Design
Ask The Audience: Which Wallpaper (& Renter-Friendly Tile) Should Arlyn Use In Her Dining & Living Room To Add Serious Drama?
Hello friends and welcome to another update from my North Carolina home! Last I left you, I was contemplating what style I wanted and plotting out loose design plans for some of my spaces. You may remember that my sofa was locked in and acquired (in a gorgeous golden mustard velvet). From there, I picked up a few pieces here and there on Facebook Marketplace, found homes for furniture and decor I had previously, got a chair reupholstered, settled on a rug, and then took a look around. For the record, I know it’s not very nice to mention everything above but then show you almost none of it, but if I did, it would feel too much like a “sneak peak/rough draft reveal” post rather than what it is: Help me decide on a totally random set of ideas that popped into my head one day while sitting and looking around. In particular, some wallpaper on the partial walls and coffered ceilings of my dining room to make it feel more like its own room, and peel-and-stick tile to create more of a focal point on my fireplace wall. More on that in a second…
It is important to understand my color palette a little before we dive deeper into this subject. So far, here’s what I’m working in, though I’m still searching for another accent color I haven’t quite landed on yet:
The mustard, light blue, and burgundy are materializing in a few places; the navy and the mauve are accents in my dining room rug and (sort of) in my chair upholstery, but for some reason it doesn’t feel totally complete. I know I’m still missing curtains, some decor and styling, and some small furniture pieces (mostly side tables), but something is calling me to a touch of olive or khaki.
Because I think it would be helpful, here’s a quick look at the rug and chair just to give you a sense of how some of these colors are playing out:
I took this photo at night, so the exact hues are just a bit off (for some reason, they look kind of green even though I tried to desaturate them in Photoshop to better match the real color), but it does the job in terms of giving you a better idea of what’s happening in my rooms.
So, here’s the current state of my dining room, now that I rolled out my rug (it was in my previous home’s dining room, and I think it’s so friendly and just the right hit of color), strong-armed Jess into hanging up my pendant light while she was visiting, found amazing second-hand chairs, and settled on a table. The chairs, by the way, need to get their seat reupholstered, but deciding on what will live on the walls of this space is going to better guide me into making that fabric choice, as I haven’t picked anything for those yet.
The thing about my dining room is that it’s basically an open space slightly set apart from the living room and kitchen by columns, a lowered coffered ceiling, and a chair rail. There really aren’t that many walls to satisfy the “wall” in “wallpaper,” but there are enough, in addition to the ceiling, to bring some fun design into a kind of nothing room. Here’s another angle to get a better sense of its placement (empty, before we moved in):
Could I leave it alone and happily exist here for another year or two? Sure! It’s finally coming together, and even without this extra layer, I like where it’s headed. But I’m not well known for leaving well enough alone. I’m waffling between not disrupting the visual line *that* much by keeping the paper more in the neutral zone, and going all in with something punchy and dramatic. To help me envision it, I popped some options into Spoak to see what they could look like.
After going through this exercise, I think I know what I’m liking, but you all always see something I don’t right away (especially in my own home), so I’d love to know…what’s your pick and why? Let’s explore:
Neutral Wallpaper Option #1:
Here’s a dainty, pretty trailing floral. The actual scale is a bit smaller than what we’re seeing here, but I do like that the background color of the paper is pretty similar to the wall color throughout the rest of the walls in my living room and kitchen. I’m not sure I like the type of floral with the folk flower on my rug, but it has potential.
Neutral(ish) Wallpaper Option #2:
This is more of an abstract botanical that comes in both a beige neutral and this one above that also has a rosy sepia flourish. It picks up the mauve of the rug nicely, I think, but still feels quiet in a way.
Bold Wallpaper Option #1:
I just had to try a bold stripe because that and a floral are a classic pattern mix that’s always a home run in my book. Again, the scale here is not right (it’s smaller IRL), which I think would actually make quite the difference in the visuals, but I do like seeing the color story here. It’s cute, for sure, but it may be too much with the icy blue rug and mustard sofa in the adjoining room. Another option is to just put the stripe above the chair rail and paint the wall below in a corresponding color.
