What to Know Before Hiring a Wallpaper Designer (and Why Bespoke Wallpaper Is Worth It)
- Kylie Harber
- 6 days ago
- 9 min read
When most people think about transforming a space, they imagine hiring an interior designer, selecting paint colours, or browsing ready-made wallpaper collections. But did you know you can hire a wallpaper designer to create one-of-a-kind artworks for your walls?
It occured to me recently that this service is something not everyone realises is possible — and yet, working with a bespoke wallpaper designer can completely redefine how a space feels. Whether you’re refreshing your home, elevating a commercial interior, or seeking a signature wall for your brand, a custom wallpaper design transforms a wall into something meaningful, memorable, and uniquely yours.
As a Brisbane-based wallpaper designer and artist helping clients across Australia and beyond, I create bespoke patterned wallpapers and one-of-a-kind wallpaper murals that combine hand-drawn detail, hand-painted artistry, and a deep sense of place.
Here’s everything you should know before embarking on your own wallpaper design journey — and why bespoke wallpaper might be the most rewarding design decision you make.
Why Bespoke Wallpaper Design Is Growing in Popularity
In recent years, I've been delighted to see a quiet shift towards personalised, story-driven interiors — spaces that authentically reflect who you are and what you love. No more cookie cutter selections and copy-paste interiors. Why settle for generic when you can have something unique to you?
While off-the-shelf wallpapers can be beautiful, they often lack the nuance and connection that come from working directly with an artist.
A bespoke wallpaper allows you to infuse your space with identity and artistry. It can be as bold or subtle as you like — from a hand-illustrated cityscape to a delicate watercolour pattern that ties into your palette. Each design is created specifically for your wall, meaning no repeats, no stock imagery, and no compromise on scale or finish.
If you’d like to see what’s possible, explore some of my recent custom wallpaper projects featuring commercial murals, brand storytelling pieces, and residential transformations.
How to Find the Right Wallpaper Designer for Your Space
When you begin your search, try looking beyond big wallpaper brands or retail stores. There are many companies that claim to offer 'custom wallpaper' but are essentially offering the same service — stock imagery with custom printing ie. stretching the image to fit your wall size and or offering different wallpaper or vinyl finishes.
Instead, search for custom wallpaper artists or bespoke mural designers — these are the creatives who focus on original artwork and collaboration.
Here are a few steps to find the right wallpaper designer for you:
Research portfolio styles: Look for designers whose work resonates with your taste — whether it’s illustrative, abstract, whimsical or architectural.
Check services: Not all artists offer full-scale wall murals; some focus on pattern design, others on large-format art.
Read about their process: Successful bespoke wallpaper design involves consultation, concept development, and the creation of unique artwork tailored to your space. Check to see if they include printing and professional installation.
Know your preferred design option: You can work with a wallpaper designer for a pattern or a mural. Or both!
If you’re based in Australia, consider working with a wallpaper designer in Brisbane (like myself) who can collaborate locally with you, your interior designer and builder. I coordinate the entire process for my clients.
If you're based outside of Australia, you may find a wallpaper designer closer to home - or if you love my art style, consider collaborating with me remotely! I ship my wallpaper to many clients overseas.
Choosing an Art Style That Reflects You
Every wallpaper designer has a distinct art style, and finding one that aligns with your vision is key. Some artists specialise in hand-painted textures, others in digital illustration, while some — like my mixed media practice at Tiny Giraffe — blend the two for a refined, elegant and modern style.
Here are a few examples of what’s possible:
A hand-illustrated city map mural that tells your story of place and belonging.
A botanical wallpaper evoking calm and connection to nature.
A minimal line art composition that complements a contemporary office or foyer.
Your chosen art style should harmonise with your space, light, and architecture — it can be as subtle or as bold as you like. The result is a wall that feels like it is true to you and was always meant to be there.
If you are stuck with finding an artist or favourite art style, try to think of 3 descriptive words to describe the aesthetic you are after. Here at Tiny Giraffe, I have asked my clients what words they would use to describe my art style and their most common words were elegant, modern and feminine.
My artworks are mixed media, featuring crisp, digital linework, hand-painted watercolour and organic hand lettering. I love to mix these to create a distinctive style of my own and this has developed over the last 10 years. In future, I look forward to incorporating art-in-bark (the collection of native barks, foraged from the ground and applied in layers) and my landscape photography.
Curate Your Inspiration
Before reaching out to a designer, spend some time gathering visual inspiration. Pinterest and Instagram are wonderful starting points, but so are your own travel photos, artwork, architecture references, and textures that move you.
Similar to choosing an art style, finding inspiration images can be easier when choosing three words you'd like to feel while you're in the space — such as calming, inspiring and joyful. If any images evoke those feelings, you know you're onto something.
When you meet with your wallpaper designer, share what draws you to each image — even if you don’t love every element. Be sure to point out what you do and don't like. A good designer will interpret your references into a coherent, personalised concept that feels like you.
A really good wallpaper designer will also take the time to understand you, ask what is important to you and tease out your personal stories. That is my greatest skill at Tiny Giraffe - listening!
Tiny Giraffe specialises in bespoke wallpaper design that connects people to place. I love to create artworks that celebrate the spirit of travel — the places we leave our hearts, our everyday adventures and our dreams for the future. If you work with me, you can expect that I will ask you questions relating to these themes.
To me, our stories are worth sharing and celebrating. Take some time to write a few notes about your most meaningful stories, memorable places, perhaps plants and flowers you adore, or any of your favourite things. Croissants? Pastries? Coffee? Yes, please.
