8 Tips for Refreshing Your Home with Removable Wallpaper

Are you a renter, frequent mover, trendsetter with frequent design whims or in need of giving your home a quick makeover? If so, these removable wallpaper tips from “interior design junkie and a DIY-er extraordinaire“ Maggie Overby and Haley Paskiewicz may help you get your DIY design game back on track. With tips on covering both large spaces and everyday items, you might just discover that our Peel and Stick Wallpaper and Prepasted Smooth Removable Wallpaper are just what you’ve been waiting for.

Tip 1: Peel and stick wallpaper is not just for walls.

There aren’t many things that you can change in a rental home but don’t despair! You can jazz up those dated laminate cabinet doors or brighten dingy white appliances with peel and stick wallpaper.

Add some interest using subtle patterns or go bold with bright colors, the addition of peel and stick wallpaper will surely transform any boring eyesore into a fabulous centerpiece. I used four panels of danika_herrick‘s Citrus Grove Mural Panel B Pink in a tiny guest house to create a statement wall. The panel’s colors inspired the yellow lighting for the mural. 

Tip 2: You don’t have to invest a lot of money.

If you’re living in a temporary rental it’s understandable that you may not want to invest too much money in a space you don’t own. For the budget-minded designer, peel and stick allows you the flexibility to easily liven up any space, so there’s no need to wallpaper an entire room. One accent wall makes a significant visual impact even in the smallest spaces.

Consider applying accent paper to the back wall of your built-in bookcases, on stair risers or in an alcove. Use a little peel and stick wallpaper and a lot of imagination to make any sized space look absolutely grand. The back wall of this mud bench only took two short rolls of joanmclemore‘s Jungle Passion Navy Extra Large for Jame peel and stick wallpaper. This small addition made a big impact for less than $60. 

Tip 3: Save your scraps.

If you have leftover bits of your peel and stick wallpaper don’t throw them away! Use smaller scraps to line drawers or coffee table trays and larger sheets to cover storage boxes and photo binders.  

Are you having trouble coming up with creative ways to use your scraps? Simply remove “wall” from wallpaper and think of it as a peel-and-stick pop of color. Then take a stroll through your living area—you’re sure to find that overlooked space that’s calling for some needed pizazz! Danika_herrick‘s Trellis on Leaf Green Copy design transformed a pretty but basic secretary into a show stopper simply by adding peel and stick wallpaper to the interior surfaces. 

Tip 4: Make it disappear.

Peel and stick wallpaper can be the best camouflage. It seems every home has ugly eye magnets, those weirdly placed outlets, bump-outs and access doors that always draw your eye and your ire. This is when instead of standing out the application of peel and stick will make them sink into the background and seem to disappear.  

Apply matching peel and stick to or over the unsightly fixture, take a couple of steps back and, voilà—the ghastly eye magnet will seemingly vanish! Do you see what’s hiding in the trees? Take a closer look. By applying matching wallpaper to the outlet covers (here I used Tropical Banana Palm Life Hollywood Regency by chrissyink) you can make them disappear. Good luck finding them later. 

Tip 5: Keep your backing paper.

Peel and stick removable wallpaper is just that, removable. Its base is a sturdy fabric-like paper, so peeling it off the wall does not harm it. If you keep your peel and stick backing paper you can take it with you when you go! Take it to the next house and used it to decorate drawer fronts, line drawers or cover boxes for craft supplies. If you already threw your wallpaper backing away, no worries, parchment paper will work just as well in a pinch. 

The Jungle Passion Navy Extra Large for Jame by joanmclemore peel and stick wallpaper in the mudroom closet was removed when we left the rental and I took it with me. I used it to cover boxes and applied it to drawer fronts in the sewing room at the new house. 

Tip 1. Add your personality to your home!

I love using peel and stick wallpaper in unique ways to add more personality to my apartment, while being renter-safe. The real fun of peel and stick wallpaper is that it’s not permanent, which gives you freedom to experiment with riskier colors and patterns! I think that just about every item in your space can be something you love to look at, whether it’s as standard as appliances or as small as your pens and pencils.

When you notice something that’s not pleasing to the eye, first think about if there’s an opportunity revamp it. I’ve actually used removable wallpaper to bring new life to a (previously) boring table top, picture frames and, of course, my fridge! 

Tip 2. Think about how you can use color and pattern.

The most common reaction I’ve gotten about the wallpapered fridge is “I did not expect it to actually look good!” When using wallpaper in unexpected ways, it all comes down to the design you choose. What I liked about the Scattered Vintage Rosebuds – Blush Cream, Large design by bravenewart I chose for the fridge, was that it blended with the rest of the space, colors and older melamine cabinetry. It made the fridge a focal point, but not an eyesore. It also didn’t look like your typical wallpaper! Consider how you can bring in colors or patterns that complement your space rather than draw away from it. 

Tip 3. Have fun with it!

The joy of renting is its impermanence. How can you find ways to reflect who you are in this moment in the current place you live? I’ll love to look back one day at that little pink apartment with a floral fridge that I had in my 20’s, and see how I shifted in my later apartments. And this by no means needs your entire decor needs to shift—I find that by rotating in different fabrics and wallpapers, I reignite my excitement for the items I already own. 

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