A detail of a room with a white painted chair rail papered with a busy large floral featuring passionflowers, ivy, yellow poppies, and various other flowers on a medium teal background. The flowers are dark blue, yellow, pink, and soft pinky white, and the leaves are mostly olive green. A modern geometric floor lamp with gold cylinders and a white disc is at left; a touch of a curved navy chair can be seen at lower left. A green plant is at lower right.
Q&A Style, Decor & Design

Bold Floral Wallpaper

by Laura Grey No Comments
A wall is papered in Rifle's Luxembourg wallpaper featuring a modern take on a colonial stylized floral pattern on a white background. The flowers are bright symmetrical floral arrangements outlined in floral garlands. In front of the wall is a black spindle-back bench with a pillow that matches the wallpaper. A dark teal door is at right.
Rifle Paper Co.’s Luxembourg wallpaper brings modern freshness to a symmetrical but not-too-formal pattern reminiscent of Colonial American designs

Q: I’ve been looking for a wallpaper pattern for my entryway. Now that bold floral wallpaper is trending, I’m tempted to go with one—I think an oversized floral could look amazing. But is it just too loud a statement to greet people with as soon as they walk through the door? And is it likely to go out of style too quickly?

A: Your entryway sets the mood of your home. It’s a gateway with the cares of the public world on one side, and a comfortable oasis on the other. If you make your entryway vibrant and intriguing, you set the stage for a boost of energy, or a serene sanctuary.

A bold botanical pattern that evokes the beauty of nature is a fun and lovely way to bridge the interior and exterior worlds. Let’s look at a few contemporary examples.

Dutch-style striped tulips in red, white black, and yellow colors are arrayed on tall stalks without leaves in strong vertical lines with occasional tulips stretching out diagonally. A few butterflies and other insects appear throughout, but there is no background other than a plain off-white.
Bold and blocky flowers in rich colors pop on a moody black background. Flower colors include olive, turquoise, magenta, and peony pink with pops of red and white.

Schumacher’s Exotic Butterfly pattern (shown in black), was designed by midcentury designer Josef Frank. Kingdom Home’s Tulipa, here in the canvas colorway, presents 17th century-style striped tulips in a spare, modern way. The exquisite flora of South African-born designer Este Macleod’s homeland pops on black in White Bird wallpaper by Sarza Store.

Bold Florals Are Blooming

Bold, saturated colors are definitely filling home interiors. With the return of warm neutrals and earth tones, we’re also seeing more patterns. While bold floral designs are showing up in upholstery and rugs as well, oversized and colorful florals are blossoming in the grandest and most dramatic way on walls.

A bold scene of oversized white and blue lilies of the valley surrounded by swirls of aqua, cobalt, Paris green, and pops of gold and orange with large white birds interspersed throughout.
Set off stylish neutrals with an accent wall featuring Lily of the Valley wallpaper by Este Macleod for a jolt of joy | Sarza Store

This is a big, exciting change. We’ve seen neutral homes for nearly a decade. Grey walls and the celebration of texture over color were everywhere. But vibrant wall coverings were popular only a few decades ago, and humans’ love of patterned walls is an ancient thing. Today, wallpaper manufacturers and interior designers are anxious to revive the art of floral wall decor. Because florals are classic motifs, and it’s been a while since bold floral wallpaper was popular, I doubt that its popularity will wane quickly. It feels fresh and exciting, and the trend is new, so you can expect it to last for at least a few years.

A freewheeling, busy floral that looks like it was painted quickly and boldly in layers on top of each other. Bold protea flowers in plum, white, brown, and peach are clustered with pink bottlebrush flowers, yellow round acacia blossoms, and various red, pink, and blue blossoms against types of green and brown leaves, pale pinks, and grey.
A view of a bathroom with a cheery modern Scandinavian wallpaper pattern of stylized rounded red, blue, yellow, pink and purple flowrs and various green and teal leaves. Tiny yellow jumping foxes and swimming sharks appear between flowers, as do seaweed shapes in various colors. A very modern wall-mounted oval bathroom sink with attached white counter and white wall tiles and a round mirror hang over the wallpaper.
A busy collage pattern that combines large roses, lilies, primulas, and peonies with small irises, oleanders and other flowers, all mingled with small frogs, butterflies, and insects, a large fawn and a large white rabbit, all with a background in shades of aqua and turquoise.