Bold Wallpaper Option #2:
Let’s try some blue. To create contrast from the lighter blues in both the living and dining room rugs, I went with something closer to a dark denim, and tbh, it works! The rendering from Spoak turned the bottom part of the wall white, rather than the beige that it really is, but I’d either just continue the paper if it isn’t too heavy-handed or pick a blue that works with the paper’s tones.
Now, let’s see the two neutral picks and the two colorful options all side by side:
Individually, I love each of these, but in the grand scheme of the open living spaces, I don’t think they all make sense. But that’s why you’re here today: Pop your opinions down in the comments on this.
Here’s a better look at the papers, plus two additional selections I’m crushing on (I love a toile!).
1. Lennon Vintage Tapestry Forest Beige Wallpaper and Lennon Vintage Tapestry Forest Sepia Wallpaper | 2. Toile de Joon in Bone | 3. Smilli, Clay | 4. Olof Mural, Terracotta | 5. Wilder Stripe in Mauve Mist | 6. Floral Stripe in Blue
Time for the fireplace!! While I’ve been gnawing on the wallpaper-in-the-dining-room concept for a few weeks, the fireplace addition is new. I’ve always been a fan of floor-to-ceiling tile on a fireplace wall, especially square tile. Because I’m a renter, my only real option is a peel-and-stick tile. I did consider doing wallpaper over here as well, but I just don’t love an accent wall, honestly. And the way my walls go up and down the stairs, there’s no natural stop for the paper if I decided to put it on every wall.
An accent tile is more acceptable to me in this application, so it’s something I’m contemplating if I can find the right product. My options are limited, though.
Fireplace Wall Tile Option #1:
Given that all I really want is some texture, I think a beige or cream tile would hit that mark without stealing too much focus. The tile below looks warmer online than in what I rendered, but you can get an idea of the impact it could make.
Fireplace Wall Tile Option #2:
Alright, let’s try some color, just for giggles. I found a dusty blue option by Easy Tiles that could be cool. I need to hunt down something with more gray in it to better suit my rug, as this is too turquoise, but interesting to see what happens over here with a punch of something other than cream.
1. Mundano – Porto | 2. Zellige Zagora | 3. Morocco Tangier
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Now, it’s time to sound off in the comments. The more I look at the dining room options, the more I’m leaning toward absolutely doing wallpaper (and maybe paint) in there. I’m still on the fence about the fireplace. I may need to order some samples and keep digging around to get the color correct, because it can go bad really fast.
I can’t wait to hear what everyone is thinking, and if you have any additional ideas, please let me know!
Until next time, friends. See you in the comments…
Hmm. I love the idea of boxing in the dining area to showcase its beautiful architecture, but I’m not particularly keen on any of the wallpapers. They’re all a bit too granny in contrast to the folky Scandi rug, somehow. I am also worried that peel and stick tile is going to look cheap – what are they made of? Surely not actual ceramic? I suggest painting the box for the dining room, walls and ceiling, and then also painting the chimney breast to match. Are you keeping the cream colour on the rest of the walls? I’d do a dusty rose or olive for the box, and then a less yellow neutral on the other walls, myself. Lovely room, though!
I had the same reaction to the first two wallpapers. Love the rug, but the wallpapers have a different vibe that to me, is jarring. The striped paper, esp. on the ceiling, feels a little overwhelming. I vastly prefer the blue paper over the first three options. Thanks for sharing your process, Arlyn!
It’s funny you should mention the granny contrast to the geometric Scandi rug beause that’s actually what I’m hoping for. HA. I feel like I need something less stiff with more movement to counterbalance the rug. I know myself enough to know that if I did a paper that matched the style too closely of some of the larger elements, it would feel too matchy-matchy for my tastes.
