Wallpaper is a surefire way to give an instant makeover to any room, and there are a ton of stylish mid-century modern wallpaper options out there.
I’ll walk you through some wallpaper basics and then jump into a selection of adorable mid-century styles for the whole house.
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Wallpaper Basics
There are a few kinds of wallpaper available these days.
- Standard Wallpaper: This is the old kind that had to be glued and hung. It’s a little harder to DIY, so you don’t see this style as often anymore.
- Pre-Pasted Wallpaper: This kind of wallpaper comes with glue already on it, similar to an envelope that has to be licked…you wet the wallpaper to activate the glue and then hang it on the wall. Pretty easy!
- Peel and Stick Wallpaper: This seems to be the most common option you see for sale online. It’s more like a sticker. You peel off the backing and stick it to the wall. It might be labeled as removable, making it ideal for rentals or when you don’t want to commit to a pattern long-term.
Regardless of which kind you choose, there are some basic steps for hanging wallpaper. I opted for the pre-pasted variety, and it totally brightened up my home’s entryway.
Read More: How to hang wallpaper, how much to order and how to prep your walls
This is the Jax Starburst wallpaper by Brewster. It’s out of stock now, but I’ve shared a bunch of other starburst and mid-century wallpaper options for you below!
Mid-Century Modern Wallpaper
MCM Living Room Wallpaper
Since the living room is such a large area, you might want to stick to wallpapering just one accent wall or using a more subtle pattern. These neutral starbursts have mid-century flair without overwhelming the space.
This dark brown wallpaper with metallic lines feels upscale with a moody ’60s vibe. It would look great in a den, too.
For a lighter wallpaper, try these modern metallic squares in a bright gray.
Retro Kitchen and Dining Room Wallpaper
The smaller kitchen space is a fun spot to go big with patterns and colors. These cheerful leaves remind me of Orla Kiely’s designs, and the warm colors are sure to brighten up your kitchen or dining room.
Scandi teapots, birds, flowers and cat clocks? It’s hard to resist this adorable wallpaper.
These black and white fish are minimalist in color and maximalist in cuteness. This pattern would pair well with warm wood cabinets.
Minimalist Bedroom Wallpaper
For the bedroom, you probably want to stick to calming, minimalist patterns, like these subtle dandelion starbursts in light gray and white.
But minimalist doesn’t have to mean colorless. These mod Scandi flowers would be gorgeous as a colorful accent wall behind the bed, with adjacent gray or neutral walls.
Read More: Best neutral paint colors
And you can still find real grasscloth wallpaper similar to the authentic styles from the mid-century. This beige grasscloth would be lovely in the bedroom, living room or anywhere in the house.
When you’re ordering online, check the description and reviews to make sure it’s real textured grasscloth. A lot of the options I saw were actually vinyl with just a printed pattern to look like grasscloth.
My house came with wall-to-wall grasscloth in my living room, hallway and dining room. I love it!
Modern Office Wallpaper
For the office, these retro green stars could help energize your day.
These lovely mid-century cats on a turquoise background would make a happy accent wall behind your desk.
For a more neutral Zoom background, try these earthy gray teardrops. They remind me of Cathrineholm lotus leaves, one of my favorite mid-century motifs.
Read More: All about Cathrineholm
Mid-Century Bathroom Wallpaper
I am biased as a huge fan of pink mid-century bathrooms. But wouldn’t this coral wallpaper with delicate starbursts be delightful?
Or you could go neutral with these white polka dots on a gray background.
And I had to get more mid-century cat options in this list. This pattern features atomic boomerangs…so perfectly retro.
Tiki Bar Wallpaper
A tiki bar should transport you to a tropical escape, so it’s the ideal room for a flashy wallpaper pattern. This Hawaiian style option has mid-century fonts, colors, tikis and hula girls.
Try adding lots of palm leaves with artificial plants, pillows and other accents like this wallpaper.
Read More: Tiki bar decor guide
Finally, I had to include these retro mer-kitties and mermaids! I used this pattern on the fabric for my bathroom window valance, and it is even cuter in person. I’m obsessed with this design.
DIY Wallpaper
If you’re nervous about hanging wallpaper, try it in a smaller space first, like a bathroom, entryway or office nook.
There are so many mid-century modern wallpaper options these days, you’re sure to find a beautiful pattern to brighten up your home.
And make sure to check out these DIY wallpaper tips to get started.
Oh Tara……these choices are all wonderful! Awesome!! ( I feel like I stepped back into the 60’s/70’s. Lol) I don’t know if I ever told you we wallpapered one wall in our vaulted ceiling L.R. in Omaha. It was a damask wallpaper green background with black velvet fleur de li’s on it. (It went great with our avocado green furniture. 😉 Then our house in Aloha had the green/gold real grasscloth wallpaper in entryway. Lots of styles and choices in that era! Love how you guys have brought alot of that era back to life in your MCM home! Thumbs up for sure!! Lots of love and work over the last what? 7 1/2 years there?!
That wallpaper and furniture combo sounds amazing! I love all the mod ’60s and ’70s patterns. Eric and I looked at a very groovy ’70s house back before we bought this one, and it had lots of fun retro accents and textured wallpaper. It’s hard to believe we’ve been here for 7.5 years already!