One Option For Using The Leftover Floral Wall Mural
I’m still working on finishing up the changes that I’m making in the living room and entryway now that the new floral wall mural is up on the entryway wall. The changes I’m making in the living room are minor. I’m relocating the bird pictures that used to be on the entryway wall to another wall in the living room, and then I need to finish up the repairs on the wall mural where I had cut the holes for the wall sconce wires. And finally, I still need to decide on table lamps. I’ve been searching, but so far, I haven’t made a decision.
In the meantime, I’ve been wondering if there’s a spot where I can use the rest of the mural in the house. The options are pretty limited, and in fact, I can only think of one spot where they’ll work.
To review, the mural I bought is about 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall. It’s this Paradise Tropical Floral wall mural from Anthropologie (affiliate link). I bought it a while back when it was on sale, and at the time, I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I knew I wanted it. 😀
I used the bulk of it on the entryway wall. I absolutely love how this transformed this wall in the living room, and I’m still working through all of the details of how I want to finish up this wall. All of the items on top of the console table are just stand ins so that I could play around with different arrangements.
But I’m left with just under seven feet of this mural that didn’t fit on this wall. This is the portion that was left over. I know it doesn’t seem like it’s almost seven feet wide from this picture, but that’s because the mural is 10 feet high. But each section is 27 inches wide, and I have three whole sections left over.
The whole thing is so pretty, so I really don’t want this to go to waste. I’d love to find a place to use it. The problem is that I’ve run out of wall space. I’ve just finished up our master bedroom suite, so obviously there’s no space in there for a wall mural. There’s no space in the music room or living room for it. The kitchen is out of the question. And my studio is all finished, and even if I had wall space for it in the studio, it doesn’t go with the decor anyway.
The only room where this mural could go is in our breakfast room. That room is set up as a sitting room for now, but I do want to change it back to a breakfast room (really, a dining room) in the very near future. But for now, it looks like this…kind of.
I say “kind of” because over the last year, I’ve poached a lot of items from this room to use in other areas of the house. The curtains are now in my walk-in closet. One of the benches and a couple of the pillows are in our bedroom suite foyer. The “fruit of the spirit” artwork is now in my walk-in closet. So this room is now in need of a makeover, and this makeover was on my list of House Goals for 2026.
One option is to use the leftover mural in two sections and frame them to flank the pantry doors. I don’t have enough to cover the entire wall, but if I use it in two sections inside picture frame molding, I have enough for that. Each wall section is 53 inches wide, and I have enough mural to cover 40.5 inches on each side of the pantry door. I could apply the mural directly to the wall like wallpaper, or I could use them as framed artwork that hangs on the wall. Right now, the only things left on these walls now are the two black sconces, but I plan to take those down.
The only problem is that I don’t love the mural with the tile in the pantry. But I’ve been thinking about replacing that tile anyway, so I won’t let that tile stop me from doing what I want to do in the breakfast room.
Another option is that I could use it on the bigger wall in the breakfast room. Of course, that would mean taking down my picture ledge shelves.
It would need to be inside picture frame molding on this wall as well because this wall is 98 inches wide, and I only have 81 inches of mural left over.
I’m still thinking through it. Obviously, I haven’t decided on anything yet. And maybe it’s too much to have the mural on the entryway wall, and then more mural in the breakfast room. You can tell me what you think. Is it too much? I just hate to lose almost seven feet of this gorgeous mural. And since I’ve poached so much from the breakfast room to use elsewhere in the house, I’ll basically be starting over in the breakfast room anyway.
I don’t know when I’ll actually start on the breakfast room, but it’s on my list for this year, so I do spend a lot of time thinking about it and making plans. I’ve been at a complete loss for what to do on those walls flanking the pantry doors. I’ve thought about adding full-wall storage, but I really don’t need it. I’ve thought about using narrow matching buffets on either side with artwork above, but again, I don’t really want or need to add more storage, so I think that would just look busy and make the room feel smaller. I kind of like the idea of adding the mural framed as artwork, and then using that area for extra dining chairs or something like that.
But again, before I get too far into this line of thinking, you can let me know if you think adding more of this wall mural is too much. I don’t want it to go to waste, but at the same time, I don’t want to use it if it will feel like I added it just because I couldn’t bring myself to let it go. I can’t decide if it will make the rooms look cohesive, or if it will look like I just had scraps that I wanted to use. 😀
UPDATE: That small image of the leftover wall mural really doesn’t do it justice. It looks really narrow and washed out. So I unrolled the pieces on my studio worktables and took pictures of the actual mural so you could get a better idea of the size and the colors. It’s not only big, but it’s actually quite colorful as well. Here are a few pictures of the actual thing so you can get a better idea of the size and colors. For scale, my worktables are 10 feet wide, and the mural wall in my studio is 19.5 feet wide.
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Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Use the leftover mural in your temporary gym — perhaps mounted on a board you can move later OR use it in your shed to bring some pretty into a tool workshop.
