A Tiny, 5-Minute Update Made a 1930s Bathroom Shine Again

Peel-and-stick wallpaper has a special place in my heart. I’ve completely transformed a bland dining room into an Arts and Crafts music room with a William Morris pimpernel print, and drenched my home office in bright red peonies. When my pale blue bedroom needed a bit of personality, I was excited to add the delicate Nabela Noor Home x NuWallpaper’s Aliviya behind the headboard as a much-needed accent in my bedroom.

The Aliviya pattern in mint was the ideal mix of cloud blue and khaki. Thanks to the symmetrical repeat, which features trailing vines and blooms similar to what you’d find on saris, the design evokes vintage block printing. Even my husband, who isn’t into florals, liked it because the print looked like abstract swirls from a distance.

I absolutely loved how this bed wall project came out and was pleasantly surprised when I had some extra paper left over. Where else could I use it? I wrapped the adjacent vanity space, which was suffering from boring beige walls. I couldn’t stop wallpapering, and I had to find a spot for the last quarter of the roll. So I tried it in an unexpected spot: lining a niche in one of my bathrooms.  

Let me rewind a bit to give you a sense of that space. My house is in the suburbs of Cleveland and still has an original 1938 bathroom. It’s one of the reasons we purchased the home — I was obsessed with the navy blue sink and tile trim that outlined the 4-by-4 vintage peach tiles. Next to said sink is a little arched niche, which was cute but unimpressive, as it was just painted a light pink to match the surrounding walls. I used it as a drop zone for bobby pins, hair ties, and face creams. Last year, I did add a faux marble peel-and-stick countertop contact paper on the shelves to spruce it up, but this detail did nothing to make me want to keep it organized. 

Adding the leftover Nabela Noor Aliviya print was a no-brainer, as it broke up the rosy monotony and immediately elevated not just the nook but the entire bathroom, in my opinion. Installation was super-easy and took less than 5 minutes! I only needed a detailing knife and a smoothing tool — both of which came in my wallpapering kit from The Home Depot.

The process involved cutting the wallpaper to an approximate size and then adding it separately to the top and bottom shelves. My trick for wallpapering small spaces is to smooth the pieces out in the middle and then use the tool to get rid of the air bubbles, as you flatten the rest of the paper toward the wall edges. I then use the edge of the smoothing tool to cut off the excess. I trimmed around the arch itself freehand, with the blade slightly angled toward the edge as I cut.

I couldn’t be happier with the result, and love that such a small and quick DIY could be so impactful. To further play into the vintage vibes, I filled an old limoncello bottle with mouth wash and added a crystal vase with dried ferns and grasses. The nook is now reserved for my favorite perfume, Jenni Kayne Cuir Rose, and Fresh Crème Ancienne — beauty splurges that deserve their own display. The fact that I’ve kept this niche pristine for three months (not a bobby pin in sight!) is a testament that when you make something beautiful, your organization motivation will kick in — I promise!