Are there places in your home that could use a quick design upgrade? Spoonflower Ambassador Stephanie Watkins of Casa Watkins Living shares how to use Peel and Stick Wallpaper as a border or edge detail in three different everyday (yet perhaps unexpected) ways. These projects are a great way to use up your wallpaper scraps and add pops of color on smooth surfaces. When you want to change your decor, you’re in luck—our Peel and Stick wallpaper is removable too!  

Stephanie: With Peel and Stick Wallpaper, the fun of showcasing your personality through design can continue on many more surfaces than walls. With more than a million designs at your fingertips, Spoonflower’s peel and stick wallpaper provides a way to add your own unique design twist to unconventional places. Here are three creative ways to use peel and stick wallpaper today! 

How to Upgrade Drawer Sides with Peel and Stick 

Image of a standing next to a dresser that has had peel and stick wallpaper applied to the sides of its three drawers, which are slightly opened. The wallpaper features a pink, orange and white plaid design.
Featured design: Pink and Orange Plaid by wagonwheel 

We have seen wallpaper used as drawer liners for a while now, but what about adhering it to drawer sides? The sides of drawers are often ignored because they are either too old, too unsightly or too boring. Here’s how to turn any dresser or drawer into a statement piece brimming with your own personality and style!  

  1. Empty your drawer and, if necessary, remove it from the dresser or cabinet. This step makes both measuring your drawer and applying the wallpaper much easier. If the drawer is unable to be removed from your furniture, you might be able to place the wallpaper directly to the side of the drawer without removing the drawer completely, but that will be dependent on your own individual dresser or cabinet. 
  1. Measure the length and width of the drawer side and cut your wallpaper to that size. For this tutorial, I used a 2′ x 12′ (61 cm x 365.77 cm) roll of Pink and Orange Plaid peel and stick by wagonwheel. I ordered a longer roll for extra projects, but you can calculate your own wallpaper usage depending on the quantity and sizes of your drawers.    

Image of a measuring tape measuring the width of a drawer.
Image of a measuring tape measuring the height of a drawer.

3. Cut the wallpaper to the drawer size measurement you made in the previous step and apply it by removing the paper backing and smoothing the wallpaper onto the drawer side. I smoothed the wallpaper using the wallpaper squeegee that came with my Spoonflower order.   

Supplies to apply peel and stick wallpaper are lined up on a carpet, including a drawer, measuring tape, a rotary cutter, box cutter, a small squeegee and a roll of peel and stick wallpaper featuring a pink, orange and white plaid design.
Image of a person cutting the wrong side of a roll of peel and stick wallpaper with scissors on a carpet. The wallpaper features a pink, orange and white plaid design.
Image of a person squeegeeing a strip of peel and stick wallpaper that has been applied to the side of a drawer to the drawer surface. The squeegee is a small white plastic rectangle. The wallpaper features a pink, orange and white plaid design.
Image of a person peeling the back off a strip of peel and stick wallpaper that has been applied to the side of a drawer. The wallpaper features a pink, orange and white plaid design.

4. Trim the wallpaper excess along drawer edges with a box cutter. You can also opt to fold the wallpaper excess over the drawer edges. 

Image of a hand folding a strip of peel and stick wallpaper that has been applied to the side of a drawer over the edge of the drawer. The wallpaper features a pink, orange and white plaid design.

5. Repeat wallpaper application to both sides of each drawer and enjoy! 

How to Use Peel and Stick to Restyle Window Frames

Image of a pink room with a white window. A white curtain is pulled to the window’s left side.
Image of a pink room with a white window. A pink, orange and white plaid peel and stick wallpaper has been applied to the inside of the window frame.
Featured design: Pink and Orange Plaid by wagonwheel

Adding peel and stick around window frames is probably one of my favorite new ways to use up my wallpaper scraps. Not only does this idea add individuality to your space, but a great benefit of this removable peel and stick wallpaper is that it can be used in ANY space, even rentals and dorm rooms!  

This is a great way to add coordinating prints when designing a space or adding a pop of color to an already painted wall. To complete the look, you can use scrap wallpaper, sample wallpaper pieces or order a small roll of Spoonflower peel and stick wallpaper in your desired print. 

Image of a pink room with a white window. A person is using a small white squeegee to press a pink, orange and white plaid peel and stick wallpaper to the inside of the upper right side of the window frame.
Image of a pink room with a white window. A person is using a small white squeegee to press a pink, orange and white plaid peel and stick wallpaper to the inside of the lower right side of the window frame.

1. Measure the length and width of your window’s four inner wall sections. As some wall areas may be warped or uneven, I recommend quickly measuring all four window sides before you start.   

2. Add about 1/4″ (0.64 cm) to all your measurements, both in the width and the height. This will allow you to slightly overlap the wallpaper pieces and create a seamless look. 

3. Measure and cut your needed lengths of peel and stick wallpaper for each window side

4. Before removing the peel and stick’s paper backing, double check that your wallpaper pieces will fit onto each side of the window.   

5. If all your pieces fit all your window sides, apply the peel and stick by removing the paper backing and smoothing the wallpaper on to the inner parts of the window wall with a wallpaper smoother. Overlap each piece by about 1/4″ (0.64 cm), trimming off any excess once you have completed installation. 

Image of a pink room with a white window. A pink, orange and white plaid peel and stick wallpaper has been applied to the inside of the window frame. A person is pulling a white curtain to the window’s left side.

