Laundry Room Wallpaper

(Left) Image from Instagram, @home_on_providence_hill, https://www.instagram.com/p/B_7Uz2BHp8F/ and (Right) Napa Green Geometric Wallpaper, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/napa-green-geometric-35637.aspx, Image from Wallpaper Boulevard

Laundry rooms are typically small spaces that receive little design attention and quickly become overwhelmed by clutter. However, laundry rooms are the perfect spaces to try out new trends in a low-risk way, to try your hand at expanding a small space through illusionary interior decorating hacks, and to create a calming environment in which meditative activities can be joyfully conducted (folding laundry, matching socks, sorting clothes, etc.).

Wallpapering the laundry room is an easy, cost-effective way to achieve each of these goals! Continue below to see which wallpaper styles can turn a tiny room into one with a large presence and which types can be used to honor each of 2020’s most exciting design trends.

Top 2020 Design Trends

(Left) Sunkissed Green Floral Medallion Wallpaper, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/sunkissed-green-floral-medallion-wallpaper-46211.aspx and (Right) Moordale Mustard Colorway Wallpaper, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/moordale-mustard-colourway-wallpaper-45025.aspx,  Images from Wallpaper Boulevard

In an article for Dwell Magazine outlining the “ten interior design trends that will rule 2020,” writer Cat Dash identifies five trends that can easily be achieved without a big commitment by adding a visually interesting wallpaper to a laundry or mudroom.

Organic shapes

Organic shapes are those with irregular lines or curves that can often be found in nature but do not correspond to geometric shapes like triangles, polygons, etc. Organic shapes typically include those found in foliage, freehand doodles, etc.

According to Cat Dash, “Organic shapes are showing up on everything from bathmats to candles.” Try a contemporary floral wallpaper like Wallpaper Boulevard’s Mythic Light Grey Floral Wallpaper to refresh laundry room walls while maintaining a calming atmosphere.

MYTHIC LIGHT GREY FLORAL WALLPAPER, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/mythic-light-grey-floral-wallpaper-45529.aspx, Image from Wallpaper Boulevard

Modern Wood Paneling

(Left) FAUX VERTICAL WOOD SLATS WALLPAPER (SLIGHTLY TEXTURED), https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/faux-vertical-wood-slats-wallpaper-45239.aspx and (Right) WOOD GEOMETRIC WALLPAPER, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/wood-geometric-36094.aspx, Images from Wallpaper Boulevard

While Dash applies the trend to the walls of a sauna-inspired bathroom, the trend can be achieved just as effectively in a laundry room, and much less expensively with faux wood panel wallpaper. In fact, Dash adds, “no room is off limits…[as] wood paneling brings a warmth that’s unexpected and often lacking” in rooms like kitchens, bathrooms, and mudrooms.

Try one of the above faux wood panel wallpapers from Wallpaper Boulevard to add a touch of warmth to any laundry room! Use a blonde wood tone to create a similar effect to the sleek wooden cabinets shown in the image below.

Laundry room with blonde wood throughout, Image from @thekampgroup Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/p/B_20a9mpf9E/

Indoor Gardens

(Left) Tropical Polynesian Green Leaves Wallpaper, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/tropical-polynesian-green-leaves-wallpaper-45392.aspx and (Right) Green Fern Leaf Wallpaper, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/green-fern-leaf-41161.aspx, Images from Wallpaper Boulevard

Dash recommends adding living potted plants indoors to bring nature “bring the outdoors in and give residents a chance to commune with nature from the comfort of their own home,” but the indoor gardens trend can be taken to the next level by covering a laundry room’s walls with a botanical wallpaper.

Adding one of the wallpapers shown in the images above will help achieve a fresh, welcoming environment in a room that can often read too much like an afterthought. Apply the tropical-inspired wallpaper throughout the room, on a feature wall, or as trim (shown in the below photo from @casasbykari).

Laundry room with potted plants and fern wallpaper, Image from @casasbykari Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/p/B_9_6I5hqxw/

Fiber Art

(Left) Beige Threaded Silk Wallpaper, Image from Wallpaper Boulevard, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/beige-threaded-silk-wallpaper-45759.aspx and (Right)  Teal laundry room, Image from Instagram by @organizedandsimplified4u, https://www.instagram.com/organizedandsimplified4u/?hl=en

One has only to scroll through a few articles or shops on Etsy to find that the bohemian fiber art trend is still going strong: macramé wall hangings and other textiles are everywhere. While Dash admits that artists have been creating these pieces for years, she predicts that 2020 will be the first year that fiber art truly infiltrates the home interiors market.

Try a threaded silk wallpaper (as pictured above, left) to add texture to a laundry room that feels a bit too sterile. Add a few woven laundry baskets (as pictured above, right) to continue the theme.

Statement Tiles

(Left) Tiled wall laundry room, Image from Instagram @michelle.mazurenko, https://www.instagram.com/p/B_47OjDnT6p/, and (Right) Tiled floor laundry room, Image from Instagram, @builderssupplyoutlet, https://www.instagram.com/p/B_-KuRFnYXg/

Dash notes that while subway tiles are always in fashion, bold patterns are the favored style for 2020. She expects to see “bold, patterned tile being used in both small (just a backsplash) and big (floor-to-ceiling bathrooms) ways” throughout the next year.

