Walls that Wow: The Art of Custom Wallpaper with Jennifer Lynn Knutson
by Elizabeth King
This article originally appeared in theWinter 2025-26 issue of Art with Altitude.
Wallpaper is having a moment—and it’s proving to be more than just a passing trend. From big-box stores to boutique home-furnishing shops, designs now range across every imaginable color, pattern, and texture. Both amateur decorators and professional designers are embracing wallpaper’s versatility to make bold statements in their spaces. Among them is Jennifer Lynn Knutson, a Steamboat Springs—based home décor artist who uses wallpaper to transform her clients’ rooms into personalized works of art.
Through her company, Custom Walls of Colorado, Jennifer has been creating one-of-a-kind interiors for several years, incorporating wallpaper installation into her repertoire. “When the wall enhances the design or is central to the design, it’s really rewarding,” she says, explaining that she focuses on the overall elements of design in a room rather than just the furnishings.
The most challenging part of her work, Jennifer admits, is when she can’t quite capture exactly what a client envisions. Her solution? Custom wallpaper. Formerly a muralist, she has shifted from painting directly on walls to designing digitally printed wallpaper. “It’s easier to install and uninstall than it used to be,” she explains. Depending on the project, she creates either repeating-pattern papers or large-scale wall murals that are printed and cut into rolls for seamless installation.
Before creating a custom piece, Jennifer combs through available pre-made options to ensure nothing already fits the vision. When she decides to go custom, she begins the process with traditional media—sketching and painting by hand. Having worked with various artistic techniques and materials throughout her life, this stage comes naturally.
Recently, Jennifer designed a space that called for an aspen bark pattern. While tree-bark wallpapers are common, most feature birch rather than aspen, so she returned to the drawing board—literally. Using paint and paper, she developed a series of bark-inspired brushstrokes that captured the unique texture she sought.
Once satisfied with her hand-painted design, Jennifer moves into Photoshop to refine and manipulate the image—adjusting backgrounds, shifting colors, and experimenting with composition. After creating multiple versions, she collaborates with her client to choose the one. Then she partners with trusted vendors to print the design on materials of the appropriate texture and weight for the space. When the final rolls arrive, installation begins, and the room’s transformation comes to life.
Elevate the Arts: Want to transform your own space? Jennifer suggests starting small: “Begin with a color change—you’ll be amazed how much impact it can have.” Choose a focal point that reflects your personality, then build the room around it. To see more of Jennifer’s work or connect with her directly, visit customwallsofcolorado.com EK
