Splurge vs Save Wallpaper Dupes
A round-up shopping guide with 14 of the most popular designer wallpapers and their cheaper dupes to get the look for less.
This post should be entitled “Welcome to the Rabbit Hole of Wallpaper I Somehow Got Lost In”. #storyofmylife
The discussion of wallpaper popped up in the Bless’er House Budget Decorating Facebook Group last week, and then oh… 6 hours later my brain was swimming in wallpaper prints. Anyone else SO excited that wallpaper has made a comeback over the last couple of years?
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We used this black and white floral one in our powder room when we first moved in.
And this funky fun pastel one in Olivia’s room as a focal wall behind her bed…
And I installed this owl print wallpaper in Regan’s closet literally just days before I went into labor (because I was a crazy pregnant lady in a chaotic tizzy of nesting mode).
So I thought it would be fun to do another Splurge vs. Save: Wallpaper Edition since there are lots of gorgeous wallpaper prints out there but so many cost a HECK of a ton of moo-lah.
If you’ve been on the hunt for a pretty wallpaper, maybe it’ll help you find some great dupes from the designer ones.
Clouds
Blush Peony Mural
Multicolored Wildflowers
Charcoal Damask
Taupe Floral
Black Roses
Birch Trees
Pink Wildlife
Marble
Lemons
Palm Leaves
Black Medallions
Ikat
Cork
Oh, and if you’re a wallpaper rookie, you can see my Beginner’s Guide for Hanging Wallpaper here. I’m itching to wallpaper something now!
How ’bout you? Are you pro wallpaper or no?
Ive always loved wallpaper for a powder room (half bath). Funny enough my eye is actually drawn to the less expensive, more cost effective dupe selection than the more expensive high end options you’ve listed. Thanks for doing your homework and sharing what you’ve found.
Lauren, any chance that you have the name of the manufacturer of the bathroom vanity? That is exactly what I have been searching for for months, without success. Thanks.
I think these are beautiful choices, but the comparison prices are a bit misleading. The splurge prices are for a roll, while the save prices are per square foot. For example, the multicolored wildflowers splurge price should be $1.92/sq.ft. compared to the save price of $0.52/sq.ft. Still an improvement but not quite as dramatic as shown.
Hi Jenelle! I calculated them based on sq.ft. The gallery pulls the prices directly from the websites, so unfortunately I can’t get that to all reflect as sq.ft. there. I agree. That’s a total pain. But the save ones are less expensive than the splurge.
There is something less expensive and infinitely easier than wall paper. Fabric.
Fill a bucket or wallpaper tray with liquid starch. Immerse the fabric, squeeze out lightly and slap it up on that wall. Smooth it with a sponge and let it dry. Trim frays with a razor blade. Voila, GORGEOUS, stable and easy easy easy. I’ve been doing it for years. Love it. Even did it on cabinet doors and molding around door frames.
To remove it… pull and it pops off. If it buckles (which it shouldn’t) spray with with a little starch. The one caveat is that it doesn’t stick to glass very well. It sticks, but may eventually loosen a bit. Spray with more starch. I have used it on my bedroom windows privacy (a pale or white only design) and my bird room door. I use fabric and starch when I need a pop of this or that. It’s the absolute best idea I know for decorating easily and inexpensivly.
I’ve always loved the look of wallpaper but it seems to become dated looking after a few years and I hate stripping wallpaper off. The peel and stick seems to be good options except they are limited as previously stated. So what I’m going to do, in my bathroom, is try to imitate a wallpaper print I’ve seen that I really like, with a very similar stencil design and lightly paint it on one wall. If it turns out to be a disaster no harm done, I’ll cover it up with paint, if it turns out as I envision then great! And I won’t have to strip wallpaper down the road when I’m tired of it.
That is a great option! I am sure it will turn out great!!
I couldn’t be happier that wallpaper is coming back…I’m ALL in!!!
Do you have any dupes/ splurges for textured wall paper? I am itching to walk paper something too but want to go the textured route.
Lindsay, I would try looking at Home Depot or Target and even Walmart for the textured wall paper. Textures are going to be a bit more expensive but I think they may have the better price options.
I love the LOOK of wallpaper, but I’ll never put it in my home again! WAAAAYYY too hard and time consuming to get off! I’ve used every steamer, etc./device out there – it’s still a pain to remove! ha! I would think all you love to change your decor often people wouldn’t do wallpaper either. Then again, my daughter put up the shiplap peelable wallpaper from Target in a wall in her home, and I like that stuff. I keep an eye online of sites that carry those types – and I’m waiting for them to expand those lines with better colors/patterns, etc. Right now, I think the options are pretty generic and limited.
I agree with this. Took me a while week to completely remove paintable wallpaper from a small bathroom. What a nightmare!
The lemon wallpaper could be toned down to match the expensive one by a simple white wash of paint. Years ago i “tea stained” a wall paper, to make it look more antique. I used a thin wash of cream w a tint of brown init, to tone it down. I then rolled on a satin poly to seal it. Yes, it took time but l loved the paper and didn’t want to go to the work of stripping it off. Plus it was cheaper to do it this way. Because the paper had a vinyl coating i couldn’t use just tea, wouldn’t absorb. I hung paper for 5 yrs, also while pregnant! Some walls were really textured, instead of the mess of sanding i used joint compound, wall mud, to even it out. Then you can use a damp sponge to level any bumps. The compound HAS to be sealed w paint before papering over, if the paper is to ever get removed. I hung untrimmed paper in my dining room….NEVER again! Always buy trimmed paper. My favorit is Anaglypta, an emobossed white paper that gets painted.
I would love to know if there are a couple of particular wallpaper sites you feel offer the best bang for the buck. I know you aren’t necessarily recommending one over another, but I don’t have a lot of patience with online shopping so I would feel better having your suggestions. Thanks so much.