In this post I am going to share my 6 top vintage wallpaper ideas, from choosing the right wallcoverings, ideas on which prints to use from which eras, and my top style tips on how to bring vintage vibes to your pad.
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IMAGE | FURNITURE VILLAGE
WHAT IS VINTAGE WALLPAPER AND WHY IS IT HAVING A MOMENT?
I have been obsessed with vintage prints and patterns throughout my 25 years as an interior stylist, and right now they are having a serious moment in the world of interiors. And it’s easy to see why. Vintage wallpaper is a simple way to give your room a sense of history and personality, and a one-off look that looks very intentional.
And vintage wallpaper ideas are not just for older homes! They look fabulous in modern properties or in new-builds. Why? Well, often newer properties lack architectural details that are commonly found in older homes, so a vintage pattern or print on the walls is a quick way to add character into a home.
I’ve used vintage map wallpaper from the 1960s and 70s in my guest bedroom at my Brighton home. And it has become a talking point because as guests love to spot the places that they have visited! But I’ve also used lots of vintage wallpaper in my interior design work too for TV shows and stand designs, because vintage wallpapers makes a big impact in these spaces.
Vintage wallpapers carry history and personality that nothing new can replicate, and in my work for styling homes for magazines, brands and private clients, they are one of my most-reached-for tools. They are unusual, timeless, and they never go out of style. And with vintage prints, nobody else will have the same one!
IMAGE CREDIT: LAURA ASHLEY
6 VINTAGE WALLPAPER IDEAS for you to try in your home
Not sure where to start when picking a vintage wallpaper for your home?
Here’s my top 6 vintage wallpaper ideas that will elevate your space, and inject every room with personality and pattern.
IMAGE CREDIT | LAURA ASHELY
1. Pick a Print With a Story, Not Just a Pattern
The reason vintage wallpaper feels so different from a generic modern print is provenance. A William Morris reissue, a 1970s palm print, an Art Deco fan motif, a botanical lifted straight from a Victorian sketchbook, each one of these designs carries a piece of history of the era it came from. And that is what will give your room genuine depth and character.
When you are browsing online, look for vintage wallpaper ideas that are clearly archival or archival-inspired rather than generic prints with a filter slapped on top. The thing I always say to my clients is: if you love the print on the screen, you will love it on the wall. Trust your instincts here.
And you don’t have to hunt too far and wide either, as there are lots of fabulous interior brands who have really cornered the market in period wallpapers. My top stylist’s tip when shopping for vintage wallpaper for your space is to look at interior home decor companies like Astek Home.
Astek Home’s wallpaper website is a good place to start if you want see a wide collection of archival designs. They have a huge selection of patterns and prints from all eras, making it easy to pick the perfect one for your home. In fact, all the wallpaper examples in this post I picked out from Astek Home as I wanted to give you an idea of the breadth of their ranges.
STYLISH VINTAGE WALLPAPER DESIGNS FROM Pre-1920 AT ASTEK HOME
2. Start with a small room, not a feature wall
As an interior stylist who has decorated 1000s of rooms, I suggest that if you want to decorate with vintage wallpapers, start with the smallest room in your home. As I personally feel that starting with a feature walls can look like a compromise in your room, rather than a strong design choice.
A downstairs loo, a porch, a tiny landing, the inside of a wardrobe. These little spaces are forgiving, low risk, and it’s where a bold print will looks the most striking when it wraps around the entire space.
In my own home, I decorated my guest bedroom on every single wall, including the shelves, and over a cupboard. The impact of this repeating print in a small space really gave it the WOW factor I was looking for. Give it a try yourself.
IMAGE | POOKY LAMPS
PRETTY VINTAGE WALLPAPER DESIGNS FROM THE 1920-1930 AT ASTEK HOME
3. Match the scale of the print to the size of the room
The instinct in a small room is to choose a small print, because it feels safer. In reality, a small busy print in a small room makes the walls feel like they are closing in on you.