Since my windows have a prominent window sill, I opted to install wallpaper to three of the four sides of each window. I love this new look and so does my daughter! Now she can enjoy the color pop of the plaid pattern on the sides of her drawers and on her windows, as well.  

How to Create Peel and Stick Wallpaper Borders

We all know wallpaper continues to be a top trend, but what I also see on the horizon is a return of wallpaper borders too! With the ease of Spoonflower’s peel and stick wallpaper, you don’t have to wait for wallpaper borders to make an official comeback. Instead, you can be ahead of the trend by creating them yourself!   

When choosing to create and install a wallpaper border, it’s important to select a design that will make it possible. Overly patterned or intricate designs may not be the best for this project as the edges of the design will be cut off when creating the border. However, design is also about taking risks. So check out Spoonflower’s wallpaper designs, as you may find an intricate design that works well for you.   

When choosing a design for a wallpaper border, I recommend selecting a design that gives an illusion of a border or edge. I opted to use one 2’x12′ (61 cm x 365.77 cm) roll of Retro Rainbow Stripe 1.5″ peel and stick by thehousethatlarsbuilt.  

Here’s how I added a colorful wallpaper border to my son’s closet: 

1. First, decide on the width you’d like your wallpaper border to be based on your space, idea and choice. Next, select a wallpaper design that fits your desired width. Remember: Wallpaper borders can be any width you choose!

2. Measure the length of all the walls you plan to adhere your wallpaper border to. Since your border will be the same width on each wall (unless you choose otherwise!), you simply need to make wallpaper border strips that are the length of your walls. 

3. Measure a wallpaper section that fits each wall’s length. The width of each section is the width of the border you have chosen. If your border is quite wide, be sure to add any additional lengths needed to overlap the wallpaper if it’s needed to create a seamless design. The Retro Rainbow Stripe design was super easy to work with since I used the design itself to dictate the border’s width, allowing me to quickly make border strips once I measured the length of my wall. 

Image of a person marking off long vertical strips of wallpaper featuring a design with groupings of four short horizontal stripes in different colors: black, white, black, white; light pink, hot pink, light pink, hot pink; mint green, dark green, mint green, dark green; and light yellow, dark yellow, light yellow, dark yellow. She is using a spirit level to do so, and the wallpaper is on a wooden floor.

4. Plan where each wallpaper border will be installed so that you are sure you have (a) enough wallpaper and (b) the appropriate design layout needed to create a seamless look. Next, cut the wallpaper with a box cutter to create wallpaper border strips. 

Image of a person holding a long vertical strip of peel and stick wallpaper featuring a design with groupings of four short horizontal stripes in different colors: black, white, black, white; light pink, hot pink, light pink, hot pink; mint green, dark green, mint green, dark green; and light yellow, dark yellow, light yellow, dark yellow. A spirit level lays on the wooden floor underneath next to other similar stripes of wallpaper.

5. Install the wallpaper borders on each wall by removing the paper backing and applying onto the wall with a wallpaper squeegee. You may need to overlap the wallpaper where the design needs to meet. 

Image of a person installing a long horizontal strip of peel and stick wallpaper featuring a design with groupings of four short horizontal stripes in different colors: black, white, black, white; light pink, hot pink, light pink, hot pink; mint green, dark green, mint green, dark green; and light yellow, dark yellow, light yellow, dark yellow as a border at the top of a white closet wall.

6. For an added bonus, repeat the wallpaper border on the bottom of the wall!   

Image of an open closet with white, black, yellow, red and green clothes. The walls on the inside of the closet are white, except for strips of peel and stick wallpaper at the walls’ top and bottom. The wallpaper design features groupings of four short horizontal stripes in different colors: black, white, black, white; light pink, hot pink, light pink, hot pink; mint green, dark green, mint green, dark green; and light yellow, dark yellow, light yellow, dark yellow. The angle is of the corner in the closet.
Image of an open closet with white, black, yellow, red and green clothes. The walls on the inside of the closet are white, except for strips of peel and stick wallpaper at the walls’ top and bottom. The wallpaper design features groupings of four short horizontal stripes in different colors: black, white, black, white; light pink, hot pink, light pink, hot pink; mint green, dark green, mint green, dark green; and light yellow, dark yellow, light yellow, dark yellow.

There are so many creative uses for Peel and Stick wallpaper and I hope you have been inspired to jump into one (or ALL!) of these creative ideas. Have fun adding your own personality into each space of your home and office. Let us know you’ve completed one of these ideas by tagging Spoonflower and CasaWatkinsBlog on Instagram! 

Wallpaper Border Frequently Asked Questions

Are wallpaper borders outdated? 
The only thing outdated about wallpaper borders are the designs you choose for them. Choosing a design that works just for you and highlights your space can easily and affordably up your home decor game! 
How do you install a peel-and-stick wallpaper border? 
In short, you peel the backing off the paper and then stick it to the walls. To learn more about where and how to install it, please check out the details in this tutorial! 
How long will peel-and-stick wallpaper last? 
Peel and stick wallpaper is great for temporary spaces as while it actual longevity depends on your actual home environment, a fair estimate is that it will last between one to two years. You can learn more about that at this link.  
How do I design my own wallpaper border?
You can follow along with Stephanie’s instructions in this tutorial! You can also check out this Help Center tutorial on how to design your own wallpaper border.

Want to read more about how Peel and Stick can upgrade your home?

See our Peel and Stick tutorials