And no, I’m not painting the walls. It would be an enormous undertaking the way our walls connect across rooms up to the third floor and down to the first floor. It pains me a bit, but I’m making it work!
I LOVE the idea of wallpaper in the dining room but I feel like the papers chosen are dating the room too much. The paint color and the style of the trim could skew a little too “early oughts” so I would choose a wallpaper that that looks more modern. Something moodier or more saturated somehow! Also, it feels like there’s a lot of yellow going on here…
As for the fireplace tile. I love it with the blue but again, with all these yellow walls it feels like you need a more saturated color.
Am I the lazy one? I loved NOT having to worry about anything like this while I was renting for a couple years. ha! You all do such a wonderful job of making even your temporary homes look incredible.
HAHA you are not lazy. it’s a lot of work for a short period of time, for sure.
Same, but maybe it’s different if it’s your job?
Wonderful progress! On DR wallpaper, #2 is a lovely contribution to create unique feeling for the open space without creating too much impact on adjoining spaces. However I would be a hard ‘no’ on wallpaper tile for fireplace. While loving all tile on fireplace like Kaitlin’s recent LR, it doesn’t seem to work with more traditional mantle and crown trim. It is a beautiful rental, love the views with furniture so far. I hope your family is enjoying North Carolina.
Yes interesting take. The fully tiled fireplace wall is definitely more modern. I did consider just doing an actual tile (with some command strips) on the horizontal strip just under the mantel. Maybe that’s all it needs!
That dining room rug is beautiful! Where was it from? I am partial to the two Sandburg options, and in awe of the energy and patience it will take to wallpaper each of those coffered ceiling squares as well as above and below the chair rail.
For the fireplace, I like how the first picture looks more like a wallpaper grid than a faux tile. In any case, I think a square option works better than the longer rectangles for this style of home.
Thank you for showing us your process.
It’s the Danish Floral Flat-Weave Wool Rug from Garnet Hill in the Ochre Multi!
love the first neutral paper! with the tile on the fireplace, it’s such a lovely Swedish folk feeling! love it. love that console you have beside the fireplace.
Oh yes Swedish folk is one of my favorite vibes. It’s definitely a risk, and it would have to be just the right “tile” in just the right color, but if I nail that, it could be a cool feature. And thank you. That console has been with me for over a decade! Bought it for $50 at ReStore in Florida.
My vote is a ceiling only wall paper for the dining area. I like #1 for the print but I’d go with whichever neutral one looks best with your wall color if you are not painting. I know you said you don’t love an accent wall like this would be, but I lean towards not fighting against your layout with abrupt starts and stops on finishes. I agree with others about not doing peel and stick tiles floor to ceiling at the fireplace as I think you will be disappointed with the look of the material. However you could do them just to cover the black quartz/granite?
Hmmm…covering the black surround and hearth is an interesting idea…
Agree!! The contrast with the black is going to be so stark. It would be much easier to cover those and leave the rest of the fireplace – the tile options both felt like bathroom tiles to me with the higher shine finish. I think any tile in this space should be low shine.
Agree. I think either of the more bold wallpapers on the DR ceiling would be great. It feels a little overwhelming to me on the full walls plus ceiling. I prefer the stripe personally.
100% about ceiling wallpaper only here!
I like 1 or 4 for the wallpaper. 2 is too busy. 4 really has amazing contrast, visually. 1 I think is the most “neutral”. Definitely 1st option for the fireplace tiles.
My favorite wallpaper on the walls is the blue. Blue and crisp white is such a winning combo. But, someone said just wallpaper the coffered ceiling and that would be striking too. I’d choose the large scale cabbage-style neutral floral wallpaper. Blue gray tile for the fireplace.
Cabbage style hahahaha I didn’t see it before, but now I do.
Off-topic, but I love that silver sconce by the fireplace. Did it come with the apartment??
