20-Second Summary
Are you thinking of renovating and choosing living room wallpaper over the paint?
Well! We have structured this blog post just about the trending living room wallpaper decor ideas tailored to every room size and style in 2025.
From simple living room wallpaper ideas to modern wallpaper decor for different room sizes to its pricing, maintenance, durability, and selection guide checklist, we have got it all covered for you to make a decision about the living room decor with wallpaper.
Why Choose Living Room Wallpaper over Wall Paint?
While planning your living room renovations, the decision for the wall decorations usually comes down to choosing between paint and wallpaper decoration for the living room.
Even though the paint now comes up with various designs and textures available, Several 2025 trends make wallpaper decoration for living room spaces a more practical and stylish choice than paint for a living room renovation.
If you’re renting, removable wallpapers offer a great temporary solution without damaging walls.
To see how one wins over the other, we have crafted a comparison in the next section for you, which will be further elaborated throughout the blog with facts and figures to help you know why your decision to choose classy wallpaper designs for the living room can turn out to be a success.
Wallpaper vs Paint for Living Rooms: Which Wins in 2025?
To choose one winner, the comparison we have used is to break down the factors of durability, pricing, budget, maintenance, longevity, and versatile design options when both paint and wallpaper are compared.
Based on these very merits, we have curated tabular comparative information below, which explains why we prefer wallpapers over paint in 2025.
| Feature | Wallpaper | Paint |
| Durability | ✔ | ❌ |
| Longevity | ✔ | ❌ |
| Cost-effectiveness | ❌ | ✔ |
| Hiding Imperfections Easily | ✔ | ❌ |
| More Options in Designs | ✔ | ❌ |
| Use as a Focal Point on a Specific Wall | ✔ | ✔ |
This representation is just to mark the effectiveness and usability of one over the other; all these factors are going to be explained in detail below, so keep on reading as we will let you know how you can check off the cost-effectiveness in the wallpaper side of the table, too, making it a winner of 2025.
Living Room Wallpaper Styles Based on Room Size
The greatest advantage of using wallpapers for your living room is that they can be adjusted and used in various ways based on the size of your living room.
Usually, the living rooms can be small, medium, or large in size, but here, we have focused on small and large living room wallpaper decor, as the medium-sized rooms can be forgiving.
You can accentuate the look of your rooms based on the style, pattern, and colors of the wallpaper.
We will provide the authentic styles, colors, style suggestions, and effects they add to your room, which are suitable for the size of your room.
This is one of the most important decisions, as choosing the wrong colors or patterns can make your room look cluttered if it’s a small room and make it look too flat and blank if it is a large room.
| Room Size | Ideal Patterns | Color Tone | Style Suggestion | Effects It Creates |
| Small Room | Subtle patterns, vertical stripes | Light and neutral tones | Simple wallpaper decor with texture or microprint | Openness and height add to the room |
| Large Room | Oversized and bold prints | Dark and contrasting tones | Classy wallpaper designs with rich textures or murals | Adds depth by breaking the emptiness of the blank walls |
Large Living Room Wallpaper Decor Tips
When it comes to decorating your large living room with wallpaper, there is one good option that is not restricted to choosing one side of shades only. You can choose between both light and dark shades.
Both light and dark wallpapers can work beautifully together as well; it all depends on the room’s lighting, natural sunlight exposure, and your interior theme.
Light Wallpapers
- Light wallpapers can be ideal for rooms that get less natural lighting. These help to reflect the light and make the space look more open.
- Minimalist and Scandinavian-inspired themes look best for these rooms.
- Patterns can include abstract lines, vertical textures, and botanical patterns.
- These can pair beautifully with neutral beige and white mouldings for a contrasting addition, and you can even use alternatives to moulding, as suggested below.
Dark Wallpapers
- Dark wallpapers are ideal for vintage and luxe themes.
- They are suitable for rooms with high ceilings and receiving lots of natural light.
- You can use these wallpapers to add depth and warmth to your large living room with metallic, geometric motifs and velvet finish patterns.
- These can be paired with dark and gold moulding or different alternatives to moulding suggested below.
Wallpaper & Moulding Cost Comparison for Large Living Rooms (2025)
| Theme | Wallpaper Type & Texture | Wallpaper Cost (per sq. ft.) | Moulding Type | Moulding Cost (per linear ft.) |
| Light Theme | Subtle linen, matte textures | $2.50 – $4.00 | Simple wood/MDF trim | $1.50 – $2.50 |
| Abstract pastels with shimmer | $3.50 – $5.00 | Decorative crown moulding | $2.50 – $4.00 | |
| Dark Theme | Deep tones with bold patterns | $3.50 – $5.50 | Layered wood paneling | $3.50 – $6.00 |
| Velvet, suede, and embossed finishes | $5.00 – $8.00 | Wall grid or wainscoting | $4.00 – $6.50 |
Moulding Alternatives for Large Living Rooms (2025)
| Theme | Wallpaper Style | Alternative to Moulding | Estimated Cost (per linear ft.) |
| Light Theme | Linen, pastel, matte wallpapers | Vertical wood slats (half wall) | $2.50 – $3.50 |
| Subtle shimmer or texture prints | Picture frame wall panels (MDF) | $2.75 – $4.25 | |
| Painted border trims | $1.00 – $2.00 | ||
| Dark Theme | Bold geometric or deep-toned patterns | 3D PVC wallpaper panels | $3.50 – $5.50 |
| Suede, velvet, and embossed wallpapers | Black batten grid strips (MDF/wood) | $3.25 – $5.00 | |
| Shadow gap detailing (flush trim) | $3.00 – $4.50 |
Small Living Room Wallpaper Decor Tips
When it comes to small rooms, we suggest using light-colored wallpapers mostly. If you wish to add a bold accent to a single wall, then you may go for a combination of light-textured walls with one dark wallpaper for your small living room decor.