Acacia, a painterly retro Aussie pattern by Tiff Manuel for Milton & King, has a playful midcentury feeling. Ravdunge, Hanna Werning by Borastapeter’s seventies-style Scandi floral, features hidden foxes, sharks, and seaweed. Kingdom Home’s Bush Bouquet Spring in the sky colorway is a zingy pattern featuring florals and animals in multiple sizes, reminiscent of bold collage art of the 1960s and 1970s.

Extending the beauty of the outside world into the home through floral art, decor, and other home furnishings has been a popular pastime for millennia. It makes a joyous, life-affirming statement to all who enter your home—your family included.

The Importance of Making an Entrance

A room is wallpapered in a busy pattern of peacocks, leopards, and deer running through a forest of trees and flowers on a navy blue background. In front of the papered wall is a rattan bench with a white cushion at right; at left is a large potted palm in a rattan basket; a cream macrame-covered pouf sits on a cream colored rug at front.
Rifle Paper Co.’s Menagerie wallpaper in navy combines whimsy with elegant richness—its flowers are small, but the jewel-toned forest scene makes a bold statement

Whether you should make a bold statement at the entrance to your home is a matter of your own personal comfort. But if you decide to go with a bright and lively wallpaper, you’ll be in excellent company.

For millennia, owners of grand homes have put great effort and expense into making entryways as exciting as possible. Even modest homes set up the entryway as a place to mark transitions. We place armoires, coatracks, boot trays, and install closets so people can make themselves more physically comfortable. A table or chest in the entryway lets us lay down our burdens. Mirrors and good lighting are common elements, since this is where we greet people and say our goodbyes.

Entryways aren’t places we tend to stay in for long, but entrances are important to us symbolically and psychologically. Putting energy and love into them makes sense.

A modern take on Art Deco style, this bold floral includes large white magnolias and teal magnolia pods that look like artichokes, tropical leaves in olive (some with teal highlights), small pink and red pods, and various abstract circles and triangles made up of many tiny white dots, as well as smaller circles and triangles in gold or pink. The overall effect is elegant and brings both modern and vintage vibes.
A stylized and busy pattern of large South African protea flowers surrounded by leaves, small circular flowers, and branches, all in navy on a white background.
A wild collage of large circles of multicolored flowers, themselves also circular, in shades of pink, red, yellow, and purple overlapping each other on a red background sprinkled with tiny dots and small flowers.

Looking for patterns with Art Deco drama? Eden wallpaper in navy by the Room 13 Collection at Sarza Store combines stylized magnolias with geometric shapes reminiscent of 1930s Deco. The protea makes a graphic statement in After the Fire wallpaper in navy by Fabricnation at Sarza Store. Flower Bomb by Wallpaper Kingdom would make a marvelous statement in a Deco room.

2,000 Years of Floral Wall Coverings

Image is of the front page of At Home with Style Newsletter #4 from April 2023. Below the logo (the words "At Home with Style") is an image of bright art glass by artist Dale Chihuly in orange, brown, yellow, and green colors. To the left of the photo is the headline "Trendwatch 2023: Warm & Cozy Colors." The article on interior design color trends fills the rest of the page.
Have you subscribed to the At Home with Style email newsletter yet? Published every two weeks, the free newletter features brief articles with inspiration, tips, and history. You’ll find a subscription form at the bottom of this page.

Vibrant floral wallpapers and in-home murals are nothing new. People have always longed to bring the beauty of flowers and gardens into their homes. Here are a few examples:

  • Floral wallpapers were all the rage in French, English, and Colonial American interiors in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

  • Asian folding screens were imported to Europe in the early 17th century. They inspired European artisans to create their own versions covered in intricate painted, papered, embroidered, or brocade fabric designs.

  • Tapestries featuring gardens were the wall coverings of choice in medieval Europe

  • Countries with large Islamic populations have long decorated mosques, palaces, and homes with tiles. Often in shades of blue and white, these tiles frequently feature stylized botanical designs, including flowers and vines.

  • Covering walls with murals of flowering plants was popular during the Roman Empire. The ruins of Pompeii show that villas’ murals featured intricate garden scenes.

  • The Chinese invented large painted panels and lacquered screens long before muralists painted flowers in Pompeii. Decorative painted screens were mentioned in Chinese writings in the second century B.C.E. The Chinese introduced folding screens to Japan in the eighth century.

