If you’re fixing up a dollhouse and painting the walls isn’t really your thing, wallpaper’s a nice way to switch up the look and try out different styles.
There are tons of options you can use for dollhouse wallpaper—plenty of them aren’t even paper, which is kind of fun.
This list of ideas is just to help get you going, whether you’re aiming for a classic vibe or something a little offbeat.
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Actual dollhouse wallpaper.
The most obvious choice for dollhouse wallpaper is actual dollhouse wallpaper.
There are a lot of companies that make scaled-down designs for small miniatures, and you can get them both online and in craft stores. I have some miniature designs in my Spoonflower shop (Click here to see them.)
Dollhouse wallpaper can be either peel and stick, or regular paper that needs an adhesive to stick it to the walls.
If you choose the type that needs to be glued to the wall it’s going to be a lot more permanent than the peel-and-stick type.
If you want to change the look of your dollhouse on a regular basis, permanent wallpaper might make that harder to do, so take that into account.
Printable digital paper.
Printable digital paper can be found online and can be purchased and printed on a home printer to make as many sheets of wallpaper as you need.
The benefit of buying digital paper is that you can keep the files and print them as often as you need them. So if you mess a sheet up, you can print some more!
I have some designs that are based on different vintage patterns, including some that are inspired by the original wallpaper in the house I’m working on. The dollhouse section of this site has some free printables for wallpaper and dollhouse accessories.
If you buy printable paper, it’s easier to use if it’s a repeating pattern so that the edges line up when you put two pieces next to each other. That way, you won’t have to adjust the paper too much.
Get a printable pink and blue flower wallpaper design here.
Real wallpaper samples.
Real wallpaper samples that have smaller designs on them, or that are solid colors, are good options for dollhouses.
You can also get wallpaper that I’ve designed and sized specifically for 1:12 dollhouses in my Spoonflower shop here.
Wallpaper sample books can often be found at thrift stores, and some home decor stores sell rolls that have been discontinued to get rid of the last of the inventory.
The only downside is that you might not be able to find enough to do larger rooms in the same pattern if you’re using scrap pieces.
Wallpaper sample books have pieces that are large enough to find pieces that are usable, but you might have to combine a few patterns to do an entire room.
If you can find rolls or end pieces of rolls, you might be able to find enough to do an entire room.
Real wallpaper will probably need to be glued or taped into place because they’re generally not peel and stick! There are some types of wallpaper that are self-adhesive, and you activate the glue on them by wetting them.
You can either do it that way, or just use double-sided tape to attach the sheets to the walls so that it’s not as permanently attached.
Scrapbooking paper.
Scrapbook paper gives you a lot of pattern and design options for wallpaper—some even come with glitter or metallic finishes if you’re into that kind of thing.
It comes in different thicknesses too, so if your dollhouse walls aren’t perfectly smooth or still have some old paper stuck on, the heavier paper can help cover that up.
Most scrapbook sheets are 12″ squares, which is usually big enough to handle the walls in 1:12 scale or smaller houses without needing to stack pieces from floor to ceiling.
You’ll still need to line them up side by side, but they’re tall enough that you won’t end up with seams running along the top of the wall.
Gift wrap and gift bags.
Gift wrap and gift bags for dollhouse wallpaper are good options because they’re inexpensive and they come in different weights, so you can get some that are pretty sturdy.
I used some gift wrap for the Pink Flamingo room in this dollhouse. The nice part was that I found it at the Dollar Store, so when I messed it up, redoing it didn’t really hurt the budget.
The catch with gift wrap is that it’s usually pretty thin—especially the cheaper stuff—so it can tear easily and ruin the wall you just finished.
If you go for something a bit thicker, or use gift bags instead, you won’t have to worry as much about it ripping once it’s on the wall.
Gift bags are sturdier anyway since they’re made to hold stuff, and if you find one with a pattern you like, you can just cut it open at the seams and end up with a nice-sized sheet to work with.
If you want to make it even more durable, you can seal it with some Mod Podge or a coat of polyurethane to help keep it from tearing.
Peel and Stick Wallpaper.
Using peel and stick wallpaper for a dollhouse is a good option, especially if you buy some that’s either designed for dollhouses specifically, or if you can find some in a small scale.
