Dining Rooms

Dining Room Wallpaper Ideas: Bold Patterns, Feature Walls, and Roll Counts

Updated: Aug 2026

The dining room is one of the last rooms in a house where bold wallpaper is still considered entirely correct — dark tones, large florals, maximalist prints — and the feature-wall-behind-the-table approach makes it easy to go bold without committing to four walls of it. Here's how to think about the choices, how a dado rail changes the job, and how to get the roll count right for whichever approach you take.

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The wall behind the dining table is the natural feature wall

In most dining rooms, the table sits against or near one wall — and that wall becomes the natural feature wall. Papering it in a dark, rich, or maximalist paper while painting the other three walls anchors the dining area and makes the table the visual centre of the room. This is almost always a more effective result than papering all four walls in a print that can feel overwhelming in a room that's often a medium-sized rectangular box.

A dado rail splits the job into two separate calculations

Many period dining rooms have a dado rail — a horizontal moulding running around the room at roughly chair-back height (around 90–100 cm from the floor). If you're papering below the dado only, measure from the floor to the rail, not the full wall height. If you're papering above the dado only, measure from the rail to the ceiling. Mixing these up is the most common over-order in a dining room with a dado rail.

Dark and rich papers show every join — prep matters more here

Deep teal, forest green, plum, or inky blue papers are popular dining room choices, but dark grounds are unforgiving on imperfect joins. Any slight misalignment of the pattern at a seam, any gap or overlap at a joint, shows as a pale or dark line against the dark ground. On a dark paper, size the walls first, hang a lining paper to create a flat, consistent substrate, and work carefully on the seams.

Large floral repeats mean more waste — budget one extra roll

A large-scale floral or botanical print — common in dining rooms — has a large pattern repeat, typically 50–90 cm. Each strip must start from the same point in the repeat, so the offcut from one strip can't be used at the bottom of the next. On a full dining room this waste can add up to one or two extra rolls beyond the arithmetic. Always add one roll when ordering a large-repeat paper for a full room, and verify the repeat length before ordering.

Chimney breast or alcove: treat each section separately

Many dining rooms have a chimney breast on one wall, with alcoves to either side. The chimney breast face and the two alcove back walls are three separate surfaces, each with their own width and height. Measure them individually rather than as a combined total — the alcoves are almost always a different height than the chimney breast face, and combining them into one average will throw off the strip count.

Most dining rooms are lit by a single overhead source — test your sample under it

Unlike a living room with lamps at different heights, a dining room is often lit by one central pendant, dimmed more than any other room. That warmer, dimmer light changes how a colour reads: a pale pattern can look washed out under a dimmed pendant, while a dark, saturated ground with metallic detailing catches that light dramatically. Tape your sample up and view it at the light level you'd actually use for dinner.

Wallpapering the ceiling too means measuring it as a separate surface

Carrying a dining room's paper onto the ceiling — a fifth wall — is an increasingly popular way to add drama over a table, especially with a reflective paper that catches pendant light. Measure the ceiling as its own set of strips, typically running the shorter direction of the room, and add this to your wall total rather than assuming it's already covered. Planning just the wall behind the table? Use the feature wall calculator to get an exact roll count

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Common questions

How many rolls do I need for a dining room?

A typical dining room of around 4 m × 3.5 m needs 10–14 rolls for a full room at standard ceiling height, depending on the pattern repeat and number of doors and windows. For a single feature wall behind the table (usually 3.5–4 m wide), 3–4 rolls are typically enough. Use a calculator with actual measurements for accuracy — standard room sizes vary significantly.

What wallpaper works best in a dining room?

Heavy or textured non-woven papers handle a dining room well — they're easier to hang plumb on longer drops and take a more controlled seam. For colour, dark grounds (deep green, navy, plum) and large botanical or geometric prints are classic dining room choices. Avoid very light or delicate papers if the room is used frequently — they show scuff marks and grease more readily.

Should I wallpaper above or below the dado rail?

Below the dado rail (below roughly 90 cm) is the traditional position for a textured or plain wallpaper in a period dining room, with paint above. Above the dado rail is where a bold decorative paper usually goes in a more contemporary approach. Either works — the key is not to use the wrong height in your roll count. Measure only the section you're actually papering, not the full wall height.

Does dining room lighting affect which wallpaper colour works best?

Yes. Most dining rooms rely on a single, often dimmed, overhead source, which makes pale patterns look flat while dark, saturated colours with metallic detail read as intentional.

How do I measure a dining room wall with a built-in sideboard?

Measure each open section of wall individually — above the sideboard and on either side — rather than measuring the full wall and estimating a deduction.

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Dining rooms are a natural fit for a bolder, maximalist look. Maximalist wallpaper ideas →

Ready to calculate the dining room roll count? Dining room wallpaper calculator →

Just doing the feature wall behind the table? Feature wall wallpaper calculator →

Dining room has a chimney breast? Here's how to measure it. Chimney breast wallpaper calculator →