- When it comes to decorating a small living room, that also means the possibility of a small budget, which is why we prefer excluding the options of moulding and its alternatives.
- Wallpapers, patterns, and good lighting can help emphasize and turn your small living room into a well-balanced, renovated room with wallpaper as a decor medium.
Light Wallpaper Theme for Living Room
- We prefer using the wallpaper style of pastel stripes, mini-geometrics, and linen finish to help make your room look bigger and brighter. This can cost around $2 to $3.50 per square foot.
- If you wish to add textured neutral-themed wallpapers with shimmer to add visual interest without cluttering, then the costs may vary and come between $3 and $4.50 per square foot.
Dark Wallpaper Theme for Living Room
- For dark wallpaper themes, you can choose between deep backgrounds or floral wallpapers to add an accent to one of your walls without using it across the room, making it look cramped. This may cost anywhere between $3.50 and $5.
- For an added luxe feel, especially if you have dim corners, you can add a velvet matte finish to your accent wall, too, costing between $3.50 and $5.
Wallpaper Durability & Maintenance Tips
Linen & Matte Finish (Light Themes)
Durability: This wallpaper style would get a rating of 4/5 from us for its durability.
Maintenance: Avoid scrubbing or using wet cloths, and clean them with a dry microfibre cloth only.
Textured Pastels with Subtle Shimmer
Durability: This wallpaper style would get a rating of 3/5 from us for its durability.
Maintenance: Gently dust and consider avoiding moisture to preserve the texture.
Geometric Prints on Deep Backgrounds
Durability: This wallpaper style would get a rating of 4/5 from us for its durability.
Maintenance: These can be cleaned with a damp sponge and a very mild soap.
Velvet, Suede & Embossed Finishes
Durability: This wallpaper style would get a rating of 5/5 from us for its durability.
Maintenance: Avoid keeping them in direct sunlight exposure. Only use dry cleaning methods for these wallpapers.
Micro Prints & Vertical Stripes
Durability: This wallpaper style would get a rating of 4/5 from us for its durability.
Maintenance: These wallpapers are very low-maintenance and can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
3D Textured or PVC Panels (Dark Themes)
Durability: This wallpaper style would get a rating of 4/5 from us for its durability.
Maintenance: These can be cleaned with a soft cloth or vacuumed with a brush nozzle. Dry cleaning with the least moisture is great for these wallpapers.
Wallpaper Longevity-Related Tips
Even though we have a known durability and maintenance requirement for all different types of wallpapers, we can still take some measures to increase their longevity. These include:
- Using sealants on wallpapers in the high-touch areas.
- Do not install the velvet wallpapers near direct sunlight exposure.
- For small living rooms, prefer using low-maintenance or linen wallpapers for longevity.
- For larger rooms, do weekly dusting and focus on doing deep cleaning for major spots every three to six months.
- Never use harsh chemicals on any wallpaper, even if they are vinyl-backed.
How to Choose the Best Wallpaper for Living Room Decor (Checklist)
Now that we have discussed every aspect of choosing the best wallpaper for living room decor, let us help you make an easy choice for the best wallpaper based on your budget, room size, theme, lighting, colors, psychology, and durability using our checklist given below.
| Factor | Small Room | Large Room |
| Best Colors | Light, neutral, pastel tones | Bold, deep, or contrasting tones |
| Patterns | Subtle textures, vertical stripes | Murals, oversized prints, geometric |
| Lighting Fit | Reflective matte or shimmer finishes | Textured, velvet, or dark, rich finishes |
| Theme Match | Minimalist, Scandi | Luxe, vintage, and modern eclectic |
| Cost Range | $2.00 – $4.50 per sq. ft. | $3.50 – $8.00 per sq. ft. |
| Durability | Medium durability if it has a light finish | High (when using velvet or embossed-style wallpapers) |
Final Remarks
Choosing living room wallpaper is not as simple as it sounds. You need to consider style statement, room size, lighting, durability, and maintenance in mind, based on your budget.
Whether it’s a small room or a large one, choosing the right wallpaper while renovating can transform your living room in 2025.
Wallpapers are also becoming famous among environmentally conscious homeowners.
Eco-friendly wallpaper options made from recycled materials are also becoming popular in 2025. They are providing not only style but also sustainability.
Use our comparisons, which include wallpaper vs. paint, ideal wallpaper styles for small and large rooms, and pricing, along with the selection checklist at the end, to make a confident decision about installing wallpaper in your living room.
For more living room decor-related content, visit our Decor and Design Category, which is regularly updated with fresh content, such as Copper Living Room Decor.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the best wallpaper for living rooms in 2025?
The best wallpapers cannot be decided randomly. You must consider the size of your room, allocated budget, and theme when choosing the best wallpaper. But in general, we can recommend linen matte wallpapers or light themes and velvet-based wallpapers for a luxury look.
- Is wallpaper better than paint for living room walls?
Yes, wallpapers are a better choice than paints in 2025 because they can hide the imperfections really well, have various design options, and are more long-lasting and durable than paints.
- How much does wallpaper installation cost in 2025?
Based on their style, material, and the room size, they can cost anywhere between $2 and $8 in general, and this price can fluctuate based on the mentioned factors and different wallpaper designs as well.
- What wallpaper colors make a small living room look bigger?
Neutral light and beige colored wallpapers, along with beige moulding can make your small room look bigger. With added lighting, you can accentuate the space even more.
- Which wallpaper lasts the longest in a living room?
Velvet, suede, and embossed wallpapers last the longest in living rooms.
