Modern Wallpaper Designs
For a cool + contemporary refresh.
Refresh your home aesthetic with modern wallpaper designs. Think: sharp geometric patterns, rippled layered marble, bold abstract shapes, and earthy botanical prints. Read further to learn more about your design options for modern contemporary wallpaper or skip ahead for ideas and tips on how to decorate with modern wallpaper.
Modern Wallpaper Ideas
Important Wallpaper Considerations
Modern Wallpaper Designs
Wallpaper Patterns
Get the most out of your space by choosing the right wallpaper pattern for your modern home. Here are some examples of the types of wallpaper patterns you can use to enhance your home aesthetic.
Wallpaper Textures + Finishes
Create the appearance of texture or provide an added sheen to your space by selecting the right wallpaper texture and finish. Semigloss, glitter/shimmer, and satin wallpaper add light to your space with glossy layers, while metallic/foiled wallpapers use metallic coatings to give off their shine. Matte-finished wallpaper adds subtle hues minus the shine to make the rest of your space pop.
Modern Wallpaper Ideas
Now that you know modern wallpaper patterns and textures, get inspired on how to decorate with wallpaper in your home with these modern wallpaper ideas.
1. Refine With Rippled Marble
Refine your dining room with sleek, rippled, marble-like wallpaper. Contrast marble walls with cream furnishings accented by black or gray tables, decor, and light fixtures to add to the moody ambience. Choose one wall to apply your marble wallpaper and use it as a focal point to balance the rest of the room. Alternatively, deck out your powder room or entryway in marble wallpaper for a striking look.
Complement your houseplant collection or fresh floral arrangements by going botanical with your wallpaper. Earthy tundra prints, abstract woodland patterns, and fresh florals can add a subtle flare of nature to your modern home. Use colors present in botanical wallpaper as a guide for your room’s color palette. Gray walls and dining chairs pair well with floral designs with rich neutrals in shades of black, charcoal, and bright white, creating a refined look, while a dining table with blonde wood adds warmth to tie the room together.
Adopt a minimalist approach by applying neutral wallpaper to your bedroom walls. Modern wallpaper designs include simplified neutrals in shades of white, cream, or pastel colors and subtle patterns in abstract or geometric styles that allow them to blend into the room. A relaxed bedroom wallpaper design exudes comfort and adds warmth to make your bedroom the ultimate space to unwind and get ready for the next day.
Make a bold, artistic statement with abstract wallpaper. Abstract patterns transform into unique wallpaper designs, allowing you to get creative. Use bold abstract wallpaper for your entryway or hallway and relaxed neutrals in your living space, or simplify the process of decorating with wallpaper by designing a modern focal wall.
Start by mapping out one wall to focus on. Then, choose an abstract wallpaper that complements the existing colors of furnishings and decor items. Create a bold statement in neutral spaces with a multicolored pattern, or pair it back with subtle wallpaper designs to help bright-colored items standout.
Reinvent your home bar – or any space – by adding geometric wallpaper with sharp edges and intricate detail. Keep your space well-balanced by applying it to opposite walls and keeping the remaining walls white, or use another solid color of your choosing. This helps the geometric patterns stand out without taking over the space.
Alternatively, you can use geometric patterns with diamond, square, or curved shapes to mirror your modern furniture and decor. Balance your round area rug with curvy wallpaper designs, or pair a square ottoman with a wallpaper that has angular lines and shapes to match the ottoman’s edges.
Make large rooms warmer and more inviting while adding dimension to smaller spaces with modern textured wallpaper. Textured wallpaper can make your entryway – or any space – pop. Use textured wallpaper as a backdrop with cool-toned marble furniture and simplify decorating in large rooms by applying textured wallpaper to one or more walls and sticking with neutrals for furniture and decor items.
Transform your bathroom into a luxe space to get ready for your day and wind down before bed by incorporating modern wallpaper designs with tropical themes and palm prints. Make palm leaves the backdrop for your bathroom vanity so you can always feel like you’re on vacation.
Mirror dark green and black shades of palm prints with a black bathroom vanity or black pendant lights, and use the wallpaper’s gold undertones to make a gold-framed mirror pop. Refine your bathroom design even more by using the wallpaper colors as the basis for your shower curtain, bath mat, and bath towels for a cohesive look.
Elevate your living space with black-and-white patterned wallpaper. Black and white is a timeless combo that works well in modern homes, especially when transformed into cool contemporary wallpaper. Highlight black as the dominant color with black-framed artwork, or add white accent furniture to keep it crisp and clean.
Warm up black-and-white wallpaper with a red accent chair or opt for neutral shades of blush pink, light blue, sage green, beige, or heathered gray for a minimalist approach. Enrich your space with jewel-toned furnishings and decor items in shades of emerald green, sapphire blue, topaz blue, ruby red, amethyst purple, or citrine yellow.
Add height to rooms by applying vertically striped wallpaper. Vertical stripes draw the eye up and create the appearance of high ceilings, whereas horizontal stripes can create the illusion of a wider room. Both help open up your space. Use subtle stripe patterns when you want your furniture and decor to pop, or use large-scale stripes to keep the rest of your room neutral and simplified.
Give your space a sleek, modern vibe with metallic wallpaper. Use metallic wallpaper to give a sheen to dark spaces and reflect natural light in rooms with few windows. Apply metallic orange wallpaper for a touch of citrus to liven up your entryway, and complement copper tones with a gold metallic wall mirror and gold-colored chandelier or a brass console table.
Check out these tips to get the most out of your modern wallpaper designs.
Select the Right Type of Wallpaper
Determine the best kind of wallpaper to use based on your home decorating experience, living arrangements, and product expectations. Home decorating wallpapers come in a variety of selections like peel-and-stick wallpaper. Peel-and-stick wallpaper works well in rented spaces because it can be easily removed when the time comes.
As an added bonus, peel-and-stick wallpaper doesn’t require you to wet the back which is the case with pre-pasted wallpaper. Instead, you simply peel off the backing and it's ready to go. In contrast, you have to apply the paste and wait for it to set with non-pasted wallpaper. However, this makes non-pasted wallpaper more durable and long-lasting.
Consider Placement
Consider wallpaper placement to help you narrow down your selection and ensure quality. Apply moisture-resistant wallpaper to kitchens and powder rooms, but especially bathrooms with showers or bath tubs. Moisture-resistant wallpaper is made of materials like vinyl which has water-resistant properties. This makes it a good choice to withstand humid conditions or water stains.
Similarly, washable wallpapers come with a thin protective coating, usually made of plastic, which means it's safe to wipe down with a wet washcloth. Therefore washable wallpapers work well in kitchens or powder rooms but may not withstand moisture like specified moisture-resistant wallpapers do. Be sure to review a product’s specific care instructions before using detergents or household cleaners on washable wallpaper.
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