Off the wall

It’s time to get creative and think about what else might benefit from a good papering.

Who said wallpaper had to be used solely on walls? Not us.

Certainly, on the wall is where many Resene wallpaper designs and patterns will shine, as it does in this fresh tropical themed living room, but it’s time to get creative and think about what else might benefit from a good papering. It’s also a good use of any spare wallpaper you might have – don’t biff it in the bin, search around for other ways to use it.

This old cabinet has been given a smart new look by covering the centre panel of the doors in wallpaper then pulling out one of the colours from the paper design, in this case Resene Nepal, a muted blue pastel, and using it to paint the door surrounds and rest of the cabinet. Wallpaper is handy for something else too (aside from prettying up the wall). It can be used to kickstart a colour scheme. Identify the colours in the paper then match them to a range of paint colours. In this case, these are quite obvious and easily matched, with a couple of shades of blue and green on the white background, but if the paper is more detailed, Blu-Tack it to the wall, step back, maybe squint a little bit and get a sense of the overall colour. Then go with that to inspire other coloured elements in the room.

Use a colour in threes to create a balanced scheme. In our room, the fresh tropical green chair painted in Resene Amulet, is echoed and balanced by the drum coffee table in the same colour and a similar hued cushion in the middle of the sofa.

The relaxed casual vibe of this room is created not only by breezy colours and that fabulous wallpaper but by a laid-back rattan chair, a potted palm and casual natural linen slipcover on the sofa.

With a bold wallpaper like this, it may be best to use it just on one wall as a feature where it frames larger items of furniture like the cabinet and sofa.

You could then paint the other walls a fresh white, such as Resene Sea Fog, to match the background or, as with this room, muted dusky blue Resene Conch.

Unexpected ways to use wallpaper

Wallpaper can go on almost anything so be creative with left-over paper.

Drawers

Give an old set of drawers a new look by fixing wallpaper to the front of the drawers. Remove the handles temporarily then reattach once the wallpaper is on. These can be glued or for a temporary measure use double-sided tape. You can also go old-school and use wallpaper to line the bottom of your drawers.

Inside cupboards or cabinets

Line the back wall (or all sides) of the inside of your wardrobe or cupboards, or the back wall of a cabinet – it will make you smile every time you open the door.

On open shelves

Use wallpaper to line the back of a shelving unit or hang it on the wall behind an open shelving unit.

As a framed artwork

Off cuts of wallpaper are a great option for artwork. Simply buy an inexpensive frame or upcycle one with a fresh coat of paint and pop in some wallpaper for a piece of instant artwork.

Side tables

We used some left-over wallpaper from the wall to use on the drum-shaped side table. We painted the table in Resene Blue Bayoux and then cut wallpaper pieces to stick to the sides of the table. This is very simple to do and very effective.

Cabinet

This upcycled old cabinet looks modern and fresh with some wallpaper inserts added and gives the piece a new lease on life!

With a little imagination, Resene wallpaper can be used to reinvent and refresh a huge range of surfaces. View the full collection of Resene wallpapers at your local Resene ColorShop or get a taste of the new collections online.

Styling by Vanessa Nouwens. Photography by Bryce Carleton. June 2022