A classic "chinoiserie" wallpaper based on French 18th century patterns based on Chinese patterns, it features tall thin tree branches sprouting peonies in yellow, blue, white, and pink on a blush pink background. Birds and white berries are mixed in with leaves in the background.
A modern take on French "chinoiserie" Chinese-influenced patterns of the 18th century, this includes white peonies, boldly colored birds, vines, and what look like orange and red and white paper lanterns hung above tall pillars, all on a dark lapis blue background.
A pattern of stylized hydrangea blossom clusters in pinks and blues on a soft blue-green background with birds, bees, and butterflies scattered throughout. The pattern shows the influence of 18th century French "chinoiserie" floral patterns based on Chinese originals.
A bold fantasy floral with fantastically colored pheasant-like birds and a tree bursting into bloom in many different types of blossoms. Chinese style butterflies are mixed in, all on a vivid Paris green background.
A traditional Indian floral in the 18th century style with delicate fantasy flowers in various shades of pink and white surrounded by fantastical leaves in olive, gold, and soft safe and mint colors all on a white background with meandering brown branches running through the scene.
Stylized bold pink and white camellias and yellow lemons grow from twisting light brown branches that braid themselves together and sprout leaves of many shades of green. small yellow and grey birds hide among the leaves. Behind the scene is a soft medium purple, a sort of dark lavender shade.

Contemporary wallpaper patterns in the 18th century French “chinoiserie” style: Chinoiserie in blush by Magnolia for Milton & King. Garden of Immortality in lapis blue from the Chinese Garden Collection by Mind the Gap. Bethany Linz’s Sunny Garden in aqua for Milton & King. Scalamandré’s Botany Bay is based on a 19th century English pattern inspired by Australia. Schumacher’s Indian Arbre in the spring colorway is a more delicate fantastical pattern based on 17th century Indian patterns. Kingdom Home’s Garden Bloom in violet has an 18th century French feel. Decorators tell us mauve is the Next Big Thing.

The Joy of Floral Patterns

Today’s bold floral wallpaper designs are moving more toward large-scale drama, richer colors, and maximalist patterns. We’re seeing lots of warm neutrals and earth tones with brown undertones trending in paint colors. Expect to see more of them in wallpapers later this year.

Many new florals come with a variety of background color options. Though they might have richer colors in the floral patterns themselves, background colors often include pale colors that set off the flowers. We’re seeing a lot of warm beige, soft pink, mint green, sky blue, and lavender or mauve, which is expected to be big next year. Dark background colors like navy, dark green, plum, and black are also trending.

A busy and colorful floral pattern inspired by 17th century British Jacobean floral patterns which were in turn inspired by Indian florals. Fantastical detailed blowers of various colors (pinks, purples, oranges, blues, greens, and yellows) and types are mixed with golden pears and intricate green and golden leaves.
A bright, symmetrical pattern showing bright red whole and half figs, whole strawberries, and pansies on a navy background with royal blue, periwinkle, and pale blue leaves and vines encircling everything. It's like a modern version of a 19th century William Morris print—busy, symmetrical, curvy, and rich.
A vivid symphony of pinks with black, blue, purple, red, peach, and green highlights creates a bold, happy floral adventure. Dots, stripes, and swirls in thin white lines on dark colored backgrounds give a slightly midcentury feel, but with a twist.

Blooming wallpaper from Anthropologie feels modern with its combo of brights and pastels, but it’s based on Indian patterns that inspired 17th century designs in Britain. Wallpaper Republic’s Figs & Strawberries pattern feels fresh, but it’s inspired by the symmetrical, vine-filled 19th century florals of William Morris. Wallpaper Republic’s Summer Garden feels very 2023, but its use of white lines to pick out details in solid backgrounds is a flashback to 1950s midcentury modernism.

Turn a Room into a Garden

Some bold floral wallpaper, especially paper with asymmetrical designs and dark backgrounds, takes up a lot of visual space. It wants to be noticed. Dramatic patterns can be great fun, but since they draw so much attention to themselves, you may not want to fill the room with a lot of other busy furniture and decor if you don’t want them to fight for dominance. If you let the wallpaper “garden” be the star, the room may feel more relaxed and uncluttered. You can balance out a busy pattern with simpler furniture and decor shapes. If you avoid clutter and lots of small decorative pieces, you can let your garden shine without lots of visual competition. If you use other patterns in rugs, upholstery, curtains or other large pieces, you’ll probably want those patterns to be smaller and less busy than the bold wallpaper; that way they’ll play well together.