I’ve started a Spoonflower account where I have some designs that are specifically for dollhouses in fabric and wallpaper, and the patterns are intended for doll’s houses only.
The size of the designs are smaller and are good for 1:6 and 1:12 scale, and they have coordinating fabrics with them, so check those out as I add more designs.
Wallpaper usually comes in pattern sizes that are a little larger than the fabric versions, but the scale should still be small.
Peel and stick dollhouse wallpaper is similar to vinyl contact paper, but it’s designed in patterns that are meant to be used for dollhouses.
Vinyl contact paper.
Vinyl contact paper is a solid choice if you want something non-permanent for your dollhouse walls. It’s usually not super sticky, so you can peel it off later with a bit of effort if you change your mind.
If you take your time, it’ll usually come off in one piece too.
The downside is that it shows everything—any little bump or flaw on the wall will probably show through.
So you’ll want the surface to be pretty smooth before you stick it on, just to make sure it looks clean.
Another option is to use the removable wall method, which gives you a nice flat surface to work on and makes things a bit easier overall.
Large stickers
This is similar to peel and stick wallpaper, but you can use sticker paper or large stickers that are printed with designs as dollhouse wallpaper.
I have a bunch that are printed specifically for this purpose listed in my Artisan Shopper Designs Zazzle shop. They’re 14″x14″ and are printed in small-scale versions of larger designs, so they’re scaled to use for wallpaper.
There are a lot of things that can go on walls in a dollhouse, and they don’t all have to be paper.
Anything that you can attach to the flat surface will probably work, it just depends on what effect you’re going
Fabric.
Fabric comes in a lot of prints and patterns, and you can apply it directly to the walls of your dollhouse for quick decor.
You can attach the fabric directly to the walls using Mod Podge, then apply another coat to cover the walls to harden it.
You can also attach the fabric to the wall using tacks at the top, or use a little curtain rod to create a curtained wall that’s pleated or draped.
Fabric walls can be a nice touch in a traditionally-decorated dollhouse, and if you use a more modern pattern they can add a lot of visual interest.
3D materials.
This is an unconventional approach, but you can glue things that have dimension to them to walls to create special effects.
I’m going to be adding moss and natural elements to one of the rooms in my dollhouse to make a gnome house environment in it.
It’s not going to be a traditional look, but it will definitely be interesting!
You can also create a wall that’s covered in flowers, or use tiles on the walls instead of flat paper.
I can think of walls that are covered in wood, or walls that have bamboo mats attached to them to create texture. There are a lot of options that would work.
I did a feature wall for my dollhouse that was covered with paper quilling, so that’s another 3D option.
Paper ephemera.
Using paper ephemera, like old tickets, sheet music, greeting cards, or other paper items, can be an approach that would look give the dollhouse walls a lot of visual interest.
If you try to keep the colors in the same range, it won’t look disjointed. Or you can do a variety of colors to make it look less predictable.
This kind of wallpaper would work well for a themed room if you can set it up that way.
You can use old sheet music for a music room, or make library walls that are covered with book pages.
Metal foil.
This is a bit of an extreme choice, but it definitely is a statement. I have one room that I’ve wallpapered using gold leaf, and it’s pretty cool, but it’s definitely going to be a blingy room.
Metallics aren’t a look that everyone is going to like, but they do go with some styles of home decor.
And if you want to do a gaudy room, they’re pretty much a must.
I’m going to bling out the gold room somehow, and the walls are just the starting point.
You can also use tinfoil or metallic embossing foil to create metallic effects on the walls.
Some scrapbooking papers also have a metallic finish to them, and you can use those to create a shiny wall.
Adhesive items
There are a lot of small things like mirror tiles and stickers that you can decorate the walls in your dollhouse with.
If you paint a wall and then stick things to it, it can create a feature wall with 3D elements.
Check out the craft store for things that you can attach to walls to make patterns.
The sticker aisle has a lot of things like sticky jewels, puffy stickers, and large stickers that are designed for scrapbooking that could be used to make a mural on the wall of a dollhouse.
You can also get little sticky frames that you can attach to the walls to create a floor-to-ceiling art gallery.
