Bring life to old to shelves with leftover wallpaper
Upcycling with scrap wallpaper
Especially with big patterned wallpapers where the strips need to be lined up to match, a lot of wallpaper will actually go unused. People are often surprised by the amount of ‘scrap’ wallpaper they are leftover with and it feels wrong to just throw it away. Of course it does - because that would be a huge waste given all of the things you can do with it! Do the environment a solid and keep reading for 15 of our favourite ideas on what to do with your wallpaper remnants.
Read Ahead:
These
brightly lined drawers done by Krista at ‘Blue Eyed Yonder’ sure give you a colourful surprise!
1 - Line your Drawers
Drawers are generally for storage, so no one ever expects the thoughtful pop of design that comes with sticking some wallpaper into the bottom of your kitchen or desk drawers. It gives a superbly clean and intentional feeling to these small spaces.
2 – Make some Bookmarks
Wondering what to do with the really small pieces of wallpaper you have leftover? Cut them into strips to make bookmarks! You could even attach a fancy tassel to the top for extra bookmarkiness.
3 – Wallpaper your Light Switch Covers
Maybe it would be too matchy-matchy to wallpaper the light switch covers in the same room that you wallpapered the walls of, but it’s a great idea for another room in your home. Carrying design elements subtly between rooms is a fantastic way to tie the entire home together harmoniously.
4 – Crafting & Scrapbooking Material
If you scrapbook, you probably already noticed that scrap wallpaper is a perfect material to work with! Use it as a background material or cut out motifs from the wallpaper. It will be a fun texture change!
This
wallpaper border with deer silhouettes is perfect to attach to a lampshade!
5 – Cover a Lampshade
If you have a relatively thin wallpaper material, using a hot glue gun to attach wallpaper to the outside of a lampshade can look surprisingly good. In some cases, the motif will cast a slight shadow and add some extra drama to the room. Wallpaper borders can work especially well for this too!
Check out these funky
wallpapered stair risers done by Gwen from ‘The Bold Abode’
6 – Wallpaper the Stair Risers
If you’ve ever looked at wallpaper on pinterest, you probably know how incredibly trendy wallpapering stair risers (the vertical part of the steps) is. This is a great way to use up scraps because the pattern doesn’t necessarily need to match up between the steps. Maybe you have just a few steps somewhere in your home rather than a full staircase – wallpapering them is a great way to highlight a fun architectural feature that’s often overlooked.
For more inspiration on wallpapering in Stairways, check out our article “[Advice] Choosing Wallpaper for Hallways and Stairs”
7 – Make some Book Covers
Have you noticed how beat up your books get when you bring them outside of the house to read? Making simple book covers from leftover wallpaper is a great way to protect them. The added bonus is that you can read your guilty pleasures in public without judgement!
8 – Make Instant Art
You picked a pattern you love for your wallpaper, right? Frame it for some ‘instant art’ and hang it in another room; this will tie the design themes in your rooms together and create unbelievable harmony in your home.
9 – Wallpaper as a Photo Mat
It looks better when photos are in slightly larger frames, but why should the mat behind always be a boring white? Use leftover wallpaper as a photo mat to draw attention to all of your favorite photos.
This
cherry blossom on blue wallpaper makes for some ridiculously pretty gift wrap
10 – Wallpaper as Gift Wrap
Wallpaper is basically just super high-quality gift wrap. Spread the love! Maybe your friend can make some book marks out if it afterwards.
11 - Make Place Mats & Coasters
If you have an especially thick and structured type of wallpaper, the perfect thing to use the scraps for would be making some placemats or coasters! Just simply cut out some rectangles and smaller circles.
Aren’t these
fancy DIY envelopes by Ashley at ‘The Creative Place’ just adorable??
12 - Use for Origami & Envelopes
Origami is a great activity for children to develop their motor skills and puzzle solving skills, but there’s also tons of practical stuff you can also make as an adult! Try making an origami lampshade or some adorable envelopes. Heck, you can even use the wallpaper to write letters on or make cards.
13 – Make a Headboard for your Bed
If you have some pretty sizable leftover wallpaper scraps, consider wallpapering your beds headboard or even making one from scratch. This is a great way to highlight the bedroom’s central piece of furniture – the bed!
14 – Use as a Glass Underlay
There is a neat effect when you put something like wallpaper underneath glass; it gets slightly magnified. If you have a glass table, slip a strip of wallpaper under the glass for a quick style-boost. Putting a piece on the bottom of a decorative glass bowl could also look pretty stunning.
15 – Upcycle Old Furniture
The shabby-chic look is in right now and there’s no better way to achieve it than to wallpaper your old furniture. Popular trends floating around right now include wallpapering the fronts of your dresser drawers, the doors of your kitchen cupboards or even the outside of a shelf. Leftover wallpaper really can be a miracle for giving tired furniture new life.
What other ideas do you have for how to use your wallpaper leftovers? Let us know in the comments below!