Stylish Interior Wall Ideas

Reverse Effect

Choose a geometric-patterned wallpaper to give a space a bold and modern edge. Here, the bright green lines in the wallpaper inspired the color of a smaller room off the kitchen, providing a reverse effect.

Inviting Entry

Beaded-board wainscoting adds instant cottage style to any space. High wainscoting extends half or two-thirds up the wall and is often finished with molding.

Touch of Nature

Choose wallpaper with an outdoor-style pattern, such as wood grain, to give your room a natural look. Opting for a less traditional color keeps the room fresh and modern.

From Wood to White

Give wood paneling a fresh, cottage-style look by painting it white. White also reflects natural light, helping this small upstairs bedroom feel more open and spacious.

Frame It

Less costly than installing raised wood paneling, wall frames create a classic look that’s appropriate to many traditional architectural styles. Here, wallpaper boasting a tree motif adds personality behind the traditional wall frames.

Scale and Color Contrast

Give a bathroom stunning contrast with a mix of dark and light, large and small tile. Here, one wall features wide brown tile in a stacked pattern for a contemporary look. Small white mosaic tile with brown grout on the adjacent wall and floor complements the larger tile in both color and scale.

Classic Details

Select period wall panels and trim shapes for echoes of the past, even in a new home. Some classic traits of 18th-century Georgian design include raised paneling, dentil crown moldings, and elaborate fireplace surrounds.

Big and Bold

The vertical distance from the center of one pattern to the center of the next is called the pattern repeat. Large pattern repeats are more than 6 inches in size. The large repeat of a floral print adds a touch of whimsy to this formal dining room in shades of gray.

Exposed Brick

If you have brick walls in your basement or elsewhere in your home, rather than covering them with sheets of vanilla drywall, consider making them into a design statement. The warm, natural look and rough texture of exposed brick contrasts contemporary white furnishings beautifully.

Make a Statement

Give chair rail and wall frames stand-out style by painting them a bold color. Choosing complementary colors, such as blue and orange, makes an even greater statement.

Pretty and Practical

Tile wainscoting in the bathroom serves two purposes: It protects the lower portion of a wall, which is particularly nice if you live with young children, and it provides the warm, nostalgic look of cottage style. 

If These Wall Could Talk

Let the walls do all the work. From the most boastful motif to the subtlest texture, wallpaper adds instant personal style. Here, a bold flower-and-bird print on a stunning blue background adds interest to an otherwise simple, white kitchen.

The Feature Wall

Instead of plastering an entire room with wallpaper, consider selecting one wall and covering it with a bold pattern you love. The black-and-silver pattern on this wall is as beautiful as it is adaptable. The addition of a little pink makes it a fun nursery, but the room will easily grow with the child.

All the Trimmings

An ordinary bathroom becomes a work of art when trim pieces are used to create a series of square frames on all the walls. Painting everything one color keeps the look from overwhelming the small space.

Subtle Backdrop

Painting chair rail and wall frames the same color as the wall creates a subtle effect -- adding interest while letting the room’s other furnishings take center stage.

Neutral and Natural

Selecting neutral wallpaper allows you to add pops of color without making the space feel too busy. Here, cream-tone wallpaper featuring a natural pattern offers a beautiful backdrop for the mix of bright blue and red accents.

Mix of Styles

The graceful lines in the wallpaper covering the walls of this room offer a pleasing counterpoint to the straight lines on the wall of cabinetry. The classic pattern and elegant furnishings combine with contemporary cabinetry and hardware to create a space that's not too traditional and not too modern.