What Is Custom Wallpaper? Colour and Scale Customisation, Explained.

If you've ever found a wallpaper you almost loved, right pattern, wrong colour, or a scale that felt too big for your room, you've already bumped into the reason custom wallpaper exists.

Custom wallpaper means a design that's adjusted to suit you before it's printed. In my case, that's changing the colours or the scale of an existing pattern, not printing a photo you upload. It's worth being clear about that difference up front, because "custom wallpaper" gets used to mean a few different things, and it saves you time to know which one you're reading about.

What does "custom wallpaper" actually mean?

The phrase covers two quite different services, and they're easy to muddle.

The first is photo or image wallpaper: you send a picture or a file, and a company prints it at wall size. Useful if you've got a specific image in mind, less useful if what you actually want is a proper repeating pattern that looks designed rather than enlarged.

The second, and this is what I do, is made-to-order wallpaper based on original designs, adjusted to suit your room. Every pattern in my shop is one I've drawn myself. Because the artwork is mine, I can change the colours or the scale without starting from scratch or asking anyone's permission. That's the part that makes customisation straightforward rather than a palaver.

So when I say custom, I mean an existing design, tailored. Same lovely pattern, adjusted to fit your walls, your light, and the colours you're already living with.

Can you change the colours on wallpaper?

Yes, and with my designs it's free.

This is the question I get asked most, and I understand why. You fall for a pattern, but the blue is a touch too bright, or the background's too warm for a north-facing room. With mass-produced wallpaper you're stuck with whatever's on the roll. With mine, you're not.

Because I drew every pattern, I hold the original artwork. That means I can shift a palette, soften a tone, or swap a background colour and send you a preview before anything prints. No extra charge for colour changes, it's simply how I work. If there's a design you'd like in a different colour, just send me a custom request and we'll take it from there.

Can I match wallpaper to my paint colour?

This is one of the most useful things about ordering direct from a designer, and yes, you can.

If you've already painted a wall, or you know the exact shade you're building the room around, send me the paint code. A Dulux colour, a brand colour for a business, whatever you're working with. I'll adjust the artwork to sit alongside it and send you a digital preview so you can check it before you commit. If you're not sure of the code, the Dulux colour tool can match a shade from a photo and give you the reference. No guesswork, no hoping the screen colour matches the wall.

A colour customisation, start to finish

Here's how that plays out in practice. A customer recently fell for one of my grasscloth designs but wanted it in a softer, lighter shade. She sent me two Sherwin-Williams paint codes, and I mocked up the original alongside both, three versions side by side, so she could see them against each other before committing to anything. She ruled one out straight away, then ordered samples of the other two to see them properly at home.

After a few days of living with them, taping them to the wall and watching them shift through morning, evening and lamplight, she landed somewhere she didn't expect: back on the original, slightly deeper shade. The lighter one read a touch too orange in certain lights.

That's exactly why the process works the way it does. You're not guessing from a screen. You see the colour in your own room, in your own light, before a single roll is printed.

Can I change the background colour on a wallpaper?

Often, yes. The background is usually the quickest way to change the whole feel of a pattern, taking the same motif from crisp and fresh on white to warm and grounded on a deeper base. If it's a change that works with the design, I'll happily do it. If it isn't, I'll tell you honestly rather than send you something that won't look right.

Can you change the scale of a wallpaper pattern?

Yes, and it matters more than people expect.

Scale is the size of the pattern repeat on your wall. The same design can feel bold and graphic at a large scale, or soft and textural at a small one, and the right choice depends on your room. A big pattern can overwhelm a small space; a small one can get lost on a feature wall in a large room.

I offer free basic scaling on my designs, with standard repeats to choose from. If you're not sure what will suit your space, that's exactly the kind of thing worth asking about before you order. There's more on getting this right in my guide to wallpaper pattern scale.

How does made-to-order wallpaper work?

Made to order simply means your wallpaper is printed when you order it, rather than sitting on a shelf waiting to be bought.

In practice it works like this: you pick a design you like, tell me any colour or scale changes you'd like, and I send back a preview, usually within a few days. Once you're happy, your wallpaper is printed to order and sent out. Nothing is printed until you've approved it, so there are no surprises.

For most colour and scale tweaks there's no charge. If you're after something more involved, a genuinely bespoke redesign with significant changes to the artwork, there may be a small design fee, and I'll always tell you that up front before any work starts.

Made to order also means less waste. Nothing is overprinted, nothing sits in a warehouse, and your wallpaper is fresh when it reaches you. It also gives you a choice of finish, including pre-pasted wallpaper if you'd like an easier hang.

Is custom wallpaper worth it?

If you care about the colour being right and the scale suiting your room, then yes, I think it is.

Custom wallpaper isn't a luxury add-on. It's the difference between settling for close enough and getting something that actually fits your space. You're not paying a premium for the customisation; with my designs the colour and scale adjustments are included.

The honest caveat: it takes a little longer than grabbing something off the shelf, because it's made for you. If you're on a tight deadline, that's worth knowing. And if you're unsure how a colour will read in your own light, order a sample first. It's always worth seeing it on your actual wall before committing to full rolls. Have a [browse through the designs]([your collections page URL]) and pick a couple to try.

Getting started with custom wallpaper

If you've got a design in mind and want it in your colour, or at a scale that suits your room, that's exactly what I'm here for. Have a browse, and when something catches your eye, send me your colour or paint code and I'll take it from there.

No pressure, no rush. Just a pattern that feels like yours.