-Pasted is heavier, at 300 gsm, if the room gets busy family use. Choose Peel and Stick if you rent.
Is it better to wallpaper one wall or the whole living room?
For a scenic mural, one wall is usually enough and makes a focal point. For a soft repeating pattern, the whole room can work and feels more enveloping.
Can I put wallpaper behind a TV?
Yes. A quiet design with large calm areas, such as a sky or a texture, works best, because a busy pattern competes with the screen.
What wallpaper makes a small living room look bigger?
A pale panoramic scene with depth and a low horizon, such as Evensong, Linen or Kasumi, Stone. Light colours reflect light, and the view draws the eye past the wall.
Can living room wallpaper be cleaned?
Yes. All three of our papers wipe clean with a soft, slightly damp cloth. Avoid harsh chemicals and abrasive sponges.
How much does it cost to wallpaper a living room wall?
A wall 14 ft wide and 8 ft high is 112 sq ft. On Pre-Pasted paper at $8.95 per sq ft, that is about $1,002, with free shipping and duties included. The product page shows the exact price for your measurements.
Made to your measure
Living Room Wall Murals
Before you order