15 Ceiling Wallpaper Ideas To Steal For Your Next Room Makeover
Explore 15 beautiful ceiling wallpaper ideas to elevate your room design. Discover unique designs that bring elegance and creativity to any room. From geometric patterns to floral designs, find the perfect wallpaper for your ceiling!
They call it wallpaper, but that doesn’t mean that it has to go on the wall! I wrote all about creative ways to use wallpaper before, but one that I want to dive into a little deeper today is putting wallpaper on the ceiling!
After all, the ceiling has been called by interior designers “the fifth wall”, which means that you shouldn’t forget about how to design your ceiling. The ceiling, often overlooked, makes a huge difference in how a room looks and feels. If you’ve ever seen the Sistine Chapel in person, you know what I mean.
Everything from the color of your ceiling, the addition of a tray or coffered ceiling, the light fixtures you install on the ceiling, the covers on your air vents, and the use of wallpaper on the ceiling are all ways to give your ceiling the love that it deserves.
Especially in smaller rooms, what color or design is on the ceiling makes a huge difference in the vibe of the room.
- For a cozier feel or a dramatic look, you may want to add darker paint or dark wallpaper.
- For a bright and cheerful feel, choose bright colors or floral patterns.
- If you want something that feels light and airy, go with lighter colors with a subtle design.
Whatever vibe you’re going for, wallpaper on the ceiling is a great way to add character to your room.
What type of wallpaper should you use on the ceiling?
One thing that almost every single one of these ceiling wallpaper ideas has in common is the type of wallpaper (really more the type of wallpaper application) recommended, which is a traditional wallpaper with paste. There is only one example below where they used peel-and-stick wallpaper.
Installing wallpaper on the ceiling may sound like back-breaking work, but the DIYers and bloggers all agree that if the wallpaper is installed with paste, there’s a little give during application. This means that you can slide it around a bit to get the pattern to match up perfectly (which you can’t do with peel-and-stick wallpaper).
Installation misalignments can make the whole job look unprofessional so I’d definitely agree that the right type of wallpaper for the ceiling is something that is installed with paste or is pre-pasted (and needs to be wet before installing).
What prep work is required before installing wallpaper on your ceiling?
It is best if your ceiling has minimal texture before adding wallpaper. This might mean that there is significant prep work for you that you need to do before installing wallpaper on the ceiling.
You can fix a heavily textured ceiling by doing a skim coat over the whole thing and then sanding lightly with a fine-grit sandpaper. Afterward, you would need to be sure all of the sanding dust is removed with a tack cloth and/or a shop vacuum.
If you have minimal texture or a flat ceiling, the process is much similar! You can simply make sure the ceiling is clean by attaching a damp rag to a long extension pole (or a Swiffer works great too).
If your ceiling is especially dirty, you can follow up by cleaning with TSP and rinsing with a wet rag.
Once clean, follow up with a specialty primer made for wallpaper installation. It may seem like an unnecessary step, but the primer will help your wallpaper adhere to the ceiling.
Alright now that you’re educated on what it takes to prep your ceiling for wallpaper and what type of wallpaper you should use, let’s move on to the fun part! The inspiration and beautiful designs that I’ve rounded up!
15 Ceiling Wallpaper Ideas
Ceiling Wallpaper Ideas
Metallic Gold Wallpaper on Ceiling
This fun wallpaper has a small gold metallic design pattern, which gives it a touch of luxury. Julia mentions in her blog post tutorial that their ceilings had heavy texture, so they prepped them by applying a skim coat (which is a layer of joint compound applied with a drywall knife) and then used a primer before installing the wallpaper on the ceiling.
Colorful Floral Ceiling Mural
You simply can’t go wrong with a floral ceiling with wallpaper! Floral print is a popular choice for statement ceiling wallpaper. She walks you through the entire process of installing ceiling wallpaper with a wallpaper paste.
Floral Wallpaper in Black Powder Room
The black-painted walls and high-contrast art in this powder room are pure drama! The floral patterned ceiling wallpaper is the perfect finishing touch.