Choose a bold, faux tile wallpaper (like those pictured below) to achieve the look without investing in expensive ceramic tiles! If a classic look with a contemporary twist is desired, pick a traditional subway tile design in a bold, modern color like mint or black. Both colors are available in Wallpaper Boulevard’s Freedom Subway Tile Wallpaper (pictured below, right).

(Right) SONOMA BLACK BEACH TILE WALLPAPER, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/sonoma-black-beach-tile-wallpaper-46170.aspx and (Left) FREEDOM BLACK SUBWAY TILE, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/freedom-black-subway-tile-37964.aspx, Images from Wallpaper Boulevard

Make a Small Laundry Room Feel Bigger with 2020’s Color Trends

(Left) Monochromatic gray laundry room, Image from @artisaninterior on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/p/B_9xGcDqFZw/ and (Right) Monochrome blue cabinetry in laundry room, Image from @thehayergroup on Instagram, Public Domain, https://www.instagram.com/p/B_-D7nMhTyq/

A few of the top laundry room colors expected to take over 2020 (as compiled by Elle Decor) are saturated grays, warm neutrals, daring blues and greens, black and white, and pastels. According to the House Beautiful article “15 Paint Colors That Make a Small Space Feel Way Bigger,” jointly written by Sienna Livermore and Kelly Allen, several of these color trends can be applied to small rooms (like laundries and mudrooms) to make them appear larger.

Livermore and Allen recommend gunmetal gray, teal, blue-green, soft yellow, blush, and sky blue to amplify the impact of a small room. Each of these color trends can be given higher impact by using wallpaper rather than paint.

(Left) Adeline Taupe Geometric Wallpaper, Image from Wallpaper Boulevard, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/adaline-taupe-geometric-41002.aspx  (Right) Hip Dark Blue Ogee Wallpaper, Image from Wallpaper Boulevard, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/hip-dark-blue-ogee-18338.aspx

Go bold and monochromatic with gray or deep blue throughout. Try a textured or metal-effect wallpaper to achieve the looks pictured above! There is no need to limit the use of wall coverings to the walls themselves: add wallpaper to boring cabinetry, drawer pulls, tabletops, and storage boxes to further elevate a laundry room’s interior.

Create a monochromatic gray laundry room like the one pictured above (left) with Adeline Taupe Geometric Wallpaper, which features metallic gold lines surrounding gray diamonds. Bring in a dark blue wallpaper like the Hip Dark Blue Ogee wallpaper from Wallpaper Boulevard to bring depth to the space, as pictured in the above photo on the right.

(Left) Aurelia Pink Textured Wallpaper, Image from Wallpaper Boulevard, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/aurelia-pink-texture-18301.aspx and (Right) Maze Yellow Tile Wallpaper, Image from Wallpaper Boulevard, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/maze-yellow-tile-wallpaper-13470.aspx

Give the pastel trend a try with a textured blush-tone or a yellow geometric print wallpaper. While pale yellow is often relegated to a nursery or child’s bedroom, in a laundry room it provides a quiet, soothing atmosphere. Blush creates a feminine space and according to Livermore and Allen, “adds warmth to a small room without overpowering it.”

Choose the Aurelia Pink Textured Wallpaper pictured, above on the left, for a pink wall or the Maze Yellow Tile Wallpaper, above on the right) for an updated yellow pattern that feels grown up but still playful. For a laundry room with even more pizazz, use both!

(Left) Laundry room with black wall, Image from @newcountryhome on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/p/B_-Qh0SnR1F/ and (Right) Mediterranean Tile Wallpaper, Image from Wallpaper Boulevard, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/mediterranean-tile-36572.aspx

Lastly, update a classic with a black and white pattern. Laura Umansky of Laura U Interior Design, quoted in an article for Elle Décor, describes black and white as a “dynamic duo” because of its “high contrast.” Unexpected in a laundry room, a black and white design will impress visitors and create a sleek, exciting space.

Choose a patterned wallpaper like the Mediterranean Tile Wallpaper pictured above (right) and hit three trends in one by bringing in black and white, a geometric element and a faux-tile.

While it may initially seem an odd choice to move beyond the traditional white or beige of a laundry room, there are so many prints, colors, and styles available to turn a boring mudroom into a calming oasis that expresses the owner’s personality in a more meaningful way.

Laundry Room Area Great Place For Beginners

Okay, we get it, the laundry room is not the favorite room for most people. Few people would associate this room with FUN. It’s more like a room of necessity. So obviously, this room gets some of the least attention out of all the rooms in the house when it comes to decorating.

However, we’d like to take a contrarian approach. At Wallpaper Boulevard, we say this is the first room you should decorate.

Why not turn one of the most boring rooms, that is an afterthought to most people, into one of the most impressive rooms in the house?

It’s doubtful that doing laundry would turn into one of your favorite pastimes, but it would be a little more bearable, especially considering you have to do it several times a week. Here are some recent laundry wallpaper ideas we thought could give you some inspiration.

(Above) Laundry room area with Joanna Gaines Cream Shiplap Wallpaper, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/shiplap-25726.aspx

(Above) Laundry room area decorated with Blue Denim Zebra Print wallpaper, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/denim-zebra-wallpaper-40203.aspx

(Above) Yuni completely transform her laundry room area from drab to her own private sanctuary with Plaid Watercolor Check Wallpaper, https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/product/watercolor-check-25704.aspx