“Wallpaper Makes Rooms Look Smaller!” — Why the Opposite Is Usually True
Collection: The Feminine Mystique; Pattern: Au Naturale Full-color; Colorway: Crimson
If we were sitting in my studio with a pile of wallpaper samples between us with our focus, for example, being your powder bath, this is the moment you’d probably look up and say: “I love these… but won’t wallpaper make the room look smaller?” It’s a fairly common concern when those using the space are looking for guidance in updating their powder baths and other small rooms.
Here’s the good news: Wallpaper doesn’t automatically make a room feel smaller. In fact, when it’s chosen thoughtfully, it can actually make a small room feel more intentional, more finished, and sometimes even more spacious.
Let’s walk through why.
Where this myth even came from…
Most of the “wallpaper makes rooms smaller” fear comes from what many of us grew up seeing:
Narrow hallways covered in dark, busy florals
Tiny, repetitive patterns in rooms with almost no natural light
Decorative borders that chopped the walls in strange places and made ceilings feel lower
If that’s your mental reference point, of course wallpaper feels risky.
But that’s not about wallpaper as a concept—that’s about outdated patterns, heavy colors, and no real design plan.
How wallpaper actually affects the way a room feels
When I’m using wallpaper in a space—especially a smaller one—I don’t make decisions based on trends. Why? Trends are for the most part short-lived. My decorating guidance is first and foremost “How will this make the room feel to be in?”
A few things I keep in mind:
1. Wallpaper can calm things down, not clutter them up
Painted walls often end up needing a lot of “extras” to feel finished—art, mirrors, shelves, decor. This can add visual clutter, as well as become high maintenance. Each little thing adds one more edge for your eye to stop on—and, let’s be real, one more thing to dust.
A well-chosen wallpaper can:
Wrap the room in a single, cohesive eye-pleasing layer
Reduce how much you need to hang on the walls to make the room feel complete
Give your eye a gentle, continuous path instead of a dozen competing focal points
That sense of continuity can make a small space feel calmer and more spacious.
2. Pattern scale is your secret weapon
Here’s something that surprises a lot of people:
In smaller rooms, larger-scale patterns often feel more relaxing and expansive than tiny, fussy ones.
Very small, tightly packed motifs can read as “busy” if there’s no breathing room.
Medium to larger patterns create a rhythm your eye can follow without getting overwhelmed.
So yes, you absolutely can put a bold botanical or geometric pattern in a powder bath and have it feel sophisticated, not suffocating.
3. Color and contrast set the mood
Whether a room feels cozy, airy, dramatic, or light has more to do with color and contrast than with the fact that wallpaper is involved.
Darker, richer wallpapers can create a “jewel box” effect—intimate, moody, luxurious.
Lighter or mid-tone papers with gentle contrast feel open and fresh.
High-contrast wallpapers can add both visual interest and intellectual engagement or whimsy.
None of these are “right” or “wrong.” It’s simply about what you want the room to feel like and how you want to feel in it.
Why powder baths are perfect for wallpaper
If there’s one place I always encourage people to be a little braver, it’s the powder bath.
1. They’re already small—and that’s okay
Nobody expects a powder room to feel huge. The goal isn’t to trick the eye into thinking it’s a grand suite; it’s to make that small space feel intentional and special.
Wallpaper turns a basic little room into:
A fun surprise for guests
A reflection of your personality
A tiny “moment” in your home that feels designed, not accidental
2. The impact-to-commitment ratio is fantastic
Because powder rooms:
Are usually small
Don’t deal with daily shower steam
…you can often:
Use less material overall
Choose something a bit more expressive
Splurge on a luxury substrate to add texture and elegance
Get a dramatic transformation without overhauling the entire house
It’s like trying a bold accessory instead of changing your whole wardrobe.
3. They help tell the story of your home
I also love powder baths because they can quietly connect everything else in your home or be that wonderful surprise hidden behind a door that is often reserved for guests. What a great way to engage people in conversation or figure out who your people are!