What about using it in the bathroom you’re planning to add? I think it would be too close in the breakfast room.
Save it, don’t install it. When you get to the addition it will speak to you then. It feels like a stretch kinda like how you framed the grass cloth in the living room for a period
I like the idea of the mural reappearing in your house in a frame – it’s coherent and still different enough to be interesting. To me, the best place would be next to the pantry door, but I cannot really imagine how to cut the remaining part of the mural so that it looks like two equally important/beautiful pieces. If you manage that decision, that would be my favourite solution! Otherwise I would go for a big portion of it in one picture frame behind the telly in the breakfast room.
I think it would look really nice on either side of the pantry doors, and I don’t think it’s too much because it isn’t in the line of sight of the entry way. You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose by trying it!
Can you save it for use in the future add on rooms…are there still plans for a powder room or workout room in the back addition? I hate the idea of destroying some of the areas that are SO nice just to use this last piece. I still love the pantry and the seating area.
What about using it in your current bathroom that you will be turning into storage. I know you like all areas of your home to be pretty. This would be a great way to pretty it up.
I love the mural but I don’t think I would like it cut up and hung inside a picture moulding in the breakfast/dining room. I think using the mural in two locations would diminish the value of the mural in the entryway. Sort of like having one antique vase is rare and exquisite but having 5 of them makes them less rare and valuable. I liked your ideas of some kind of cabinetry to match the kitchen flanking the pantry door and also the smaller chests/buffets. I was wondering if you have thought of painting the living room walls in the deep color of the mural background. You have a lot of windows so I don’t think it would be too dark in the room. It would be an entirely different look.
I would say save it. Although your house blends beautifully color wise, you have never ( to my recollection) repeated a look. I love this! Each room flows and each room has beautiful displays to look at. Perhaps you will be able to use the peices artistically later. Wait and you will find the perfect use for the excess.
Sheila F.
What about saving it to put in your new addition out the back?
What about using it in your eventual guest bedroom? I also think it would look great on either side of the pantry doors—it’s far enough away from the foyer but would be a great way to tie the areas together. It’s all beautiful!
It is beautiful, but I definitely think using it twice in different spots diminishes it. I do like the the idea of using one piece right by the front door (like to the right of it as you’re looking at it from the inside) if you could wrap the other side, but then you’d lose your interior windows between the music room and entry…and you’d obviously have to lose both sides of the interior windows otherwise it would be unbalanced.
Ok I am really confused and please don’t take this as criticism but has it been raining everyday in Waco? Last I knew you were going to tackle outside before it got too hot. Then you were back inside one day because of rain but then back inside putting up gorgeous wallpaper. Now you seem to be spending your time tying to use the wallpaper somewhere else. Can’t you just store it till you find a place you really love it to be. Also all the work you did on tiling your pantry now you are thinking about removing it again. I feel like your priorities are very confusing, to me anyway. I have been very sick lately so maybe its being bedridden that has put me in a negative mood. I’m sorry if I have upset you.
Would you have any different ideas for the mural if you turned it sideways and had a 10 foot width that was 7 feet high. You don’t have 10 foot ceilings, so keeping the orientation the same means that you will have to cut some off at the top or bottom anyway. To my eye, the mural doesn’t really have an “orientation” that needs to be preserved. It would look just as good turned sideways and would give you 3 more feet of width to work with.
Here’s my 5¢ worth ( inflation, you know😆)…
My first thought was exactly what you said; framed and flanking the entry to the pantry. Next is to roll it up and store it since you redecorate often. Lastly, would you be willing to sell it? It’s so beautiful and I don’t imagine anyone here would want you to ‘waste it’.
In the end, I think you should put it in storage and think about it.
If you list it and it’s sold, well there’s money in your pocket, so win-win.
I agree with others who have said to roll it up and wait. You might use it in the shed, or drawer liners, bookcase backs, etc. wait until after the remodel.
Workshop?
I would probably not use it in another public area. What about the ceiling in your storage area? Not sure of those dimensions but that could be fun.
Definitely don’t force it. The right place will appear. Or you could sell it.
Sorry, but I wouldn’t use the mural anywhere else. It will look like you’re finding a place for leftover paper, and having it elsewhere will lessen the impact of the entry wall (which is beautiful). Also, I LOVE the wall of shelves in the sitting room.
Rather than trying to figure out where to use it just because you really like it and have leftover, why not store it and wait for your new build. Is the pantry going away in the new build? If so, why would you make more work for yourself when you’ve said you think you need a bit of a break to either work outside or just make pretty crafty things?
I would not use the extra mural elsewhere in the house. Perhaps you could offer it for sale, or give it away.
If it can’t be used in the livingroom (above fireplace, door or another wall in livingroom) I would hold off on using it at this point. As noted from other comments, you don’t want to put it in another room, “just because”. Looks beautiful BTW 😊