Kids' room wallpaper: choose beyond the toddler years

Wild and Free, Eggshell in a child's room
Wild and Free, Eggshell in a child's room

The crib will be replaced. Storage will probably grow, too, and today's play corner may become a spot for a desk. When we choose wallpaper for a child's room, we look at where the design can stay visible after the next change of furniture. You can choose something playful now while leaving room for a different setup in a few years.

Give a favorite design a wall where it can stay

An animal scene can become a lovely part of the room if your child enjoys spotting characters and details. Savannah Adventure is one of our most ordered wild animal designs. Animals, hot air balloons, and a softly painted landscape meet in sandy and green tones.

We'd give the image an uninterrupted wall where the characters you like have room to show. Think about where a larger bed might go. If the elephant or giraffe ends up behind the next headboard, part of the design's appeal will be hidden.

Try the wall's width and height in the preview on the product page. Compare the image with both today's furniture and the arrangement you might need later. A low bed leaves a different area visible than a tall storage cabinet.

A nature design leaves room for new interests

If you'd like toys, books, and pictures to change the room's character, the wallpaper can provide a more open backdrop. Meadow Grass has fine grass stems rising from the lower edge, with a more open area above. The warm beige background leaves room for different colors in the rest of the room.

Here, we'd pay particular attention to furniture height. A low bookcase can leave plenty of the grass visible, while taller storage may cover the details you want to see. Choose the wall for the area that will remain above and beside the furniture.

Let your child help choose when possible. Show a few distinctly different designs and talk about what they enjoy in the pictures. A current favorite animal can be just as good a reason to choose as a color you like yourself. It helps to know what matters to each of you.

Future furniture is worth thinking about, but the wallpaper should feel right today, too.

Keep the wallpaper and change the smaller things

A blanket, a few framed pictures, or a new desk lamp can change the room without redecorating the walls. Choose the wallpaper colors alongside the furniture that will stay for a while. Smaller things that are easier to replace can carry more of the passing favorites.

You can order a wallpaper sample, a small printed piece of wallpaper, to compare the colors with your floor and furniture at home. Look at it in daylight and with the room's lights on. Place it beside bedding or a storage bin you want to keep.

The samples for these murals show reduced images. They help you choose colors. Use the preview to judge how large the animals or grass stems will be on the wall and where they will sit.

Choose for the room you use now

Future furniture is worth thinking about, but the wallpaper should feel right today, too. You can't know what your child will enjoy in a few years. You can choose a good place for the image and colors that work with what you already have.

Take a photo from the doorway and one from your child's bed. Check what shows in both views. Choose the animal scene if you want the wall to have characters to discover. Choose a more open nature design if you'd rather let the room's belongings change its overall look over time.