Instead choose a larger, more open prints to make a small room look and feel bigger. It’s a designer trick we all use because the eye reads the negative space between the motifs as breathing room tricking the brain to think the space is bigger than it is. So, in a small room, a large-scale botanical or oversized geometric will give the impression of MORE space…not less!
Save the dense ditsy prints for larger rooms where they can be appreciated up close.
COLOURFUL VINTAGE WALLPAPER DESIGNS FROM THE 1940-50 AT ASTEK HOME
IMAGE CREDIT| DUNELM
4. Let the wallpaper lead the colour palette
Once you have chosen your paper, pull out two or three colours from the design and then use them as inspiration for the rest of the room. You can paint your skirting and woodwork in paints that are colour matched to your vintage wallpaper. Then choose accessories like lampshades, cushions, or vases in complementary accent colours to create a cohesive colour scheme that any interior designer would be proud of.
This is the single most useful styling trick I can give you, because it helps you style a room with minimal effort. Remember a vintage wallpaper print is essentially a designer-made colour palette which you can dip into. Don’t forget to have fun with it!
One-off VINTAGE WALLPAPER DESIGNS FROM THE 1960-1970 AT ASTEK HOME
IMAGE CREDIT: MUSTARD MADE
5. Mix old and new With INtention
A common worry I hear from many people is that stress out that a vintage wallpaper will date the rest of their home room or force you into a full period scheme. I can promise you that it will not do that, as long as you balance out the designs and colours properly.
For example I would hang a 1970s print wallpaper behind a modern bed, and that contrast of eras will really make the room sing. Or you could hang an Art Deco print in your hallway with a contemporary console and a brass light pendant and it suddenly your space look considered (rather than themed). Try to mix eras in your rooms for a modern look.
As a general rule of thumb, if the wallpaper is loud, keep the furniture quiet. If the wallpaper is soft and tonal, you can have more fun with shapes and finishes. The goal is conversation between the eras, not a costume drama.
CLASSIC VINTAGE WALLPAPER DESIGNS FROM 1980 AT ASTEK HOME
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6. Test before you commit
Please promise me when decorating your room, you order wallpaper samples in advance. My tip is to order at least three or four designs and tape them to the wall for a full week to see what you think. Look at them in the morning light, the evening light and under your usual lamps in the evening. Patterns that look incredible on a screen can read completely differently in your actual room.
If you can, get the largest sample size available as a tiny swatch will not give you a real sense of how the repeat works at scale, and the repeat is everything with vintage prints!
Vintage wallpaper is one of those rare design choices that is genuinely transformative. A weekend, a roll of paper and a bit of confidence will give you a room that looks like it has been there for years, with the kind of character you cannot fake with a piece of wall art.
Pick a print you genuinely love, commit to the whole room, let the colours lead the rest of the scheme, and resist the urge to play it safely. Done well, vintage wallpaper does not date your home, it anchors it.
IMAGE CREDITS: GEORGE HOME
FINAL THOUGHTS ON VINTAGE WALLPAPER IDEAS
I’m hoping that in this post. you will now have the confidence to give your home makeover using these vintage wallpaper ideas! I think you’ll find that it will give your pad the kind of character you simply cannot find from a paint chart alone.
Pick a print you genuinely love, commit to the whole room, let the colours lead the rest of the scheme, and resist every urge to play it safe. Done well, vintage wallpaper does not date your home. It anchors it. Vintage wallpaper is one of those rare decorating choices that can be genuinely transformative in a home.
I hope this has helped! If you have a question, drop it in the comments below and I will do my best to help.
More about Maxine
I’m an interior stylist, creative director and interiors journalist based in Brighton, working across London, Sussex and the wider UK. With 25 years of experience across magazines, brands, TV and private homes, I specialise in creating spaces that feel joyful, considered and full of personality. Find details of my services at maxinebrady.com/interior-styling-services and follow me on Instagram at @maxinebradystyling for daily inspiration. You can also listen to the How to Home Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
If you have enjoyed this post, please follow me on Instagram @maxinebradystyling and on Pinterest for more styling ideas, real-life renovations and practical design advice.
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IMAGE CREDITS: Pooky Lamps.