If your main spaces are calm and neutral, the powder bath can echo that palette while adding a little sparkle and pattern.
If your home has a particular era or style, wallpaper can nod to that in a playful, modern way.
And, if you’re a true creative rebel or want to subtly—or not so subtly—express one of your many layers, tuck this Easter egg in you guest powder or other space reserved for those you know truly get you.
It becomes a little signature of who you are.
“But won’t it feel too busy?” — Let’s talk about that
Totally fair question. Here’s how I think through the most common concerns.
“The room will feel crowded.”
This usually happens when too many things are shouting at once.
To avoid that, I like to:
Choose patterns with a clear rhythm and some breathing room
Keep the vanity and fixtures simpler if the wallpaper is expressive
Skip extra wall clutter—because the wallpaper is already doing a lot of the storytelling
The result feels more curated than crowded.
“My ceilings are low. Will wallpaper make that worse?”
Not if we use it thoughtfully.
Patterns with a gentle vertical movement can visually lift the room.
Continuing the paper (or a coordinating color) onto the ceiling can blur the line where the wall ends, which can actually make it feel taller and more cocoon-like.
What tends to make ceilings feel low is harsh horizontal lines and strong contrast slicing the wall in the wrong spot, not the presence of wallpaper itself.
“Should we just do one accent wall?”
In very small rooms—especially powder baths—one bold wall and three plain ones can sometimes make the room feel shorter or choppy.
Wrapping all four walls in the same paper:
Feels more intentional
Lets the pattern flow
Avoids that “sticker on one wall” feeling
You’re creating an experience, not just decorating a single surface.
How I choose wallpaper for smaller spaces
Here’s what I’m quietly checking in my head when I’m pairing wallpaper with a small room or powder bath:
Pattern scale & placement
Is the scale of the pattern appropriate for the size of the room?
How will the repeat land around the mirror, vanity, and corners?
Does the pattern lead your eye gently around the room?
A simple, clear color story
Which colors in the wallpaper are we going to pull into the vanity, stone, metals, and textiles?
Are we keeping things cohesive, or introducing more colors than the room can comfortably hold?
A small space can absolutely carry pattern—but it usually can’t carry randomness.
Light, always
How much light does this room get (natural or artificial)?
Do we need to adjust bulb warmth or fixture placement so the wallpaper looks its best?
Will the paper’s finish (matte, textured, slightly metallic, etc.) catch the light in a flattering way?
A little example:
When I first started dipping my toe into interior decorating and interior design, we had a very small powder bath off our kitchen. You could easily describe it as “forgettable”—except, of course when nature called. We considered it utilitarian and it was beige-on-beige, with a standard mirror and no real personality.
Instead of ignoring a space—even one, like this one that you’d consider merely a “utilitarian” powder bath, you can elevate the space for yourself and others—and even make it a conversation starter. It’s a space you can empower with humor, visual “wow”, or elegance—or all three! Here’s how:
Choose a patterned wallpaper with a soft but expressive design
Wrap all the walls so the pattern feels immersive, not tentative
Keep the vanity and mirror simple and clean-lined
Adjust the lighting so the room feels warm and inviting
The room won’t suddenly become physically larger—but it will definitely feel finished, intentional, and worth noticing. Guests will comment or, at minimum, come out smiling.
The bottom line
If you’ve been side-eyeing wallpaper because you’re afraid it will make your small room feel even smaller, I hope this gives you a bit of relief.
Small rooms and powder baths are not design mistakes to hide.
They’re opportunities to be expressive, playful, and personal.
Wallpaper, used thoughtfully, can help those spaces feel like little gems inside your home.
So if you’re holding a sample you secretly love but are nervous about, consider this your gentle nudge:
“You’re allowed to have fun with it. Your walls can reflect your personality, even—maybe especially—in the smallest room in the house.”
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