There is a moment in every pretty bathroom when you stop and look at the walls. A branch of wisteria trailing past the mirror. Hydrangeas blooming right up to the window. A soft stripe sweeping across the ceiling like the inside of a summer tent.
Not long ago, walls like these meant expensive paper, a professional hanger and a lot of nerve. Peel and stick wallpaper has changed that. It goes up with a little patience, comes down without a fight, and lets you try a pattern you might never risk with paint. These 12 ideas show how to use it in a bathroom remodel, from full floral walls to ceilings, cupboard doors and even the inside of a linen closet.
1. A Wisteria Mural Behind a Pedestal Sink
Wisteria first came to England from China in 1816, and within a few decades it was climbing the walls of country houses everywhere. Bringing it indoors gives a bathroom that same slow, garden feeling.
Here a mural of lilac wisteria twists up a blush pink wall, its branches reaching right behind a scalloped gilt mirror. A classic white pedestal sink with brass cross taps sits below, with a blue-and-white pot of pink hydrangeas and a fluted soap dish. A glass globe sconce, terracotta floor tiles and a round blue rag rug keep the whole corner soft and simple.
Tip: Mural-style peel and stick wallpaper comes in numbered panels. Lay them out on the floor first, in order, so the branches line up before anything touches the wall.
2. Blue Hydrangea Wallpaper Around a Bay Window Bath
Victorian gardeners adored hydrangeas, and cottage bathrooms still borrow them for their big, generous blooms. On a wall, they make even a plain room feel like early summer.
In this bathroom, oversized blue and cream hydrangeas cover the walls and wrap around two sash windows with woven bamboo shades. Below them, white zellige tile and beadboard protect the lower walls. A sage green slipper tub with a brass telephone tap sits in the sunlight, beside a blush velvet window seat, a fringed throw and a gilt-framed seascape.
Tip: Keep peel and stick wallpaper above tile or panelling in a bathroom with a tub. The lower wall takes the splashes, and the paper stays where it can only be admired.
3. A Peony Mural Framing an Arched Bath Alcove
In China, the peony has been called the king of flowers for more than a thousand years, a symbol of good fortune and happiness. Painted large, it turns a bathroom wall into a piece of art.
Huge pink peonies with blue-green leaves cover the wall around a white arched alcove. Inside, glossy white tile surrounds a built-in tub with a brass telephone tap, a glass vase of green hydrangeas and a sunny window. A blue and gold runner, a wicker basket and a fern in a blue-and-white pot finish the scene.
Tip: Use the big-scale pattern on the walls outside the wet area, and keep the tub alcove fully tiled. The contrast makes the arch look even more special.
4. Sweet Pea Florals Above Beadboard
Sweet peas were the darling of the Victorian and Edwardian garden, grown for their scent and their soft, ruffled colors. They make one of the gentlest patterns for a bathroom.
Here, pink and blue sweet peas climb across cream wallpaper above buttery beadboard. A gilt bamboo oval mirror sits between two brass sconces with pleated shades. The bathroom vanity is a duck-egg console with turned legs and a marble top, with brass taps, a blue-and-white jug of hydrangeas and a woven basket of towels below.
Tip: Beadboard and wallpaper make a perfect pair. Run the paper down to the top of the rail and the panelling hides the bottom edge, so you never need a perfect cut at the floor.
5. Peach Blossom Walls with a Faux Bamboo Mirror
Faux bamboo became the height of fashion in Regency England, when gilded “bamboo” furniture filled the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. It still looks charming against delicate blossom patterns.
Soft peach walls painted with fine blossom branches set the mood in this little powder room. A gilt bamboo mirror with antiqued glass hangs above a dark wood vanity with a curved front, a marble top and brass taps. A sconce with a cream porcelain base, pink hydrangeas in a blue-and-white pot and a pale blue linen towel complete the corner.
Tip: A powder room is the easiest place to start with peel and stick wallpaper. With no shower, there is very little steam, and a small room needs only a few rolls.
6. Pink Sprig Florals with a Walnut Vanity
Small, scattered florals have been a cottage favorite since printed cottons first became affordable in the 1800s. They feel calm and pretty without taking over the room.
Tiny pink blossoms on cream wallpaper sit above duck-egg blue beadboard. A rich walnut bathroom vanity with brass ring pulls and a scalloped marble backsplash holds an undermount sink with brass taps, purple violets in a little jug and a crystal soap pump. A rattan oval mirror, a pink pleated sconce and a small landscape painting add warmth.
Tip: A small, busy pattern is very forgiving. If your walls are not perfectly straight, the tiny florals hide the seams and corners far better than a big, bold design.
7. Rose Floral Wallpaper Above Sage Panelling
Sage green and rose pink have been paired in English homes for generations, the colors of a garden in June. Together they make a bathroom feel restful and warm at once.
A trailing rose wallpaper in pink and leafy green fills the upper walls, above deep sage panelling. A painted sage chest of drawers with ornate brass pulls has become the bathroom vanity, topped with marble and a drop-in sink. An oval gilt mirror sits between two pleated sconces, with a blue-and-white jug of garden flowers and a soft pink towel.
Tip: Pull one color from your wallpaper for the paint below it. Matching the panelling to the leaves in the pattern makes the whole room feel planned rather than busy.
