Wild ceiling wallpaper ideas from the 1970s that might make you rethink your white ceiling

Categories: 1970s, Vintage advertisements, Vintage homes & gardens, Vintage magazines

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How to wallpaper a ceiling step-by-step

Ceiling wallpaper? Oh yeah, it was a thing — and in the 1970s, it was often loud, bold and unapologetically busy. What started as a decorating trend meant to coordinate every surface in a room ended up creating some of the most memorable interior looks of the decade. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to live in a space where the walls and ceiling shared the same floral explosion, you’re in the right place.

During the mid-century boom in home customization, wallpaper took on new life. Not only did people cover every inch of wall space, but they also started looking up — literally. Applying wallpaper to the ceiling wasn’t entirely new, but in the 70s, it became far more common, especially in homes aiming for a cohesive, designer-inspired aesthetic. The ceilings matched the walls, the drapes, even the furniture. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes… it didn’t.

The process of wallpapering a ceiling was, and still is, no small task. It requires planning, teamwork, and a sturdy scaffold. But for those willing to take it on, the payoff could be dramatic. In bedrooms, decorators recommended gentle florals or soft colors to keep the mood relaxed. Kids’ rooms got playful with tent-like stripes, while dining areas went for elegant symmetry or bold color statements. Ceilings suddenly had a role to play in the overall personality of a room.

Thanks to improved materials and digital printing, ceiling wallpaper today has made a bit of a comeback. It’s often used as an accent feature instead of full-room coverage. Themes like skies, space, botanicals and geometric patterns are popular, especially in spaces like powder rooms, home offices or nurseries. Whether it’s to make a statement or bring balance to a space, designers have rediscovered the ceiling as a design opportunity.

How to wallpaper a ceiling, step-by-step (1979)

By Larry Geisinger in the Boston Globe (Massachusetts) January 21, 1979

Covering a ceiling is not as easy as hanging a wall, but with a little care (and a little help) you can end up with a perfect job.

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Step 1: Remember, a ceiling must always be hung first; the vertical wall strips are added later. However, before the ceiling is covered, the plumb line for the first wall strip should be drawn so you know exactly where the ceiling strip should start.

Step 2: Match this distance at the opposite wall and then draw a pencil line connecting both points on the ceiling by stretching a cord. As with hanging walls, first cut all your strips to length.

Step 3: Prepare a work scaffold; a few planks set at a convenient height is preferred.

Step 4: Start at one end, unfold a booked strip and smooth the strip so the edge matches the ceiling pencil line. Use the palm of your hand to shift the covering where necessary, and then brush flat to remove any air bubbles and also insure good contact for the adhesive to grab.

Step 5: The excess covering that extends down the wall should not be trimmed flush with the corner; rather, it should extend down about 1/2 inch so the wall strips can overlap.

Step 6: To do this, firmly push the covering into the corner and then draw a blunt toothpick across the corner to further crease the strip. Then pull away the strip slightly and cut about 1/2 inch away from the crease with scissors.

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A small dining area with Asian-inspired wallpaper on walls and ceilings

Wallpaper a ceiling: Heavy window drapes combined with floral decor (1966)

This room features not only a super shaggy carpet, but also a flowery wallpaper on the ceiling that matches the upholstery.

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Wallpaper a ceiling? Ceiling of room should be given more attention (1972)

By Carleton Varney in The Town Talk (Alexandria, Louisiana) March 18, 1972

Recently, while going through the ordeal of a session in the dentist’s chair, I found myself staring at the uninteresting, bland, colorless ceiling, and wondered why more people do not color or paper ceilings.

Naturally, I made my decorative suggestions to my dentist, adding that the room could use an attractive light fixture, too.

Go with a pattern or bright colors for your ceilings. I just painted all the ceilings in a Florida apartment soft turquoise blue to bring the ocean and sky inside. The soft blue ceilings can go with any colored walls, painted or papered, which you may choose.

Have a brightly-colored ceiling in the bedroom

Bedroom ceilings are particularly important in the decorative scene. After all, we spend a lot of time in bedrooms, and shouldn’t we have a colored or gay wallpaper ceiling to look at while relaxing in bed?

Scattered florals or plaids for a wallpapered ceiling

When planning hospital decor, I always recommend scattered floral or plaid designs for the ceilings in the patients’ rooms.

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Ceiling wallpaper: Decor for the master bedroom

I use wallpapers on the ceilings in residential decorating almost all the time. For the ceiling of the master bedroom, why not consider a flowered wallpaper — a loosely-scattered floral pattern on a background of white or a soft shade of pink, green or beige.

Have the wallpaper match the drapes and bedding

Select a wallpaper that has a coordinating fabric so the fabric can be used for window valances and draperies as well as bedspreads.

Try to go with light colors

Stay away from dark wallpapers for bedroom ceilings — dark colors tend to make ceilings appear lower.

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Ceiling wallpaper decor for kids, too

In children’s rooms, I often use stripes of alternating solid colors to create a tent effect on the ceiling. The tent can be created with paper, vinyl or with fabric, and there are many tent borders of wallpaper or vinyl wallcovering.

Kitchen with a mod pattern on the ceiling wallpaper

Yellow kitchen with a bright matching wallpapered ceiling

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Ceiling wallpaper with large white flowers on a black background

Leafy green Forest Glade wallpaper

“It almost makes the room smell fresher.” (green and white wallpaper on the ceiling and walls, with white trim around the room & white wicker furniture)

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Gold & black foil wallpaper with white and blue striped blinds?

This retro 70s home decor featured a really questionable combination of the upper wall and ceiling covered with a gold foil and black wallpaper — then custom window blinds with white and blue horizontal stripes.

As a bonus, below the window, there’s a totally different old-fashioned wallpaper pattern.