Wallpaper - Cedar Rapids Iowa Skyline Purple & Gold

Created by Michael Tompsett, this skyline wallpaper captures the architectural profile of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in an expressive watercolor-inspired style. The design anchors the silhouette of downtown buildings and bridges along a crisp white background, blended with splatters, drips, and painterly washes of dark mulberry purple and warm ochre gold. We like how the horizontal cityscape silhouette grounds the lower half of the wall while leaving the upper portion open and luminous. Printed to your specific wall dimensions on PVC-free paper with a subtle paper structure, our mural wallpapers bring an artistic urban focal point into your interior.

In the room

We see this wallpaper working especially well in a living room or a dedicated home office where an architectural feature wall adds personality without overwhelming the space. Because the artwork places its visual weight along the horizontal skyline and dissolves downward into paint drips, it creates a grounded foundation behind low-profile furniture like a desk, credenza, or tailored sofa.

In a living room, giving the skyline a wide, uninterrupted wall allows the full breadth of the bridge and skyline silhouettes to stretch across the room naturally. The high contrast between the dark purple silhouette and the clean white upper background makes it particularly effective in rooms with balanced daylight, where the delicate splatter details and golden undertones remain sharp and distinct.

Styling it

The rich contrast between deep purple and warm gold gives this design a bold, contemporary feel that pairs naturally with clean lines and purposeful material choices.

To complement the graphic nature of the city silhouette, we suggest styling the surrounding space with furniture in warm wood tones, such as honey oak or walnut, which picks up the golden ochre washes in the skyline. For metal finishes, brushed brass or matte black fixtures echo the warmth of the print while reinforcing its clean architectural contours. Keeping large upholstered pieces in neutral, textured fabrics like off-white or charcoal helps keep the visual focus on the skyline artwork.

Colour combinations

The palette within the wallpaper centers around deep mulberry purple, warm ochre gold, and a clean off-white background.

When choosing paint colors for adjoining walls and trim, a soft warm white creates a clean, continuous flow that matches the open space above the skyline. If you want a moodier, more enveloping atmosphere in a home office or dining space, a deep plum or dark aubergine pulled from the densest shadows of the buildings creates a dramatic backdrop. For accent decor, textiles in mustard gold, toasted ochre, or slate gray will naturally tie the entire room together.

About our wallpaper

At Wallism, all our wallpapers are made-to-measure based on your exact wall dimensions. Customizing production to your wall size helps reduce unnecessary excess wallpaper during installation.

Our wallpapers are completely PVC-free and printed on paper featuring a subtle physical structure that adds depth to the printed artwork. Designed to be straightforward and simple to hang, our wall murals offer a practical way to transform your living spaces.