Leftover Wallpaper Projects

While it’s a good idea to keep some wallpaper on hand for repairs or replacements – what if you have an extra roll and several square feet, or happen to find a roll you would love to use in your home….

Accent Wall

If you have a long hallway and would like to downplay it, consider wallpapering an accent wall. Use a large pattern in a darker color which tends to cause the wall to ‘advance’ and shortens the length. For short hallways, you can use the opposite effect, a lighter color with smaller patterns, which can make the wall ‘retreat’ and the hallway look longer.

Screen

Use it to make a decorative screen, for privacy, to define areas in a studio apartment or to hide an ugly feature of the room.

Headboard

Find a cheap wooden headboard – there are tons of them on the second hand market. thrift shops and consignment shops in particular seem to always have several. Paint it with any color – semigloss paint works best on furniture, as it brings out the best in woodwork. Distress it if you like the look by rubbing with sandpaper randomly to get a naturally worn look. Cut your wallpaper in the shape of your headboard (not the legs), but make it an inch or two smaller. Mount it on the headboard for a custom made look.

Frame It

Buy an old large framed artwork at any second hand shop or auction. If it has an ugly piece of art in it, that’s even better, as it will probably be less expensive. Cover the artwork with your wallpaper for an instant framed focal point that looks particularly nice behind a couch.

Crafts

There are a host of craft projects that would be perfect for small pieces of wallpaper.

Cover clipboards to hang as holders in the office or the kitchen, it’s perfect for recipes and memos.
Cover any lidded box – even a sturdy file box, for a stylish storage solution.
Use on shoe boxes for perfectly sized shoe holders. Leave the end that identifies the shoe uncovered or cut out for instant id.

Others

Use it as shelf liner – particularly open mounted shelves.

Use it as a drawer liner.

Forget the plain white risers on your stairs – mount wallpaper for a bold staircase statement.

For vinyl or vinyl coated wallpapers, they make a heck of a kitchen backsplash.