How to Decorate with Dated Wallpaper

Get ideas to updated dated wallpaper that you’re not ready to remove! You can give old wallpaper a fresh new modern look with just a few tricks and techniques.

When we purchased our lake cottage, there were a lot of things to love and a lot of things that needed some work. In fact, the first thing we said is “we have to get rid of all of this wallpaper.”

Originally published September 7, 2016 and updated April 16, 2021.

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been nearly five years since I initially mentioned our dated floral wallpaper in the lake cottage. It seems like a subject many people were interested in!

Could you live with wallpaper you don’t love? Is it worth it to make it work? For us, it’s been a surprising adventure and I am happy to share with you that we still have some of our original wallpaper, five years later!

We’ve now updated so many spaces in this home. Take the full before and after tour, along with a modern bathroom update, a nautical bathroom, and the lake living room. You can even see our incredible new vinyl deck right here!

Decorating Around Wallpaper

When we first stepped into this house for a tour, the amount of floral wallpaper was a little overwhelming. In fact, the pattern in the kitchen is what my sister had in her kitchen a couple homes ago and the basement bath had a pattern that a friend of mine had from her childhood. That’s a few more years than I care to admit.

However, once we moved into the home, we began to appreciate the cottage for what it is, rather than taking it at face value. It’s a lake front home, with beautiful views of the water in a peaceful setting.

Suddenly, it didn’t seem to matter quite as much and I decided that rather than spending a significant amount of money to remove this wallpaper, we would embrace it.

First, a few before photos…

Embracing Dated Wallpaper

A couple neighbors warned us that their wallpaper (which was installed when the homes were built) was difficult to remove because it was applied directly to the drywall.

Eek, right? I was brave and took the chance in the kitchen and girls’ bunk bed room, but for our master bedroom, I decided to take a different approach.

First, we re-positioned the bed to embrace the view. It really opened up the room and allowed the view to be front and center, changing the entire focus of the space.

The floral wallpaper is so busy, so I kept the decor simple for the cottage master, integrating texture, a hint of color and subtle patterns.

We brought in a little neutral texture by integrating this rattan headboard. It makes the space feel fresh and modern while adding to the vacation vibe that plays well with the floral background.

It is the most significant piece of furniture in the room, so it provides a little balance as well. Read more about Rattan Beds here!

We lived with the original carpet for several years but I didn’t love it, so I selected a large wool rug in a soft green tone. This was an effort to make the room feel lighter and brighter!

We initially placed the rug under the bed so that it extended for the length of the room and on each side of the bed. Later, we replaced the old carpet with fresh new patterned carpet for more of a modern update!

Bedroom Wallpaper Ideas

To balance out the floral cottage style of the wallpaper, we went with a modern, clean-lined dresser. I like the way they play against each other, it creates interest and makes the space fun!

We also added a mirror just above it to reflect light and add a little height. Chris adorned it with a piece of driftwood and of course I try to add fresh flowers or a plant to bring the room to life whenever possible.

Read on for more of my favorite tricks to create warm and cozy vibes in your home.

As time and money permitted, it was replaced with an inexpensive white dresser, but you can see how you can make the most of just about anything!

A statement light fixture (like this $60 pendant from IKEA) accentuates vaulted ceilings while drawing the eye away from wallpaper.

How to Choose Bedding to go with Wallpaper

It was really important to us to have a calm and cozy retreat to escape to, so I kept the bedding soft and simple, selecting a matelassé coverlet that conforms to you. It’s so soft!

Truthfully, we aren’t really sticklers about making a bed, and this coverlet looks beautiful just draped on top. I complimented it with a couple of ivory shams, hemstitch sheets and the most beautiful quilted shams for a little pop of color in our master bedroom.

While I love a little pattern mixing, I really wanted to make sure that we didn’t let this space become too busy, so solids were the best choice for this bed!

Similarly, we used a solid bedding in the downstairs guest room as well. It truly works like magic: texture and cozy white bedding helped to break up all the busy pattern!

More Patterned Wallpaper

In this lower guest bedroom at the lake, there’s more cottage inspired floral wallpaper. Again, once we moved in, I found that it was a pattern I could live with if we just chose the right accessories.

In this room, I knew that breaking up the pattern would make a big impact. I added this upholstered headboard to help break up the pattern around the bed and give a visual rest in the space.

Again, choosing textures like these stools and light fixture help to draw the eye away from the slightly dated wallpaper. It helps the whole space feel fresh without the time or expense of changing the walls themselves!

Suddenly the 90’s wallpaper feels like it belongs in a current catalog and I feel at peace with it.

You can see more of our lake cottage here. Do you have dated wallpaper you’re trying to work with? 

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