Transforming Spaces with Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper

Easy to install and easy to remove, peel-and-stick wallpaper is a versatile decorating option for homes, apartments and dorm rooms.

By Diane Franklin

Peel-and-stick wallpaper is an easy, non-committal way to add pattern to walls, ceilings, furniture and other surfaces. Consumers can apply the self-stick wallpaper with minimal effort—no extra paste or water trays needed. The wallpaper can likewise be removed the same way with no muss or fuss, and it’s completely reusable.

Because of these qualities, peel-and-stick is the perfect way to make a temporary change to your décor, making it a great product for renters and homeowners alike. Here are just a few creative ideas for how and where to use this fun and versatile product.

Feature Walls

Peel-and-stick wallpaper is a wonderful product for creating a signature wall in a living room, dining room, bedroom or elsewhere. There are plenty of patterns from which to choose, ranging from florals to stripes to geometrics and so much more. You can even do a bit of “fool-the-eye” magic by going with a pattern that makes your wall look as though it is made from faux brick, mosaic tile, bamboo or reclaimed wood.

You also can use peel-and-stick wallpaper for full-wall murals—perhaps a cityscape, a Tuscan villa or a French countryside. Essentially any look you can create with traditional wallpaper, you can create with the peel-and-stick variety as well.

Wall Accents

While peel-and-stick wallpaper can add an all-over pattern to your wall, consumers can instead opt to use peel-and-stick wall decals to give a nice little decorative flourish. The diversity of wall decals gives you ample opportunity to express yourself. For instance:

• Add an inspirational saying over a doorway or window. Options abound from such popular brands as Brewster Home Fashions’ WallPops! and York Wallcoverings’ RoomMates. You can choose anything from single words, such as “Love,” “Family” or “Dream,” to popular quotes such as “Dance like there’s nobody’s watching” or “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
• Use artistic wall decals over a sofa, loveseat or fireplace instead of a painting or wall hanging. You can replace these decals easily—and you won’t have to patch the wall if you decide to remove them, making them a great option for apartment dwellers.
• Use fun and whimsical wall decals for your child’s nursery or bedroom. Wall decals come in a variety of themes suitable for children, such as zoo animals, construction vehicles, dinosaurs, rainbows and glow-in-the-dark celestial bodies. As children grow older, you can change wall décor to suit their tastes. For instance, younger children will surely enjoy having RoomMates’ Nickelodeon Wall Murals grace their room, while older kids will be happy to welcome the presence of Spider-Man, the Hulk, Superman and other characters from RoomMates’ Superhero Wall Décor collection.
• Decorate a dorm room with removable wall art that will allow your student to express him or herself. In addition to providing an artistic flair, help keep your student organized with peel-and-stick wallpaper message boards and calendars, created as a dry-erase or chalkboard surface.
• Celebrate the holidays with seasonal peel-and-stick wall décor depicting wreaths, Christmas trees and even wall quotes proclaiming “The most wonderful time of the year.”
• Use peel-and-stick wall borders to create a lovely frame around a window or door frame, at a chair rail or directly under a ceiling.

Backsplashes

Using peel-and-stick wallpaper is a quick, easy and inexpensive way to create the authentic look of a tiled backsplash. There is a wide range of products available. For instance, the WallPops! line allows you to create the look of marble tiles, timber tiles, subway tiles, metallic tiles and more. Styles run the full gamut, from traditional to modern, from farmhouse to industrial and everything in between. RoomMates’ StickTILES, meanwhile, come in many different colors and designs, providing the feel of real high-end glass or ceramic tiles.

Furniture & Accessories

Peel-and-stick wallpaper also provides a creative venue for updating or embellishing furniture pieces, light fixtures, staircases and more. Here are just a few creative ideas to consider.

• Enliven your furniture. Add wall decals as decorative flourishes to dressers, foyer tables, wooden chairs or other furniture pieces. (However, avoid using the decals on lacquered finishes, as this is not compatible with the adhesive backing.)
• Transform stair risers. Create a decorative look for staircases by using peel-and-stick wallpaper on the risers. Use strips sized to cover the full area of the risers—or if you prefer, go with a smaller wall decal for each riser. Another option is to use word decals to create a message that visitors can read while ascending the stairs.
• Add interest to bookshelves. Put peel-and-stick wallpaper on the back of bookshelves to add a touch of pattern to your room in an unexpected place.
• Use peel-and-stick decals on ceiling fans. WallPops! has a range of products especially sized to the fan blades for this purpose, with designs ranging from zebra print to geometric patterns to a funky camo look.
• Accessorize your accessories. Use peel-and-stick wall décor as a frame for mirrors, to make plain picture frames more interesting, or to bring a bit of fun to otherwise plain bedroom or bathroom doors.

As you can tell from these ideas, the ways you can use peel-and-stick wallpaper are virtually endless. Look around your home—at the walls, ceilings, cabinetry, furniture and other surfaces that could potentially be transformed. Then head to your local paint and decorating store to find the patterns and products awaiting you to make a quick, easy but dramatic change to your décor.