10 Bright Wallpaper Ideas That Are Fun and Colorful

Sometimes, all it takes is a splash of color to brighten up a space. But if you don't want to paint, wallpaper is a great solution. Here are 10 bright and beautiful rooms using wallpaper to elevate a space.

The 11 Best Wallpapers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

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Bright Wallpaper Works With Colorful or Neutral Furniture

Rebel Walls

The meadow of watercolor wildflowers that seems to bloom from the floor of this living room is a perfect foil for a cheerful yellow sofa and a jumble of colorful throw pillows. But you don't need to use colorful furniture in a room with brightly colored wallpaper, as shown in the neutral-toned living space above, featuring striking blue AURA Super Nova wallpaper, made from a scan of an abstract acrylic painting from Swedish artist Emma Lindström.

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Banana Leaves Create a Tropical Backdrop

Back to the Wall

Joanne Gray of New Zealand design studio Back to the Wall says that bright wallpaper gives spaces "an artistic pop" and provides a "dramatic focal point." To style a room around this exuberant banana leaf wallpaper, she says, choose leather and velvet furniture for a glamorous effect or rattan, crisp linens, and hints of blush for a breezy Bahamas look. "Styling such a bold wallpaper choice should be fun," Gray says. "Pull from it colors you want to highlight with cushions and throws and don’t be afraid to combine different patterns. Try mixing with some bold black and white lattice cushions to pull everything together."

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Wallpaper That Tells a Story

She She

This charming blue wallpaper designed by interior architect Jennifer Jorgensen and illustrator Kate Worum of She She features dandelions, wild parrots, and bumblebees. The designers advise that you can style a room with bold wallpaper by calming the space down with neutrals or layering in even more color, pattern and texture. “For our hand-painted wallpaper 'Paco Y Maria' we decided to do a little of both!” the designers say. “We played up the boldness by carrying the pattern throughout the room. The pattern is painted on the wall, headboard, beaded on the pillows, and painted on the lampshade! We chose a white duvet cover, lamp base, and pillow to create a balance. She She usually likes to style around the idea that 'More is more!'"

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Create a Quirky Feature Wall Behind the Bed

Murals Wallpaper

Using wallpaper to create a feature wall behind the bed allows you to embrace bright color and quirky patterns, creating a bedroom you will love walking into while keeping all the visual noise behind you as you are waking up and falling asleep. This whimsical wallpaper decorated with wild cats and tropical leaves from Murals Wallpaper was inspired by the playful, retro design aesthetic of director Wes Anderson's iconic movies. A pastel pink wall picks up on the red wallpaper's accent color and linens in a softer shade of pinkish-red pull it all together.

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Wake Up a Breakfast Nook With a Geometric Look

Rebel Walls

Inspired by the geometry of a quilt, this vivid accent wallpaper sets a cheery tone in a high-energy breakfast nook. A Muuto E27 pendant lamp in bright yellow picks up on one of the pattern's myriad colors. Crisp white walls and furniture keep it fresh while a round table and gently curved Scandi-style chairs subtly echo the wallpaper pattern.

Kitchen Design

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Boost Your Home Office With a Rainbow-Hued World Map

Rebel Walls

This uplifting watercolor rainbow world map wallpaper is the perfect escapist antidote to feeling stuck at your home office desk. The softly blurred edges of the design encourage globe-trotting daydreams in between emails. White walls and flooring create a sleek blank canvas effect for the wallpaper, and a classic wood desk and rounded white lamp with mid-century vibes completes the bold look with minimal effort.

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Peace Out With a Sophisticated Take on Tie-Dye

Murals Wallpaper

Those blessed with extra space are sometimes tempted to add superfluous furniture or decorative objects to fill the void. But sometimes all an empty wall needs is an enormous stylized orange and yellow Tie Dye Wallpaper mural. The design was made using tinted ice rather than tied off fabric, resulting in abstract layers of color as the dyes melted. Whether you’re a teen or a peace-loving flower child of the 70s, this stimulating pattern will put a smile on your face.

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Create a Happy Kids Room With Polka Dots

zuzulicea / Getty Images

Wallpaper with candy-colored polka dots surrounded by plenty of white space creates an upbeat feeling that doesn’t overwhelm. The dot theme is echoed but not overdone thanks to a round rug, a pom pom garland light and a fabric teepee cover in neutral colors. The shape of the house-inspired bed frame and teepee balance the design with complementary straight lines.

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Add a Bold Stripe of Wallpaper in an Unexpected Corner

KatarzynaBialasiewicz / Getty Images

Neutral furnishings and flooring and pastel pink walls are punched up with a splash of graphic pink-and-purple striped wallpaper on an unexpected side wall that takes this from a kids room to a teenager’s space without a major investment.

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Experiment With Small, Unexpected Spaces

Design by Emily Henderson

Decorating with bright wallpaper instantly boosts the mood of any room, but it's not for the faint of heart. If you’re commitment shy, test the waters with removable wallpaper. Or experiment in out-of-the-way corners or light-compromised, smaller areas—in the bathroom, foyer, mud room, laundry room, on the inside of a closet or the risers of a staircase. Or you can just decide that life is short and make a bold style move.