How To Add the Look of Brick, Marble & Even Shiplap to Your Home (Without Remodeling)

If you’ve always wished your apartment had a charming exposed brick wall, or a luxe slab of marble, or an entire kitchen of patterned Moroccan tile—your dream just came true. Recently, more and more wallpaper companies are producing designs that imitate these highly-coveted materials, so you can get the look without remodeling. At first glance, no one will guess these aren’t the real deal.

The Inspiration: In the kitchen of Marianne from Simple Colorful, faux-brick wallpaper looks impressively realistic, lending a rustic vibe to the room. The room presents a Scandinavian take on the new shabby chic.

The Sources: Attention renters: Try this removable brick-effect wall mural (on left) by WallsNeedLove ($198 for 93-by-96-inch mural). Another way to get the look is to buy brick hardboard (on right), available at Home Depot ($26 for 48-by-96-inch panel). The original product can look a little fake, but adding a coat of white paint and some plaster for patina will up it’s authenticity.

The Inspiration: To get the look of shiplap without the labor and steep cost, designer Autumn Clemons from the blog Design Dump used realistic-looking wood-motif wallpaper. In a newer home, the faux paneling adds character and rustic charm.

The Sources: To get the look above, order this white-washed faux wood wallpaperfrom eBay (at left, $32 for a 33-foot roll). Another realistic option is Tyler’s faux wood wallpaper from J & J Modern Kids (at right, $140 for 2 13.5-foot rolls).

The Inspiration: We’re adding “an entire room of marble” to our post-lottery-win wish list, but in the meantime, we’re totally fine with faking it. The bathroom above from Erin Williamson Design swaps beautifully swirled wallpaper in for budget-busting stone slabs.

The Sources: The paper in the bathroom above is Romeo in Carrara for Schumacher ($102 per yard), but we’re also coveting the white marble wallpaper, designed by Piet Hein Eek for NLXL (starting at $299 for 52 square feet), shown above.

The Inspiration: Blue Spark Zoffany wallpaper pumps up the pattern in this bathroom found on Decor Pad. This tile-imitating wallpaper design has been around since the early 1900s, but new metallic touches and a crackle effect make it modern.

The Sources: Spark Zoffany isn’t the only tile-patterned paper around. Graham & Brown has an excellent selection of faux-tile paper (including this white and gold option we’re envisioning in a bathroom). Lee Jofa also designed several wallcoverings that channel Moroccan tile, including the Blue Piccadilly pattern shown above, found via Style Estate.

The Inspiration: A faux concrete wall constructed using Concrete Moire paper by Wall & Deco contributes to this living room’s warm industrial personality. Shop the rest of the room on vtwonen.

The Sources: Don’t miss Ferm Living’s Concrete Wallpaper, shown above, available on the Danish Design Store. For a concrete wall with signs of wear, look no further than Piet Boon’s design ($299 for 47 square feet), and for a smaller wall mural, Rebel Walls sells this Charcoal option for $59 per square meter.