Looking for wallpaper often begins with a practical idea and quickly becomes something more expansive. A simple search for a hallway stripe can lead, before long, to murals, block prints, chinoiserie and patterns you did not know you were looking for.
Happily, there are many good places to buy wallpaper. The right one depends on what you are looking for, how much choice you want and whether your project requires something more individual than an off-the-shelf design.
Where is the best place to buy wallpaper?
For the widest choice, specialist online wallpaper brands are often the best place to start. They allow you to explore different styles, order samples and compare designs from home, while specialist brands can also offer services such as custom colours, made-to-measure murals and advice for individual projects.
Independent stores and wallpaper showrooms are useful if you prefer to see materials in person, while home improvement stores can be convenient for readily available, more standard wallpaper options.
For something more individual, a design-led wallpaper brand or bespoke wallpaper studio offers considerably more creative freedom.
Buy wallpaper directly from a specialist wallpaper brand
Buying directly from a specialist wallpaper brand gives you access to more than simply a larger choice of patterns. It can also mean better knowledge of the designs, materials and production process, alongside specialist help when you need it.
Feathr is an independent wallpaper brand from Fiskars Village in Finland, a community of artists, designers and makers. Our designer wallpaper collections are created in collaboration with artists and designers and range from contemporary abstracts and painterly murals to maximalist patterns, botanicals, chinoiserie and ombre designs.
Every Feathr design is available to order online and we ship worldwide.
If you are unsure about a design, ordering a wallpaper sample is a useful first step. Seeing the paper in your own room allows you to understand its true colour, detail and scale, and to see how it responds to the changing light throughout the day.
Where to buy designer wallpaper
Designer wallpaper is a good choice when you want the walls to contribute something distinctive to the interior rather than simply provide a background.
Look for brands with a clear creative point of view and original designs rather than choosing on pattern alone. The breadth of the collection is also worth considering: a good designer wallpaper brand should give you enough variety to find something that feels appropriate to the architecture, mood and character of the room.
Feathr specialises in artist-designed wallpaper and wall murals, with collections spanning many different interior styles. These include maximalist wallpaper, contemporary botanical designs, large-scale scenic murals, abstract artwork, chinoiserie, metallic designs and more understated patterns.
This breadth can be particularly useful when specifying wallpaper across several rooms while maintaining a consistent level of design and quality.
Where to buy wallpaper murals
Wall murals are particularly effective when you want the wall to behave more like a piece of large-scale artwork than a repeating pattern.
When buying a mural, look beyond the image itself. Check how the design will be sized for your wall, whether important elements can be repositioned and what happens when the proportions of your wall differ from those shown in the product photography.
Feathr offers a wide collection of artist-designed wall murals, which can be produced to suit the dimensions of an individual wall. Our design team can also help adjust the scale and placement of a mural so that important elements work with furniture, doors, windows and other architectural features.
Where to buy custom wallpaper
If you have found a design you love but the colour, scale or composition is not quite right, custom wallpaper can be a better solution than continuing to search for something that happens to fit.
Feathr’s custom wallpaper service allows existing designs to be adapted for an individual interior. Colours can be changed, patterns rescaled and mural layouts adjusted to work with the proportions and features of the room.
We can also create completely bespoke wallpaper for projects requiring an original design.
This can be useful for homeowners, interior designers and commercial projects where the wallpaper needs to work as part of a wider interior scheme rather than dictate it.
Independent wallpaper stores
Independent wallpaper and interior design stores remain a useful place to shop, particularly if you want to compare papers and finishes from several sources in person.
A knowledgeable retailer can also help explain pattern repeats, quantities, installation and material differences.
The trade-off is choice. A physical store can only display a fraction of the wallpapers available online, so it can be useful to research designs online first and then order samples of the strongest possibilities.
And often, that is where the real decorating begins.
Wallpaper showrooms
Wallpaper showrooms are particularly valuable when material and finish are important to the project.
Seeing wallpaper at full scale can reveal details that are difficult to appreciate on a screen, particularly with textured, textile and metallic wallcoverings.
For professional projects, showrooms can also be useful for comparing technical materials and discussing suitability for particular environments.
Home improvement stores
Home improvement stores can be a convenient option when you need readily available wallpaper at an accessible price point.
Their collections tend to focus on broadly appealing patterns, textures and practical options. This can work well for straightforward decorating projects where customisation, specialist materials or unusual artwork are not priorities.
For a more individual interior, specialist wallpaper brands generally offer a much wider choice of distinctive designs.
Where do interior designers buy wallpaper?
Interior designers source wallpaper from a combination of specialist wallpaper brands, trade showrooms, design houses and bespoke studios.
The choice depends heavily on the project. Alongside the design itself, professionals may need to consider customisation, material performance, lead times, samples, technical documentation and whether a wallcovering is suitable for residential or commercial use.
Feathr works directly with interior designers on residential and commercial projects worldwide. Designs can be customised to suit an interior, and wallpapers can be produced on different materials depending on the requirements of the project. Discover Feathr for interior designers.
Where to buy wallpaper for hotels, restaurants and commercial interiors
Commercial projects require additional considerations beyond appearance.
Durability, cleanability, fire performance, material construction and replacement requirements may all affect which wallcovering is appropriate. Find a wallpaper supplier who is able to provide a range of commercial grade wallcovering materials.
Feathr’s designs can be produced on contract-grade wallcovering materials for hotels, restaurants, offices and other high-traffic interiors. Our team can also assist with customisation, sampling, quantities and project-specific requirements.
Recent Feathr projects include wallcoverings produced for the refurbishment of the Marriott Grand Cayman Resort.
What should you look for in a good wallpaper brand?
A good wallpaper brand should make it easy to understand not only what a wallpaper looks like, but whether it is right for your particular project.
Before ordering, consider:
- Originality of design. Look for designs that have a clear creative identity rather than simply following current trends.
- Samples. Always see the wallpaper in your own space before making the final decision.
- Material. Consider the room, expected wear, cleaning requirements and desired finish.
- Customisation. If colour, scale or composition matters, check whether the design can be adapted.
- Mural sizing. For wall murals, find out whether the artwork can be fitted to your actual wall rather than simply cropped.
- Technical information. This becomes particularly important for commercial and hospitality projects.
- Project support. Access to someone who understands the product can make a considerable difference when dealing with unusual dimensions or more complex installations.
- Delivery. Check where the brand ships and how long production and delivery are likely to take.
Is it better to buy wallpaper online or in a store?
Neither is inherently better.
Buying wallpaper online gives you access to a much wider range of designs and makes it easier to discover specialist brands regardless of where they are based. A physical store or showroom gives you the advantage of seeing different papers and materials in person.
A good compromise is to explore online, create a shortlist and order physical samples before deciding.
Where can I buy wallpaper that feels different?
Start with specialist, design-led wallpaper brands rather than large general marketplaces.
Look beyond the first pattern that catches your eye and explore the story behind the design, the artist or designer who created it, the available materials and whether it can be adapted to your space.
At Feathr, we believe wallpaper should give you the opportunity to bring something genuinely individual into a room. Our collections range from expressive maximalist designs and chinoiserie to contemporary murals, botanicals, abstracts and subtle textures, with customisation available when you need something more personal.
Sometimes finding wallpaper is less about shopping and more about recognition — that moment when a pattern suddenly feels right for the room.
And often, that is where the real decorating begins.