Navy Blue Patterned Wallpaper in Coffered Ceiling in Dining Room
Tasha fell in love with this wallpaper as soon as she saw it and used it as a jumping point for the rest of the design elements in the room, including paint colors and lighting, art, and furniture.
This dining room goes from boring beige to modern and navy with the makeover and the beautiful statement on the ceiling.
Cloudy Pattern Wallpaper on Bathroom Ceiling
Heather describes this bathroom’s vibe as London on a cloudy day and I would say that is perfect. The beautiful gray color palette goes perfectly with the cloud-patterned wallpaper on the ceiling. It definitely makes the bathroom feel calm and cozy.
Tin Look Textured Wallpaper on Ceiling
If you’re not too sure about the whole putting a patterned wallpaper on the ceiling thing, why not try an embossed “tin look” wallpaper like this? They provide a nice textural interest to the ceiling and look a lot like the vintage tin ceilings of yesteryear.
Wallpaper Tray Ceiling in Master Bedroom
Tray ceilings became very popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, but now they can tend to look outdated. You can give your tray ceiling a modern update by adding wallpaper! This super detailed step-by-step tutorial walks you through the entire wallpaper installation on the ceiling.
Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper on Ceiling
This birds of paradise pattern is so fun and it looks great on the ceiling. These DIYers share their struggles of hanging a peel-and-stick removable wallpaper to the ceiling and their little trick which made it way easier! They installed it lengthwise instead, which allowed them to match up the pattern once for each roll. That’s a great tip!
Floral Mural on Ceiling
A floral mural on the ceiling, yes, please! It instantly elevates the space, don’t you think? She mentions that traditional wallpaper with a paste is way easier to use on a ceiling (when compared to peel and stick wallpaper) because it has a little give, allowing you to shift it around and match up seams and smooth out bubbles. This can make a world of difference if you're working in cramped spaces.
Floral Wallpaper on Ceiling in Rainbow Bathroom
In every tutorial for wallpaper ceilings that we’ve looked at so far, they have all recommended having 2 or 3 people for the installation process. But this blog post shows you how to wallpaper a ceiling BY YOURSELF.
So if you’re working solo, this is definitely one that you should check out. She also walks through an important mistake she made, which caused her to have to redo an entire section of the ceiling.
Subtle Flying Birds Wallpaper on Ceiling
The subtle pattern of the flying birds on a warm white background is the perfect finishing touch to this bedroom. This is the perfect pattern for kids' bedrooms.
Making Regular Wallpaper Renter-Friendly for the Ceiling
You may think that wallpaper on the ceiling is out of the question if you are a renter, but Charlotte shows you how to make your regular unpasted wallpaper removable with liquid starch! This little trick opens up plenty of options for you as a renter!
Mable Pattern Wallpapered Ceiling in Offic
The marbled pattern of the wallpaper on the ceiling in this home office gives it so much character! It definitely provides a great contrast to the navy blue paint on the walls, trim, and built-ins.
Black and White Floral Wallpaper in Mudroom
You can even have the floral look with a neutral color scheme. This black and white floral wallpaper on the ceiling looks great with the black-painted locker cabinets. It becomes such a unique focal point in this mudroom.
Modern Grid Wallpaper on Ceiling in Bedroom
I love the simplicity of this black and white modern wallpaper on the ceiling. It is a great example of how the pattern of the wallpaper can impact how a room looks. The modern feel of this wallpaper pattern definitely makes the room feel more modern.
Which of these wallpaper ceiling ideas is your favorite?
Want more wallpaper inspiration?
- Where To Buy Wallpaper Online
- 6 Fun and Unique Uses of Wallpaper in Your Home
- Stylish Wallpaper Accent Wall Ideas For Your Bedroom
- Floral Wallpaper Ideas for a Nursery or Little Girl’s Bedroom
- 16+ Gorgeous Nursery Wallpaper Ideas To Steal
- Creative Closet Wallpaper Ideas
- Pretty Laundry Room Wallpaper Ideas
- Entryway Wallpaper Ideas For A Welcoming Feeling
- 15 Ceiling Wallpaper Ideas To Steal For Your Next Room Makeover
- 13+ Pretty Dining Room Wallpaper Ideas
- The Best Small Bathroom Wallpaper Ideas
