Laura Ashley Wallpaper

Laura Ashley wallpaper — floral, botanical and pattern

Wallpaper designs from the Laura Ashley brand. Signature florals, botanical prints, stripes and textures coordinated with the paint and lighting ranges.

Laura Ashley wallpaper — what's in the range

Laura Ashley's wallpaper designs are a significant part of what made the brand recognisable — delicate botanical prints, painterly florals and coordinated stripes that translate the brand's fabric heritage directly onto walls.

The main pattern families:

Florals — delicate botanical prints with soft colour palettes. The signature Laura Ashley look. Works on feature walls in bedrooms, dressing rooms and smaller rooms where pattern doesn't overwhelm.

Botanical and garden — leaves, branches, flowering plants. More naturalistic than formal florals. Works in country-style and garden-room interiors.

Stripes — classical pinstripe and ticking patterns. Traditional, less committed to a specific decorative language than florals.

Geometric and pattern — repeating motif wallpapers with subtle colour and texture. Works as softer alternatives to full floral prints.

Textured plains — non-patterned wallpapers with subtle texture — linen, grasscloth, hessian effects. Works as pattern-neutral background that coordinates with Laura Ashley patterns elsewhere in the room.

Feature wall vs whole-room wallpaper

Two approaches to Laura Ashley wallpaper:

Feature wall — wallpaper on one wall only, usually the wall behind a bed, fireplace or feature piece. Other three walls in a coordinating paint colour. The more common approach for bold florals and strong patterns.

Whole-room wallpaper — wallpaper on all four walls. Traditional approach; most effective with softer, less busy patterns (stripes, textured plains, smaller botanical prints). Can feel oppressive with heavy floral patterns across a whole small room.

Calculating how much wallpaper you need

Wallpaper is sold in rolls — typically 10m long by 52cm wide (5.2m² per roll before pattern-matching allowance).

To estimate rolls needed:

1. Measure the perimeter of the room in metres.
2. Multiply by the wall height in metres.
3. Subtract doors (typical 1.6m²) and large windows (typical 2–3m²).
4. Add 10–15% for pattern-matching waste.
5. Divide by 5.2 to get roll count.

A 4m x 5m bedroom with 2.4m walls, one standard door and one window, typically needs 5–6 rolls. Always round up — running out of wallpaper mid-project is worse than having a spare roll.

Pattern repeat — the thing that affects waste

Patterned wallpaper has a "pattern repeat" — the vertical distance before the pattern repeats. Larger pattern repeats mean more waste when matching strips:

Straight match (no offset) — adjacent strips align at the same point. Smallest waste. Most stripes and simple patterns.

Half-drop match — adjacent strips offset by half the pattern repeat. Standard on most Laura Ashley florals. Moderate waste.

Free match (random) — no specific alignment needed. Most textured plains. Minimal waste.

Product pages list the pattern repeat and match type. For heavy-pattern papers with large repeats, order 15–20% extra to account for matching.

Preparation and application

Wallpaper application is a skill — the finished result depends on preparation:

Walls must be smooth and clean — fill any holes, sand any lumps, wash any grease. Rough walls show through wallpaper immediately.

Previous wallpaper stripped — don't wallpaper over existing wallpaper. Strip fully and wash down the underlying plaster.

Sizing or lining paper — most hangers apply a "size" coat (diluted paste) to the walls first, sometimes followed by lining paper for a flatter finish under the decorative paper.

For full DIY wallpaper application, see the wallpaper accessories range — paste, brushes, smoothing tools and cutting equipment.

Frequently asked questions

Related categories

• Laura Ashley Murals — larger-scale decorative wall murals
• Wallpaper Accessories — paste, brushes and tools
• Laura Ashley Paint — coordinating paint range
• Laura Ashley Homewares — full brand range