Isn’t it great!?!? No it didn’t. I just screwed it into the wall and I’m on the hunt for a rechargable bulb in the correct size. I bought it on SUPER sale from Pooky but now it seems to be full-price again. It’s called the Stork Wall Sconce in antiqued silver.
Have you considered asking the landlord to remove the coffered ceiling?
The coffered ceiling is very impactful and matches the architecture of the home. I’m not interested in it going anywhere.
Love the blue wallpaper and tile options. It’s a fun pop of color in both places. This is a low commitment, don’t have to live with forever place so you ought to have fun with it while you are living there.
I do love having some fun.
I fear the peel and stick tile on the fireplace wall will be disastrous to remove and cause a huge headache down the line.
As for the wallpaper – wow, that is a lot of work! If you move forward with that, I prefer the blue. But, I’d also consider achieving the same thing with paint.
Wallpapering to me is far less time-consuming than painting. These are all peel-and-stick options and it goes up super fast!
I get that. You wouldn’t have to paint the entire space. I would advocate painting the wainscot white to match the trim. That alone would be super easy to do. Then for fun, you could add the chasing paper floral stripe in the marigold color to the ceiling. I think that would look great.
Something like this could look great.
I personally really like this!
Thank you!
With the traditional nature of the house, and the chair rail already in place, it makes sense to me to paint the wainscot to match the trim. Also, because this room is open to the living room, it seems appropriate to keep the wall color matching. Then lighten up the ceiling coffers with a wallpaper. I liked the blue paper that Arlyn chose, and it’s available in that marigold color – which I think works with the existing wall color and her rug really well! It creates a nice whimsical moment in the dining area to set it apart.
Yes, this looks great. I love how the motif in the ceiling paper matches one of the floral motifs in the rug!
Yes! Ties them together really well I think
This looks great! Much better than wallpapering upper and/or lower walls. And reducing (vs amping up) contrast in the ceiling boxes is a good call. Arlyn said elsewhere she’s leaning toward wallpaper #2 (meaning the toile, I think). That could have a similar effect. I like your choice best, though!
Lovely!
This one!
I am totally against the peel nad stick tile for the fireplace- how about simply painting it in one of your darker accent collers to help the TV blend in?
Good morning! I think wallpaper 4 is my favorite and thinking it would go best with your LR choices. The tile on the fireplace, I wasn’t liking that route either and I also suggest covering the shiny black granite.
I did originally think of covering the black stone but I worry about having a material like peel-and-stick tile by the actual heat of the fireplace.
For the dining room, I like the blue if you go all in, or the first floral if you just do the ceiling and then leave the walls painted and have an opportunity for cool artwork. On the fireplace, I think the mantle is going to make it very obvious that it is peel and stick tile, which will then look cheap. Peel and stick is great in applications that trick the eye into believing it is real tile. There are too many dimensional elements on the fireplace to pull this trick off. I’m guessing you are not allowed to paint the mantle? I was thinking going dark on the whole thing in a bit of a tonal moment would help the tv disappear a bit – maybe a dark blue? You did mention not being a fan of an accent wall so maybe that is not the right vibe. But I just don’t think the tile will end up looking as nice as you are hoping.
I have Smartile peel-and-stick as my kitchen backsplash, and I love it. However, one section is more visible than the rest, and there it’s clear that it’s fake. I’ve added painted wood to all edges, but I still need to add caulk to help the illusion. The tile edges will always give it away unless you are prepared to caulk the edges.
Love neutral number two. I think it makes a quiet statement and goes so well with the rest of the house. Not crazy about the tile on the fireplace.
Yeah I’m leaning toward that one as well! Still not sold one way or the other on the fireplace solution but fun to think about. I find that sometimes, we’re scared to even consider something fully if it’s too weird. I have to go through the exercise of actually seeing it at least in a mock up before deciding.
I haven’t rented in a really long time. I can totally see doing this in a long term rental, but for a year or two seems like a lot. Is this normal for 2026, or is it more blogger-esque?
I do like the last blue option. Everything else kind of just blends in or clashes in not a great way.
