Wallpaper 101: Swatches (Why You Need Them + How to Order Them)
If you’ve ever tried to imagine a pattern on your walls by looking at a screen, then you know you aren’t getting the full picture. You can’t know if it will be too busy, too bright, too muted, or the wrong color for your room’s lighting. Ordering samples is the first, and MOST important step in the wallpaper selection process. In this post, I’ll walk you through why wallpaper swatches are so helpful, what to look for when sampling them in your home, and how they help design a room you’ll love long-term.
Why Wallpaper Swatches Are Essential for Your Walls
Wallpaper is a beautiful way to refresh your walls, but it is an investment. Before fully committing to rolls and rolls, remember swatches give you a budget-friendly, low-stress way to try patterns at home.
Think of them as tiny test runs that help you:
Visualize how colors look in your space and lighting
Compare pattern scales (oversized vs. ditsy and small)
Feel the texture of your chosen wallpaper base
Mix & match designs to match your style
Imagine taping up a few samples and saying “aha” as you find that perfect one for your bathroom, bedroom, or accent wall.
What to do with Your swatch
Once you receive your wallpaper swatch, the fun part begins. You’ll want to evaluate how your chosen pattern(s) fit in your space by doing the following:
Look at the colors; Are the tones warm/cool enough for your space? Do they clash with anything else in the room? Do they give off the vibe or mood you were hoping for (ex. calm, playful, moody).
Pay attention to scale; Are you wallpapering a large, open space like a bedroom or living room? Large scale patterns are perfect for that. If you’re decorating a powder room or accent wall, you’ll likely want a smaller scale design.
Feel the texture; Spoonflower offers several bases of wallpaper ranging from pre-pasted to grasscloth. Does the texture you ordered fit with the mood you want in your room?
Lighting tip: Colors will change with the time of day. Put your sample(s) in the space you want to decorate and walk by them in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night. This will tell you if it looks good all throughout the day.
How to Order Swatches on Spoonflower
Each swatch shows the design at full scale, so you’ll get a true depiction of what the wallpaper will look like
Spoonflower shows you wonderful previews of your chosen design in swatch size.
Once you’ve found one (or a few) designs you love:
Choose your wallpaper base (peel-and-stick, pre-pasted, grasscloth, etc.)
Click the Sample 2’x1’ button and you’ll see the preview of that size on the second thumbnail picture on the left side of the screen.
Update the quantity as needed then place your order!
Questions? I’m here to help!
If you have any questions about ordering swatches or you find a design you love but want it in a different color or scale, contact me here.
Ready to Order?
If you’ve found a design you love, go ahead and order a swatch so you can see it in your space. Swatches will save you headache and money before committing to rolls of wallpaper.
You can find swatches of my wallpaper designs in my Spoonflower shop.
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