Transform Your Walls With These Beautiful Wallpaper Border Patterns

Wallpaper borders are often associated with the twee, chintzy interior design aesthetic of the '80s and '90s. The technique of adding strips of wallpaper around a doorway or along surface joinery was originally used to cover up any wallpapering mishaps or hide unsightly nail heads, tacks, or wall gaps — but the cyclical nature of design has brought wallpaper borders back in style. Having shed their outdated reputation, wallpaper borders are once again being embraced by homeowners and designers eager to explore their potential in contemporary homes. 

Set against a painted or wallpapered wall, these borders can transform walls by adding visual intrigue with a dose of color, pattern, or texture. Gluing a strip of wallpaper around doorways, windowsills, skirting boards, or alcoves draws the eye toward architectural features you'd like to highlight in your home. Borders are also a great temporary design fix for those who aren't quite ready to commit to a full painting job or wallpapering project, as they involve covering only a small portion of a wall.

Wallpaper companies will usually have ready-made borders in stock. Studios like CommonRoom or Parker & Jules offer contemporary designs that are refreshing departures from old-fashioned patterns. Alternatively, you could use leftover wallpaper rolls to create your own borders. Measure out your wallpaper border with enough extra at the ends to allow room for error. Apply a thin layer of wallpaper paste (or a DIY wallpaper glue that ensures minimal wall residue) directly on the wall instead of on the paper itself, then carefully lay down your wallpaper strips over the paste.

Wallpaper borders can be enhanced in a variety of ways. You could try creating borders from fabric; simply cut strips of light cotton or drapery fabric and adhere to the desired area using liquid starch. You can also find peel-and-stick borders with bold and modern patterns, like Funlife Greece Pattern Peel and Stick Wall Border Stickers or FLFK Wallpaper Border Gold and White Patterns. 

Take the concept even further by adding decorative wooden trims or moldings to your wallpaper borders. Simply paint the wood trim to either match or contrast your wallpaper border, then glue it along the edges of the border. In the Tiktok video above, wood molding company Decora illustrates how you can add style to your wallpaper borders with their wood trim, which ranges from simple bobbin detailing to more elaborate carved leaf patterns. You can also find self-adhesive trim online, like the Maxiroc Peel and Stick 3D Crown Molding. Get creative by stenciling in a pattern for a more personalized and handcrafted touch.

Wallpaper borders can be used for spaces other than just doorways and windows. Use them to trim the cornices of a closet or a buffet, to frame arches or alcoves, or as a substitute for crown moldings. They can also be used as separators that create upper and lower portions of a wall with different patterns or finishes — just avoid affixing them at mid-height between the floor and ceiling, as this could result in a strained, boxed-in feel. 

In a standard room with an 8-foot ceiling, paste the border at one-third of the room's height, roughly 32 inches from the floor. Rooms with vaulted or double-height ceilings of up to 12 or 18 feet can benefit from a wallpaper border placed at 8 or 10 feet, which will visually suggest more standard proportions. To totally break away from convention, you could even experiment with placing wallpaper borders vertically, which is one way to make your ceilings appear higher.