How to Turn Your Living Room into a Jungle

When we think about bringing the outside in, we think of a tidy houseplant. A quietly wild little succulent, maybe, or a humble brag of a flashy branch—a fruit tree, even. (Did you notice I didn’t say “a fiddle leaf fig”?) But what if you could do that without needing to water something, or regretfully bury it in the compost when it’s dead and gone?

Chicago’s Lost Lake, a tiki bar and James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Bar Program, reminded me of the glories of tropical wallpaper. Bringing a little tiki inside your home is genius because of more than just the bright color, whimsy, or the statement it makes. It’s genius for what it signifies: tiki means oasis, it means island, it means escape. And isn’t that exactly what you want out of a living room, anyway?

For inspiration, here are a few more (exotic! jungle-themed!) wallpapers we love. We’d order a roll or two now—these designs have a way of making summer come faster.

Scared of making a whole wall into a jungle? Frame a square of it—or line a shelf with it.