13 Calming Wallpapers To Consider If You Find Bright Patterns Overwhelming

If you're looking to add color or dimension to a room in your home, wallpaper can feel like a godsend. Modern wallpaper can roll onto your walls seamlessly, making it far easier and cleaner than painting, and it seems like the choices are endless in terms of patterns and colors. However, the downside of having a constantly growing library of wallpaper options is that some of them can feel way too bright and chaotic. When it comes to choosing the right wallpaper for your space, it's crucial to opt for ones that don't overwhelm you or your guests, which is why we've put together a list of simpler wallpapers to help you pick. 

In order to select the right paper for your space, there are some quick factors to consider before scrolling onto our selections. First, think about what colors you'd like to underscore in your room — take tabs on the furniture and flooring in the space and find hues that compliment or uplift what's already in place. Second, consider how much of a pattern you really want. If busy walls give you a headache, you can opt for simplistic wallpaper designs that rely more on dimension than specific patterns. Finally, calculate the square footage of your space (online square footage calculators are a handy way to do this) so that you can know exactly how much wallpaper you'll need and can decide what price point per square foot is within your budget. 

Tropical wallpapers are trending right now, giving anyone the ability to turn their bedroom into a tropical escape regardless of what part of the world they live in. Options like the Veelike Pink Tropical Wallpaper ($19.99 on Amazon) may seem like the obvious choice to curate that vacation vibe, but instead of introducing vibrant pinks and greens, you can opt for the RoomMates Taupe Swaying Fronds Peel and Stick Wallpaper ($28.99 on Amazon) to get the same look in a much more neutral way. 

Floral wallpapers are always a fun way to go, but they can often mean having a multitude of colors in just one design. That results in an influx of busy, bright patterns in your living area, which could clash with your overall aesthetic desires. Instead of getting a popular boho floral wallpaper like the bold and colorful Orainege Peel and Stick Wallpaper ($9.99 on Amazon), you can opt for the Timeet Floral Peel and Stick Wallpaper ($12.79 on Amazon) that provides a more subtle, monochromatic look. 

Another way to capture the florals trend without dipping too far into vibrant colors is by finding a beige floral wallpaper. In Heroad's Boho Peel and Stick Wallpaper ($11.99 on Amazon), details like ferns and baby's breath blend seamlessly into a cream and beige background that will add dimension to your space without making it feel too busy. You can also opt for the same pattern in a soft blue and white hue that achieves a similarly toned-down effect. 

Geometric wallpapers are also trending and can be used to create subtle and peaceful looks that add a sense of spaciousness to your home. Some popular geometric wallpapers, like the retro-inspired JiffDiff Geometric Wallpaper ($12.99 on Amazon), offer quite a bit of color that can easily clash with the rest of your space. Opting instead for a simple, neutral print like the Fiula Hexagon White Wallpaper ($15.19 on Amazon) will help you get the interesting look of a geometric design without feeling overwhelmed.

Another way to use patterns to spruce up your space without complicating your decor is by finding a geometric wallpaper that has subdued or monochrome hues. The Aniboo Modern Geometric Peel and Stick Wallpaper ($7.99 on Amazon) is both simple and elegant, featuring a neutral and white color scheme that will match just about any room. The repeated design will make your walls feel more dimensional, a major benefit of geometric prints. 

Designers sometimes opt for wallpaper because it makes adding features like stripes so much easier. Instead of using painter's tape and a tape measurer for hours to get it right, you can stick on a roll of striped paper in no time. However, many popular striped wallpapers feature vibrant colors, like the ReqFen Modern Striped Wallpaper ($7.99 on Amazon), which features various shades of blue. Opting for a neutrals-only wallpaper like the FunStick Thick White Beige Wallpaper ($9.99 on Amazon) is a better option for homeowners concerned that saturated shades will be too overwhelming. 

Another reason you might be opposed to traditional striped wallpapers is due to their pattern feeling a bit too extreme, which can happen when the colors in the pattern heavily contrast with one another. You can mitigate this possibility by using low-contrast wallpapers like Norwall's Regency Stripe PrePasted Wallpaper ($25.79 on Amazon), which still has the striped look but feels way less overwhelming thanks to its subtler gray-on-gray palette. 

If polka dot wallpapers are calling to you but many options seem too overwhelming, it might be due to the same issue as stripes: high-contrast dots can draw the eye in a little too much, moving the focus to your wallpaper and overshadowing the rest of your room. That can be the case with options like Qianglive's Black and White Polka-Dot Wallpaper ($7.19 on Amazon). Instead, go with low-contrast dots like the ones found in Ambesonne's Abstract Peel and Stick Wallpaper ($8.99 on Amazon). 

Of course, if you want to use a simple wallpaper in your home, you can always opt for one that is a popular color with no pattern at all. PracticalWs's Dark Green Wallpaper ($8.99 on Amazon) is a quality option that will introduce a chic color without the distracting pattern. This could be useful when you aren't interested in painting (due to the time and energy it takes to set up and complete) or if you don't own your home and want to try out some renter-friendly DIY decor. 

Another way to achieve a single-color look while still enjoying some texture is with grasscloth, or faux grasscloth, wallpaper. The Tanone Contact Paper ($3.74 on Amazon) has a woven look that provides more depth and complexity than a simple coat of paint. Plus, this product comes in six different colors: cream, dark green, light green, khaki, gray, and blue, so you're sure to find an option that fits your existing color palette. 

Textured wallpaper offers an entirely new way to do walls. With embossed images or three-dimensional patterns, you can turn your walls into an entire experience, adding extra dimension and intrigue to the space. A major benefit to this texture take is that it often makes for a single-color wallpaper that will naturally have a less overwhelming look and feel, as seen in the Dimoon Leaf Green Flower wallpaper ($8.99 on Amazon.) 

It might seem like a struggle, but it's possible to stick to a vintage or retro vibe without committing to a pattern that will take all the attention away from the rest of the room. You can take a traditional vintage wallpaper like the pink toile Wenmer Vintage Wallpaper ($9.99 on Amazon) and swap it for a more subdued one, like the Nukofal Vintage Peel and Stick Wallpaper ($8.99 on Amazon), which features a vintage floral pattern in much simpler, low-contrast coloring. 

If black and white are your home's two main colors, you don't have to stray from that palette just to find a fashionable, interesting wallpaper. Use a textured black paper, like the Abyssaly Black Silk Wallpaper ($6.63 on Amazon), to accomplish a dynamic look while still staying in your comfort zone. The subtle texture and pattern will add some visual interest to your walls, but your furniture and decor will still be the star of the show.