Can't Find the Right Wallpaper? Make Your Own

For one-of-a-kind walls, just use your imagination. Custom wallpaper is easier and less expensive than you might expect

Fred Albert October 6, 2013

Houzz Contributor. Fred has written about architecture and design for many Web sites and magazines, including Houzz, Metropolitan Home, House Beautiful and Style 1900.

Houzz Contributor. Fred has written about architecture and design for many Web sites... More

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Searching for the perfect wallpaper for your home, but just can’t seem to find it? Consider making your own. Thanks to digital printing technology, it’s now easy and affordable to produce custom wallpaper from an original artwork, photograph or computer-generated image.

“As long as you can create a digital image out of it, we can print it,” says Allie Tate, marketing specialist at Spoonflower, a custom wallpaper manufacturer.

Spoonflower

Custom Wallpaper

Companies like Spoonflower, Design Your Wall and TotallyCustomWallpaper.com allow consumers to create wall coverings in an unlimited array of patterns and colors. These companies can even match the colors in popular paint lines (although they can’t assure 100 percent accuracy).

Custom wallpaper is especially handy for people who are restoring old houses and want to match a vintage wallpaper scrap. It’s also useful for homeowners who need to cover only a small area and don’t want to pay for a full roll of wallpaper. (Check with the company you’re working with to see if there’s a minimum order.)

Spoonflower

Custom Wallpaper

Choosing your image. All companies restrict the reproduction of copyrighted materials, so the original must be either your own creation, an image to which you own the rights or in the public domain. (So forget about plastering your walls with the logo of your favorite sports team.)

Since we’re talking about wallpaper and not murals, your image will be repeated across the surface of the paper. Consider the resolution of your digital file when planning the repeat; although images can be enlarged up to the width of the paper, they may become pixilated if your file resolution isn’t high enough.

Wallpaper widths vary; Design Your Wall, for instance, produces papers that are 54 inches wide, resulting in a lot fewer seams than conventional wall coverings.

Spoonflower

Custom Wallpaper

Installation. Some papers are hung using wallpaper adhesive. Spoonflower’s papers are self-adhesive — you just dip them in water and stick them on the wall. If you’re tired of the paper or plan to move, it’ll peel right off — making it a great choice for renters. (The only downside is that the paper can’t be applied to a wall again.)

Prices vary. Spoonflower charges $60 for a 2- by 12-foot roll. Design Your Wall charges $6 per square foot, but its paper is 54 inches wide (including selvage — the blank part you trim away on the edges).

It's a good idea to order a sample before proceeding with your full order. Happily, the charge is nominal — generally about $6.

Spoonflower

Custom Wallpaper

Sharing your design. Some customers use these services to create their own wallpaper lines, which they sell in a store or online at sites like Etsy. If you create a wallpaper on Spoonflower's website, you can even post your design on the site, and you'll receive a commission if someone else orders it.

Tate says the oddest order she’s received was for a wallpaper depicting the human brain. Pausing a moment, she adds, “At this point around here, that’s not that strange.”

Tell us: What custom wallpaper theme would you create?