I’m not sure anything we do around these parts is normal, but that’s what makes it so special, I think.
What about just wallpaper in the ceiling coffers? I don’t think you need the tile around the fireplace, personally. Who knows, maybe you could luck out and find an antique surround that could overlay the existing one.
Maybe unpopular opinion but it all looks so busy to me and not worth it. Seriously, save the money for your new home vs. trying to do something today.
The renderings definitely look super busy, but I just know in person, it would be much more subtle due to the scale of the prints on the papers!
Good morning! Would you share the link to your fabulous dining room rug?
It’s not letting me include the link, but it’s the Danish Floral Flat-Weave Wool Rug from Garnet Hill!
I’m leaning blue because I feel like there’s not enough contrast in the first two. But a huge plant would help! Plants always help! The tile options are too cool. What about a red brick?
Maybe this is the chaos monster trying to come out of me, but I like the striped wallpaper the most! I would probably just do above the chair railing, though.
Also I agree with most people that the tile is not really necessary and may end up being a big headache.
Thanks for giving us a peek!
HAHAHA Look, I love a chaos monster. Yes, agreed. In general, I think I only want the paper above the chair rail (and either leave it cream beneath if it matches, or paint it), but I was struggling with getting the program to actually do that properly.
I agree with you, Katie! We’re apparently the outliers, but the stripe wallpaper is my favorite, as well, and just above the chair rail. I think the appeal for me is the timeless combination of floral and stripe, but Arlyn does it in a way that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
I also prefer the stripe! I like that it introduces another color that looks great in the space.
What an inviting spot for your family already- thanks for sharing!
I think curtains in a saturated, dusty blue (maybe velvet?) hanging in the dining room would be visually and texturally contrastive without being busy. Maybe a small, “ditzy” print on the chairs, à la the blue wallpaper, to counterpose the print of the rug?
There’s so much elegance here already: I say skip the fireplace covering. Can’t wait to see what’s next. 🙂
Yes I’m trying to figure out what I do with the windows in the dining room. They definitely need something other than the grey-ish cell shades!
I really like the last blue denim option for the wallpaper. I would worry that the first two options would be too close to the wall color without matching. I liked the look of the square tile better than the rectangle, but didn’t love any of the colors. Although renderings are always a little off. Did you consider any burgundy or mauve tiles?
I don’t know. I personally think you need to quiet all the trim work and coffering rather than highlight it, given your modern furnishings and scandi rug. If you’re allowed to paint, maybe paint the walls and ceiling white to match the trim work. Then warm the rooms up with your furnishings, art, drapes, etc.
When you’re moving out in the future, who wants to have to stop and remove wallpaper for days? I admire your ideas, you’re WAY more ambitious than I would be in a short-term rental, but you be you. Wall paper in the coffered ceiling seems to bring the ceiling down in an already lowered area, I’d skip that.
I did peel and stick wallpaper in my breakfast nook of my old home and it came down in less than 5 minutes! That’s the beauty of that product!
I love the wall paper in the dining room idea but not on the ceiling. On the ceiling it feels too overwhelming no matter which pattern is there. The stripe is my least fav but I would have to see it in action. As for the fireplace, I would leave it alone and spend my time and money on other things. The house already has a lot of agressive molding so adding another “permanent” element for your eye to make sense of doesnt work for me.
I love the choices you have for the rug the chair and the sofa and color pallette. I would want to see all of the furniture and furnishings fleshed out before I would consider adding wall paper or tile. Maybe after everything else is done, you will find you dont need wall paper or tile
For the dining room, the quiet choices don’t seem better than paint, and the bolder choices fight with the rug. Blue definitely IMO got closest to working.
For the fireplace, the light tiles gave 1980’s and not in a good way, while the blue tiles gave bathroom.
