Best Unexpected Place to Put Colorful Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper

If you’re trying to figure out how to add more color to your home, you don’t always have to pull out your paintbrush. While murals and painted arches will definitely do the trick, you might not have the time to pull these projects off properly. Don’t feel bad though! There are all sorts of creative ways to make your home more colorful and exciting. Take renter Luna Lindsay‘s 1,200-square-foot apartment in Toronto, for example, which she shares with her partner, Bruce Forrest, and her dachshund, Elmer. Originally, her apartment had gray walls and black trim, but she found a way to lighten and brighten it up with an artful mix of pastels and fresh decorating ideas. “When moving in, my now pastel palace was the complete opposite of what she’s blossomed into,” says Lindsay, a full-time content creator on Instagram and TikTok who just launched a candle business called Moonwix. “I love looking at life through color, so I knew I wanted that to be reflected where we live.”

Maybe the most unexpected way she displayed her love of color and pattern in her apartment is by applying peel-and-stick wallpaper on the stairs. She ordered a floral print from Love vs. Design, which features lavender petals on a yellow background. The print’s giving me some nostalgic, Lizzie McGuire vibes, sure, but I think the most interesting thing is that she chose to apply the paper directly to the treads — as opposed to the risers, where maybe you’ve seen wallpaper installed on staircases before. This little application tweak makes all the difference, and coating the risers in a similar pinky hue only ups the pastel perfection of this project.

In a spot people might typically modify with wood stain or carpeting — if they modify it at all, Lindsay took a different approach, and it absolutely works. Practically speaking, vinyl peel-and-stick wallpaper can be easy to wipe down, which makes a lot of sense in a household with dogs (or kids), particularly on a high-traffic feature like stair treads. Just like carpeting, removable peel-and-stick paper can actually protect a wooden staircase — or conceal one in disrepair — and it’s easy to recover any stairs that might show a little wear-and-tear over time or reverse the whole thing without forfeiting your security deposit down the line.

Lindsay went for what she truly wanted here versus looking at a staircase that didn’t bring her joy, and she couldn’t be happier with the way the project turned out. Lindsay says, “I can’t imagine living in a home that isn’t bursting with colors, patterns, prints, and texture.” For her, color knows no boundaries — even a more utilitarian, unexpected spot like her stair treads are worthy of a candy-coated makeover, and peel-and-stick wallpaper helped to get her there.