You can tame busy wallpapers by adding solid furniture, curtains, rugs, and paint around them. Or hang a large mirror over the paper to break up the pattern. This gives a room a feeling of depth and enlarges it. And with all those bold florals and luscious botanicals surrounding you, who wouldn’t want a larger virtual garden?

A medieval landscape in shades of green, reminiscent of a medieval or Renaissance tapestry. Lions, peacocks, unicorns, owls, and a greyhound dog cavort among flowers and trees on lush green lawns. A pale blue river swirls throughout. The effect is like a paler version of the famous Unicorn Tapestries.
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A classic late 19th century pattern by William Morris features small cream and pink birds with blue and green wings symmetircally placed facing away from each other. Each has a strawberry in its mouth and other berries surrounding. All are further surrounded by symmetrical stylized strawberry leaves and flowers and other acanthus-like flowers in peach tones. Two more birds in pink, peach, and cream face each other at bottom.

Morris & Co. recreates exquisite designs of past centuries. Owl & Willow wallpaper (left) brings a medieval garden to life with unicorns, lions, deer, greyhounds, and owls cavorting along a meandering stream in a willow and orange-tree-filled field. William Morris’s most famous pattern, Strawberry Thief, was designed in 1883. It features tiny thrushes devouring strawberries.

Create a Special Nook with an Accent Wall

A tiny nook next to a kitchen is painted in dark teal blue and has Bling wallpaper on a tiny bit of wall above teal-painted wainscoting. Bling features birds and oversized blocky flowers in moody teal, royal, navy, olive, and dark avocado on a white background. In front of the wainscot below the wallpaper is a small, round, white-topped pedestal table with a black bowl full of lemons on top. Two teal velvet dining chairs with white legs face the table toward the wall.
A tiny kitchen space becomes a breakfast nook with a bit of Bling wallpaper by Este Macleod for Sarza Store

In the 1980s and 1990s, painting a single wall in a room a different color was popular. Lots of homes had intensely colored accent walls, like a red wall in the dining room, or a navy wall in a family room.

In the 2000s, accent walls became less popular. In the 2010s, they were more likely to be covered in modern farmhouse-style shiplap (rustic strips of horizontal wooden paneling) or rustic planks or panels of wood than wallpaper. We’re starting to see wallpaper accents on small walls to set off nooks from their surroundings. This creates the feeling of an intimate space within a larger one. Some people have created tiny work-from-home offices out of former closets. They wallpaper the closet interior and install a small desk, a chair, and good lighting. Wallpapering a small part of a room that’s surrounded by painted walls makes a nook feel special. Such a space feels cozy and intentional. It can also make the rest of the room feel bigger.

Make Your Bathroom a Jewel Box

A busy wallpaper with boldly colored Chinese flowers and dragons and a pale blue background hangs in a small bathroom. The wallpaper is reflected at center in a bamboo-framed mirror and a coral orange glossy ceiling is visible. At bottom is a square thick slab of pale marble with grey veins into which a sink has been inserted. Sconces with creamy fabric shades hang on either side of the mirror.
A beautiful jewel box of a powder room with a glossy coral ceiling, a chic bamboo-framed mirror, subtle sconces, and Schumacher’s thrilling Chiang Mai Dragon wallpaper as styled by designer @colleensimondsdesign via Instagram

Bathrooms tend to be small, but they’re one of designers’ favorite places to decorate with bold paint and wallpaper. We see the whole room quickly, often at a single glance, so space feels like a visual set piece, as a painting of a room does. If you cover it all in a saturated color or use a bold floral wallpaper, it will look like a gift-wrapped box. The mirror, cabinetry, and the solid colors of the sink and fixtures break up the pattern. That usually keeps it from being too overwhelming. But sometimes designers intentionally make a small bathroom wow us with color and pattern. This immersive experience feels luxurious and exciting. It makes a necessary but usually humdrum experience into a little treat in our day.

Place wallpaper insets inside box-trim moldings

Maybe your walls have wooden molding applied to create the look of panels enclosed by wooden trim. If so, you can place cut-out sections of wallpaper on enclosed panels inside applied trim for a dramatic effect. These might be dark, dramatic, bold floral wallpaper inside a dark green enameled wainscot-covered wall. Or maybe you want mod 1960s-style fluorescent flowers surrounded by glossy white wainscoting. Wallpaper within molding is a busy look, because moldings already bring texture and personality. But if done well, it can be delightfully original, even elegant.

At top:

Clarke & Clarke’s Passiflora wallpaper is shown here in Chambray. The Passiflora pattern is available in other colorways, and in textiles, too.

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