Wallpaper Patterns

What wallpaper patterns are there?

Common wallpaper patterns include florals, stripes, geometrics, nature motifs, animals, damask, figurative motifs, checks and Toile de Jouy. The difference between them is not only about the motif but also about repeat, contrast and scale. A small-scale botanical motif can feel calmer than a broad stripe, while a large figurative motif needs more free wall space in order to be read.

What does repeat mean on a wallpaper?

The repeat is the distance before the wallpaper's pattern begins to repeat itself again, and it determines how the drops need to be offset for the motif to meet correctly. A large repeat can produce more waste, since the next drop has to be shifted further before the pattern matches. So look at the repeat together with the height of the wall when planning quantities and where the motif will fall at corners and openings.

How large a wallpaper pattern suits a small room?

A small room can carry a large wallpaper pattern if the motif has air around it and the colour contrasts are well balanced. Small rooms do not, then, automatically need small patterns. What matters is how much continuous wall space there is and how close you are when you see the motif. Large motifs can make the walls less busy, while small, dense repeats create more visual activity.

Which wallpaper pattern suits a feature wall?

On a feature wall, a wallpaper pattern works best when the motif can be read as a self-contained composition. Larger botanical, figurative or geometric motifs can make a clear impact on a single wall, while very small repeats are sometimes more natural around the whole room. Also check where furniture, doors and pictures break the surface so that the main motif does not disappear behind them.

How do you work out how many rolls of wallpaper you need?

The number of rolls depends on the combined width and height of the walls, the length and width of the roll, and the pattern repeat. A larger repeat can increase the quantity, since each drop must be cut so that the motif lines up. So do not just count square metres. Work from whole drops and factor the pattern matching into the calculation before you order, especially with high walls.

In depth

Wallpaper patterns should be read across a wall, not as a small square on a screen. Floral wallpapers are often built on an organic rhythm where leaves and flowers are distributed across the repeat, while striped wallpapers create a clear direction. One type can soften the room's geometry; the other can reinforce it. So start with what the wall needs to do, not with what the motif is called.

The repeat governs how the pattern repeats and how the drops meet. A motif that looks small in the product image can have a large repeat and thus take on an entirely different tempo when several drops sit side by side. Compare Ashfield Floral Wallpaper with Cole & Son Sweet Pea Wallpaper to see how floral motifs can work with different density and movement.

Nature motifs can be clearly botanical or almost abstract. Sanderson Woodland Ferns Wallpaper and Morris & Co Poppy Wallpaper can be read as plant motifs, while nature wallpapers also include motifs where landscapes, foliage or a sense of material take centre stage. On a whole wall, the spaces within the motif become as important as the figures themselves.

Geometric motifs call for a different kind of control. With Sanderson Trelliage Wallpaper or Cole & Son Zellige Wallpaper, the alignment between drops becomes especially visible. Explore geometric wallpapers too if you want to compare soft arcs with stricter grids. In small rooms, a larger geometric motif can give a calmer rhythm than many small repetitions.

For patterns with distinct figures, the free wall space is decisive. Morris & Co Simply Strawberry Thief Wallpaper and Cole & Son Titania Wallpaper show how a narrative motif needs to be allowed to repeat in order to feel coherent. The same principle applies to figurative wallpapers and animal wallpapers: plan where the most recognisable parts will fall in relation to furniture and doors.

A feature wall works best when the motif has a clear relationship to the wall as a whole. Lewis & Wood Utopia Wallpaper and Lewis & Wood Force 9 Wallpaper offer two different ways of working with larger motifs. If you would rather have the pattern surround the room, damask wallpapers or a smaller-scale repetitive motif can create a more even rhythm around the corners.

Toile de Jouy works differently from both florals and geometrics, since the motif is often built on scenes and figures rather than a single ornamental form. On the Toile de Jouy wallpapers page you can compare that narrative principle with Nobilis Narcisse Wallpaper and Osborne & Little Charbagh Wallpaper, where the repetition of the motif works in other ways.

Even calm patterns need to be planned around the wall's dimensions. Cole & Son Patina Haze Wallpaper and Designers Guild Laterza Wallpaper can be used to compare how low and more pronounced contrast, respectively, affect the overall impression. For even smaller patterns, checked wallpapers or plain wallpapers can act as a counterweight to a more expressive wall.

Pattern scale is also affected by how the wall is divided. A wall with many doors, windows or tall pieces of furniture shows shorter continuous stretches of the repeat than a free gable wall. In such rooms, a smaller or clearly repeating motif can give a better rhythm. On an unbroken wall, a larger motif has room to unfold and can bring more calm than you might first think.

When several wallpapers or other patterned surfaces meet in adjoining rooms, it is rarely necessary to repeat the same motif. Let colour or scale create the connection instead. A large botanical motif can be followed by a narrow stripe, or a narrative Toile de Jouy by a calm geometric. The transition then feels considered without the home becoming a series of copies of the same wall. It also gives each room an identity of its own.

On the wallpapers page you will find the broader entry point to the range; this page is instead meant to help you understand motif, repeat and scale. Do visualise the wallpaper from the product page before you decide, especially when the repeat is large. If you need help comparing options, consultation is available at Brittfurn, and the showroom is at Sturegatan 20 in Stockholm.