How Do You Wallpaper a Room With Awkward Walls? Designers Reveal the Tricks That Help Create "Standout Features"

Image of an open room that leads to a back garden and has high slanted ceilings. There is a pink, floral-patterned wallpaper on the walls, and a dining table in the middle set for a dinner party.

Wallpapering a room with awkward walls is far more challenging than a straight-lined, square space. However, an awkward wall is often the exact type of surface where wallpaper works best — to conceal and distract. So, if you have a room with limited square footage, a slanted ceiling, or even half-wall panelling, use wallpaper to create visual interest and a truly unique finish. And getting it right? Well, that just comes with practice.

Wallpaper expert James Mellan-Matulewicz, a designer at Bobbi Beck, explains, "Homeowners are often drawn to these irregular walls as a way to add personality and character to areas that might otherwise be overlooked, using pattern and texture to turn challenging walls like sloped ceilings or stairways into standout features within the home." But these irregular layouts, architectural features, and older surfaces all require extra planning and patience.