Understanding Custom Wallpaper Costs and Process
A custom wallpaper mural (or patterned wallpaper tailored to you) is both a work of art and a design solution — and the investment reflects its bespoke nature. Most wallpaper designers offer several levels of service, from simpler pattern repeats to detailed panoramic designs that wrap an entire room.
When planning your budget, consider that it will need to cover the following:
Design fee: to cover concept sketches, revisions, and final artwork preparation.
Production and printing: this depends on materials, wall size, and finish type.
Installation: often handled by professional wallpaper installers.
The timeline for bespoke wallpaper will vary depending on wall size and number of walls, the style and detail of the artwork, and the wallpaper finish. Most of my wallpaper projects are completed in 4 to 6 weeks.
Don’t hesitate to ask your designer for an investment guide, estimate or quote early in the process. If you’d like a sense of pricing and options, you can book a consultation to discuss your space and vision.
Why Do People Invest in Bespoke Wallpaper Design?
There are many reasons why people work with me as an Australian wallpaper designer:
They are building or renovating their dream home and they have the desire to create a space that is authentic and unique to them
They purchase a new home and want to make it feel more unique
They have an old or deteriorating wallpaper to replace
They have a large blank wall that is hard to fill, even with large scale artworks
They would love a wall with wow-factor to greet guests in entries and foyers
They would like something fun to go alongside a unique paint colour on adjacent walls.
One of the reasons I started offering a bespoke wallpaper service was because I could see that people struggled with the following too:
Finding and selecting a wallpaper or wallpaper mural that they loved that had the right art elements, colours and scale
Unsure how to purchase wallpaper as many websites make it hard to calculate the number of rolls or how much extra to allow for
Don’t hesitate to ask your wallpaper designer for advice - providing photos and dimensions of your walls is the best way to get started.
Why Bespoke Wallpaper Is the Ultimate Design Investment
Unlike off-the-shelf wallpapers, a bespoke mural is an original artwork created for your space alone. It enhances not only aesthetics but also emotional connection, storytelling, and property value.
Clients often tell me their custom wallpaper becomes the most talked-about feature of their space — a reflection of who they are and what they stand for. Whether it’s a hospitality venue, a corporate office, or a home renovation, custom wallpaper brings artistry and soul into everyday environments.
How to Get Started With a Wallpaper Designer
Wallpaper design is a collaborative process, so start the conversation early — especially if you’re working alongside an interior designer, architect, or builder. Most of my bespoke projects take between 4 to 6 weeks from idea to installation.
You will find that many designers (myself included) only take on a limited number of commissions each year to ensure each one receives the attention it deserves.
If you’re dreaming of a wall that feels truly your own, now is the perfect time to begin.👉 Enquire About a Custom Wallpaper Design
FAQs About Hiring a Wallpaper Designer
Can I hire a wallpaper designer for my home? Absolutely. A wallpaper designer can create custom murals and patterns that fit your exact wall dimensions, colour palette, favourite and aesthetic — turning your home into personalised work of art. This is how we make your house feel like a home!
How much does a bespoke wallpaper design cost? Costs vary depending on wall sizes, art style, level of detail, and wallpaper finish. Bespoke wallpaper is a luxury service that is worth investing in and can be more accessible than people think. Each of my projects includes concept development, artwork creation, high-quality printing and installation. I take care of the entire process for you!
Do you work with interior designers and businesses? Yes, I regularly collaborate with interior designers, architects, and business owners to bring branded, site-specific wall art to life across homes, offices, hotels, cafés, cinemas and retail spaces. In fact, 90% of my work is commercial and I absolutely adore working with talented designers, architects and business owners to bring spaces to life.
I love to match colours to physical samples you provide me, be it a paint swatch, a piece of fabric or a colour code from a standardised system such as Pantone. As a designer, I work best with CMYK or HEX codes. You can see my work with interior designers Onyx Studio for the Nambour Cinema project.
Bespoke wallpaper is a terrific way to help your business stand out. If clients and customers are forming an impression of your business in the first 3 seconds, this is your opportunity to elevate your business and position your business as offering luxury products or quality services. As an artist and designer, I am perfectly positioned to use your brand design guidelines and create amazing walls that blend art and branding. I often blend logos and signage artfully into murals.
What types of wallpapers do you offer clients?
I have spent many years researching the very best materials and wallpaper printers to work with the incredible suppliers I have now. I offer four types of wallpaper:
Premium, smooth, matte, non-woven wallpaper (it robust yet soft to touch like my fine art cotton rag artworks)
Textured, linen non-woven wallpaper
Metallic, non-woven wallpaper
Vinyl (my least preferred but is perfect for high traffic or wet areas).
How long do wallpapers last?
You will get 10 years + from your wallpaper if you take care of it. My very first custom wallpaper mural was created for George at Boutique Residential in Sydney in 2017. George and I worked together on a second Sydney wallpaper mural in 2024 - we visited his original Sydney mural together recently and it is in pristine condition, like the day it was installed!
You will get many years from your beautiful, bespoke wallpaper investment!
Final Thoughts
Hiring a wallpaper designer isn’t just about decorating — it’s far more meaningful. It's about embedding story, identity and art into the very fabric of your space.
If you’re seeking a design that feels timeless, expressive, and entirely unique, bespoke wallpaper could be the key to transforming your environment. The process is extremely collaborative and my clients tell me that the experience of creating something bespoke together is just as enjoyable as the final beautiful outcome.
You can explore my portfolio of custom wallpaper murals for inspiration, or book a collaboration call to start your own design journey.
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