This “Gorgeous” Design Trend Is Like a Tropical Vacation for Your Walls

Wanderlust runs high in the summer. It’s the time of year that’s synonymous with vacation, where long days could lead to a transformative experience outside of your regular routines. While you might long for weeks spent wandering through places that require a passport — or at least road tripping with the essentials for a few hours — the truth is that many people are probably going to spend a lot of the summer near their homes. Don’t tell your algorithm this, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It all comes down to perspective. 

If you’re looking at the same four walls in your same familiar space thinking, “This is not as relaxing or invigorating as a trip,” then perhaps it’s time to bring those vacation vibes to you. While decorative wallpaper has long been used as a tool for transformation, the recent trend of using murals and other floor-to-ceiling scenic prints to immerse a space in a singular motif can end up feeling like a direct flight into a different setting. That’s why I’m calling it: Gorgeous scenic wallpapers are your ticket to a visual vacation this summer, and you can learn all about them here.

Scenic wallpaper refers to a style of wall covering that depicts the outdoors or a bucolic setting. These designs can be photo-real or more stylized, panoramic or focused on a single stretch of landscape. You’ll even see more abstract styles, with bits of dreamy landscapes as the repeat.

Although scenic wallpaper is designed to be all-encompassing, it’s possible to install it as a single accent wall. That application method tends to work best when the architecture creates a nook to frame the paper. No matter the installation, this kind of wallpaper is meant to be transportative, and bring the outdoors in — depicting a far-flung or even imaginary location.