HAHAHAHA “blue tiles gave bathroom”
I have something extremely similar in my kitchen (done by the previous owners) and I’ve grown to love it. It doesn’t feel bathroom at all to me. It feels like a fresh modern color choice in a traditional material, if that makes sense. I feel like it could play out the same way here. Although now I’m leaning towards agreeing with commenters saying the entire fireplace wall doesn’t need tile at all…
Interesting. Thanks for asking us to play.
For the wallpaper in the dining room, I like the Lennon floral most definitely in the Sepia colors. I feel like it has enough of that darker sepia hue to relate to the wonderful rug without being too matchy-matchy. The bolder papers in particular seem too much, but that could just be scale that would look different in person. A solid coordinating color in paint for the bottom might be nice. Or what about a grasscloth/string cloth? The color could lean towards neutral, or maybe have some olive in it?
Although I usually love a color or wallpaper on the ceiling, in this case it seems to detract from the architectural detail. I would think hard about painting all of the coffered ceiling in the white trim color. I fear the tile will look fake. But I’m not coming up with a good alternative for you yet.
I am contemplating just skipping within the coffer. You’re right that there’s enough happening up there.
And matching patterns from section to section within the coffers would be a nightmare!
And I am sure you will come up with something wonderful! Your choices are always great! I’m seeing the Swedish vibe too. Blue and fireplaces and tile.
I like #2 a lot but would only do the top and half would play around with a terracotta color (like the darker color in the wallpaper) for the bottom half. I can’t visualize how that would play with the white trim though … the bones of the house are truly lovely. I’d also be curious to see what the striped wallpaper would look like only on the top or bottom half with a contrasting paint on the other half.
Hmmm this is an exciting challenge! I found the peel and stick wallpaper from Painted Paper to be the easiest to work with/remove if there are any patterns there that sing to you! Also as someone who has done A LOT with peel and stick tile that’s a monster to remove I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy – it’s made to LAST. My sister and I just used a beautiful version in her first home and it looks wonderful and will stay forever! 😂 I love that you are making a temporary space work for you and your family. Best of luck!
Thank you for this truly helpful advice!!
What about a textured wallpaper for the fireplace instead of tile? I’m thinking something with a lime washed vibe or something along those lines. Less busy than the tile but will still add depth and interest.
A tonal grass cloth paper on the fp could work well. But the tv up there is kind of the boss, so unless that can be moved to another location, it’s hard to beautify that spot.
yes textured wallpaper, or what about something in the realm of peel & stick molding?
Love the rug as well. I liked #2 but wonder if money and time could go into making the cabinet in front of windows more decorated Scandia, color, fun, exciting items. The tv in the fireplace wall either way still looks like a tv above the fireplace. Paint would be a better choice I think. Love seeing all your ideas!
Maybe it’s because I’ve moved a lot but I’m so tired of this outdated notion that design is only worth the effort if you a) will be there for a long time or b) own your home. It’s always worth it to make your house feel like a home – sometimes even more so when it’s temporary!
I love the idea of both the wallpaper and fireplace although I’m not sure I’m 100% sold on any of the options. Im excited to see what you choose though.
If you’re looking for some other options, I’ve used Quadrostyle tiles on my fireplace in my rental and they’ve stayed up great. They’re more like a thick peel and stick wallpaper so they’re easy to remove. You can find them on Etsy or their website.
I think the blue tile could be fun for the fireplace. As far as the wallpaper goes, I think I’d skip it altogether. It could be fantastic to do some sort of stencil/paint project instead. I’m thinking something on your ceiling that captured the same energy as what Abel Macias did for the Proper Downtown hotel. I realize your ceiling is not shaped like that, but some iteration of that in each square could be really fun.
I think you’ve grossly overestimated my ability to paint anything remotely artistic HAHAHAHA 😉
I’m shocked that I like the purple striped wallpaper the best. It looks beautiful with the yellow in the rug and the other walls.
I do love the color on that, which is maybe what you’re responding to. It looks INTENSE in that rendering, for sure, but I do think in real life, it could be interesting.