8. Floral Wallpaper on a Sloped Attic Ceiling
Attic bathrooms come with awkward slopes, but in old cottages those angled ceilings were often papered right over, turning the odd corners into the prettiest part of the room.
Here, butter yellow wallpaper scattered with little blue bouquets runs up the slope above a pink clawfoot tub. A brass telephone tap, white panelling and a lace café curtain at the window keep the look light. A blue-and-white vase of blue hydrangeas and a scalloped dish on a rustic wooden stool sit beside the bath.
Tip: Hanging any paper on a slope is easier with a second pair of hands. With peel and stick wallpaper, peel back only a few inches of the backing at a time and smooth it upward as you go.
9. Stripes on the Ceiling for a Tented Powder Room
Tented rooms became fashionable in early 1800s France, when Napoleon’s military campaigns inspired fabric-draped ceilings in grand houses. A striped paper gives you that playful, romantic feeling without a single yard of fabric.
In this tiny powder room, soft pink and blue stripes run up the walls and meet at a plaster medallion in the center of the ceiling. Below, cream beadboard, a sage green washstand with turned legs and a marble top, and a dark wood oval mirror keep it grounded. A shell sconce, pink hydrangeas, a woven hamper and a plum floral rug add the finishing touches.
Tip: On a ceiling, start in the center and work outward, so the stripes meet neatly in the middle where the eye goes first.
10. Wallpaper That Hides the Cupboard Doors
English country houses often had a hidden jib door, papered to match the walls so it almost disappeared. It is a clever trick for a bathroom with built-in storage.
Large peach peonies and blue hydrangeas cover the walls of this attic bathroom and run straight across a pair of cupboard doors, so only their brass knobs give them away. A cane-back chair with a floral seat and a velvet pillow, a pine washstand with a marble top, a striped skirted stool and a raspberry floral runner make the room feel lived in.
Tip: Peel and stick wallpaper works beautifully on flat cupboard doors. Wipe the doors clean, apply the paper, then trim the edges with a sharp blade for a crisp line.
11. Wallpaper Inside a Linen Closet
Sometimes the best place for a bold pattern is the one you only see when you open the door. Lining shelves and cupboards with paper is an old housekeeping habit, and it still feels like a lovely surprise.
The inside of this linen closet is papered in a bold fan pattern of coral, navy and gold. Folded white towels on painted shelves and a woven basket stand out against it. Outside, a pink gingham bench, a soft green rug, a patterned Roman shade and leaded windows keep the rest of the bathroom calm.
Tip: A closet uses only a roll or two of peel and stick wallpaper, so it is a perfect place to try a pattern you love but are not ready to put on a whole wall.
12. A Chinoiserie Look with Birds and Willows
Hand-painted Chinese wallpapers arrived in England in the 1700s and quickly became the most treasured thing in a fine house. Birds, blossoms and little pagodas still feel just as magical today, and many peel and stick designs now borrow the same style.
In this bathroom, the pattern appears on a three-panel folding screen painted with a pink bird on a blossom branch, trailing willow, peonies and a pagoda by the water. A duck-egg blue tub with an embroidered towel, a skirted floral chair with a pink cushion and a rose rug sit in the warm afternoon light.
Tip: Not ready to cover a wall? Apply a chinoiserie peel and stick wallpaper to an old folding screen or a plain wooden panel. You get the same look, and you can move it whenever you like.
How to Make Peel and Stick Wallpaper Last in a Bathroom
Bathrooms are the trickiest room for any wallpaper, but with a little care, peel and stick wallpaper can look lovely for years.
- Start with a smooth, painted wall. It sticks best to a clean, primed surface. Rough or textured walls make it lift.
- Let new paint cure. If you have just painted, wait a few weeks before applying the paper.
- Keep it away from water. Avoid the inside of the shower and the wall right behind the tub taps.
- Run the fan. Good ventilation is what keeps the edges from curling in a steamy room.
- Test a sample first. Stick a small piece on your wall for a week before you order every roll.
More on Bathroom Remodel
Bathroom Remodel Shopping Guide: How to Make Your Bathroom Look Expensive
Small Bathroom Ideas: Big Style for Small Spaces
12 Bathroom Remodel Ideas with Cozy English Cottage Charm
Frequently Asked Questions
Does peel and stick wallpaper work in a bathroom?
Yes, as long as the room is well ventilated and the paper is kept away from direct water. It works especially well in powder rooms and on walls above tile or panelling.
Can you put peel and stick wallpaper in a shower?
No. Constant water and steam will make it peel. Keep the shower and tub surround tiled, and use the paper on the walls outside the wet area.
Is peel and stick wallpaper good for renters?
It is one of the best options for renters, because it is designed to come off without paste. On a well-painted wall it usually removes cleanly, but always test a small piece first.
Is peel and stick wallpaper a good idea for a small bathroom remodel?
It is ideal. A small room needs only a few rolls, so you can choose a pattern you truly love and still keep the bathroom remodel budget low.
Let Your Walls Bloom
A bathroom is one of the few rooms where you can be a little bolder, because you step in, close the door and it is all yours. A wall of wisteria, a striped ceiling or a surprise inside the linen closet can change how the whole room feels, often in a single afternoon.
Pick the idea that made you smile, order a sample, and see how it feels on your own wall. That is the joy of peel and stick: if you fall in love with something new next year, you can simply start again.
