Add easily-removable color, pattern, and personality to your home with these renter-friendly temporary wallpaper ideas.
8 Renter-Friendly Temporary Wallpaper Ideas
Updated on Sep. 21, 2024
Boring beige walls are a hallmark feature of rental homes, but gone are the days when you have to endure a lack of color. Upgrade your rental with temporary wallpaper. “Peel-and-stick wallpaper is a fantastic option for rental spaces as it allows you to personalize your space without risking your deposit,” says Catherine Jacob, Head of Design at Hovia. “Depending on your style preference and decor goal, wallpaper can make rooms feel taller, wider, cozier, airier… There are unlimited possibilities with the atmosphere you can create just by choosing a wallpaper.”
You can use temporary wallpaper for more than just decorating walls too; it can also look fabulous on doors, appliances, and furniture. Ahead, we’ve rounded up some temporary wallpaper ideas so you can make your house feel like a home, and leave no trace behind at the end of your lease.
What Makes Temporary Wallpaper Renter Friendly?
Temporary wallpaper has built-in adhesive on the back. Remove the liner and stick it right onto the walls (no water required). More importantly, peeling off when you’re ready to move is also simple. It doesn’t require wallpaper paste to install or a stripping process to take off. It shouldn’t leave any damage behind on walls—so it’s easy to see why it appeals to renters. As with any product though, quality can vary, so buy temporary wallpaper from a well-rated brand to ensure it lives up to these qualities.
How to Remove Temporary Wallpaper
Choose a corner and start slowly peeling it off. Ideally, it’s that easy! There are a few factors (some outside of your control) that can affect removal, though, including the wallpaper quality, paint finish, and how long the wallpaper has been up. Nitya Seth, an interior design expert at NITYANAMYA recommends that you “start by lifting one corner to find out how easily it comes off. If not, use a hairdryer to warm the glue to make it easier to peel it off. Rub away any remaining adhesive with a mild soap solution and soft cloth.”
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Accent Wall
Even with peel-and-stick wallpaper, wallpapering an entire room can be pricey and time-consuming. An accent wall can make almost as big of a visual impact, but for a fraction of the cost and installation time. Seth suggests using “bold, patterned accent walls in either the living room or bedroom for a focal point.” This nursery from @marcelinegauvreau is a stunning example of how a patterned accent wall can completely transform a room.
What We Like About It: You can install a temporary accent wall anywhere, but it’s particularly great for a child’s room. As Jacob explains, “[Temporary wallpaper] is a decor option that can grow with the children — a beautiful nursery wallpaper for a newborn won’t be as popular with a tween, so temporary wallpaper is an easy way to keep parents and children happy as their tastes develop.”
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Partial Wall
Similar to an accent wall, but even more budget-friendly and low-effort, you can opt for partial wall coverage. This idea works particularly well if you already have half-wall paneling in your rental. But if you don’t, you can create separation on walls by installing renter-friendly peel-and-stick trim. We love that this partial accent wall from @houseofchi is eye-catching without being overwhelming.
What We Like About It: If you love a certain wallpaper design, but it feels a bit too much for an entire wall, covering just part of a wall is an excellent alternative.
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Creative Wall Placement
You don’t need any wainscoting or trim to install a partial wallpapered accent feature. However, if you’re freestyling it, placement is important. This example from @the_interior_lens gets it right: she installed the wallpaper in the center of the nook and extends it onto the ceiling. Along with the symmetric placement, the hanging lights and plants help to anchor the wallpaper decoration.
What We Like About It: This idea is distinctive and provides lots of opportunity for creativity. Done right, it makes a big impact using very little wallpaper.
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Line Stairs
There aren’t many ways to dress up stairs, especially in a rental. One way that’s safe and eye-catching is to use temporary wallpaper to line the front-facing side of the steps. This project can add a lot of character to an easily-overlooked part of the home, and as @greystreetmarket mentions, it’s very easy to take off when you’re ready for a change.
What We Like About It: With a bit of pattern from the temporary wallpaper and a fully framed gallery wall, this stairway is so full of personality and feels extra homey because of the personal touches.
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Install on Doors
Choose a door—any door—and make it pretty with temporary wallpaper. If you have textured walls that aren’t great for temporary wallpaper, this is a creative alternative that still gets the design on your walls. You can choose an interior door (temporary wallpaper won’t last long outside), cabinet, cupboard, or a closet door like this example from @tovahshome.
What We Like About It: Since you’re not covering an entire wall, you can choose bold, kitschy, or other quirky wallpapers that you love but might not want to use for an accent wall or entire room—for example, this closet door wallpaper features sweet Staffordshire dogs.
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Decorate Furniture
If you’re weary of temporary wallpaper, you can place it on your own furniture instead of the walls. This completely eliminates even the tiniest chance of damaging your rental, but adds that bit of pattern or color that you’re craving. It’s easier than painting or staining your furniture, too. Plus, it offers the option for a more detailed design, which you can see in this example from @rustically_modern.
What We Like About It: It’s common to put temporary wallpaper on the outside of furniture, but you can use it on interiors, too. By lining the inside of the drawers, this idea creates a surprising pop of pattern that’s hidden in day-to-day life.
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Add Pattern to a Backsplash
Seth suggests using temporary wallpaper for an eye-catching backsplash, saying, “In the kitchen or bathroom, temporary wallpapers are good for fashionable non-permanent backsplashes.” It’s a great way to cover outdated backsplashes or stained grout lines. Just use wallpaper that is wipeable and somewhat water-resistant, for example, a vinyl peel-and-stick wallpaper.
What We Like About It: The patterned wallpaper adds a ton of character to this rustic kitchen designed by @amybkinser, in a way that would be hard to achieve with traditional backsplash options.
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@stairwayatelier Brb going to go wallpaper everything else now 😌 #wallpaper #interiordesign #smallspacedesign ♬ cozy vibes – RyseMusic
Place It on the Ceiling
Don’t overlook decorating the so-called “fifth wall”—the ceiling. A wallpapered ceiling has a similar effect as an accent wall. It’s a fabulous way to bring patterns into a space, as @stairwayatelier shows. This project is even suitable for small or transition rooms like a small bathroom or hallway, adding design without crowding the area.
What We Like About It: Patterned wallpaper can sometimes make a space feel smaller, but that’s not the case here. With white walls and plenty of light, this hall area still looks spacious and open, even with a busy design overhead.
About the Experts
Catherine Jacob is the Head of Design at Hovia, a certified B Corporation that specializes in sustainable interior design, namely, exclusively-designed and bespoke wallpapers. She has 12 years of industry interior design experience.
Nitya Seth is an interior design expert at NITYANAMYA with more than fifteen years of experience in creating attractive and functional spaces for both homeowners and renters.