Thank you for sharing your process and asking for suggestions – this is fun! I’m not sold on tile for the fireplace. The idea of textured wallpaper there sounds like a good idea. In the dining room the neutral #2 is great with the rug and with the little bit we can see of the kitchen (cabinets & granite countertop).
The coffered ceiling in the dining room is so dominant that I would either paint or paper the insides of the coffers to match the coffered trim. Blue wallpaper would look nice in the dining room. Leave the fireplace as is.
Arlyn! I always love your posts – so thank you. Love the stripe for above the chair rail only as stated. But please use caution with peel and stick tile. A. You were right to be concerned about using on the black stone surround. You are not to have any combustible materials within 12 inches (depends on your local building code) of the firebox. And the vinyl would likely melt. So I would avoid that option. B. If your paint finish is more of a flat or matte, those tiles will pull off the drywall paper layer. If your paint finish is a satin it might be okay. But you would have better luck with a semi gloss which I doubt you have in the living room. This comes from real life experience. And I say it in hopes others can learn from my blunders.
I don’t have big opinions on the wallpaper for dining room, but I would skip the fireplace wall ideas and instead find a very large, cool fireplace screen on FBMP to cover the whole gas fireplace and dark stone surrounding it. The peel-n-stick tiles don’t look awesome, and also (as others have mentioned) the whole concept of tile there doesn’t really work with the traditional mantel.
I like #4 but would love to see it in the room. Of those you mocked up, I like #1 best. They seem less polarizing than the stripe or the blue print. For tile, I prefer #3.
I like option two of the neutral wallpaper. It had enough interest without distracting from the rug
I’m feeling overwhelmed by the wallpaper (and I am a big fan of wallpaper, so it’s not that). It feels heavy to me and not as lighthearted as the rug. What about papering just below the chair rail? Something not as neutral as what you’ve shown here, but something that speaks to the Scandi in the rug?
GREAT color palette! I honestly think most of your wallpaper options are pretty great, but I’m particularly drawn to either the super subtle #1, or the bold mauve stripes. I’m not sure I’m on board for the peel & stick tile around the fireplace… but I trust you! So staying tuned to see what you decide 🙂
I vote for the striped wallpaper but only on the lower half of the wall and inside the coffered squares. Leaving the top half of the wall paint only will harmonize with the rest of the open spaces and I think a stripe goes better with the folksy floral rug than the other options.
I don’t think you have found “the one” for the tiles yet. The blue looks like bathroom tile and the other two are not 100% either. Maybe hold off on that decision until the rest of the living room is decided upon. BTW, all that gorgeous millwork has me swooning!!
The first wallpaper is perfect.
I’d vote for wallpaper at the ceiling ONLY. The others just look too busy to me and take away from the amazing rug. Get great fabric to reupholster the dining chairs and call it good in the dining area. As for the fireplace…. I don’t like any of the choices. They don’t seem to go with the style of the house. I would consider just paint on the part of the fireplace where you show tile.
The stripe. Absolutely, positively the stripe. The space already has a kind of Swedish Larsonesque quality. With that rug and that color of stripe it just sings.
Don’t like any of the wallpapers. Sorry. They look granny. Also don’t think you should tile the fireplace. It doesn’t look right.
I mentioned it above but it was a ton of comments ago. I love a “granny” wallpaper mixed with modern elements, so sounds like I hit the nail on the head!
I’d try the white or greige zelige tiles from the etsy shop “QUADROSTYLE.”
I’ve LOVED the look of these tiles elsewhere, I think it’s a better bet than the ones you have linked. Though personally I’d go for color there!
Hello Aryln…I think it depends on what you want to emphasize. I love the direction of your couch and the rug under the table and recent chair.
The wallpaper makes you look at the chunky white molding instead of the wallpaper. None of the wallpapers seem to go with or enhance the rug and sofa but look like you moved into someone else’s house and had to keep the previous owner’s country themed busy patterned wallpaper. I think paint color would be a better fit for both the dining room and fireplace.