Wallpaper for Kids’ Rooms & Play Areas: Top Ideas, Tips & Tricks

In the Spotlight: Meanders

Kids’ bedrooms and playrooms are among the few places in the home where you can let your inner child be expressive.  Here, decor need not be confined by the rigors of a mature taste; it can revel in whimsy, allowing candy-bright hues, storybook forests, and cutesy furries to sweep the space. And what better way to lean into this fantasy world than by dressing up the walls in winsome wallpaper! Let it paint your kids’ space with color, pattern and story, lending your children the perfect space to learn, play, and grow. If you share this aspiration, stay with us, as we share our top tips to decorate kids’ bedrooms and play areas with well-considered wallpaper.

Swaddle the Room in Dainty Florals

In the Spotlight: Avarakta

Florals are naturally associated with children for their tenderness and endearing appeal. Walls wrapped in petals and fronds evoke summer’s glory and spring’s resplendence, turning your child’s room into a blissful and nurturing sanctuary.

Think soft, pastel-toned florals like Avarakta or Irtyu to keep the atmosphere airy and light, just like it is at springtide. Or, go for Guarda or Tea Joie, which carry stronger hints of color without being too stimulating. These are perfect for your little one’s bedroom as their mellow tones create the most calming ambiance, ideal for sleep.

When it comes to playrooms, we encourage you to go full throttle on color. Consider a wallpaper like Oakwood or Iquitos that brings a gush of energy, very much like the tiny tot who’ll be frolicking rambunctiously there.

Bring Energy and Movement with Geometrics

In the Spotlight: Vamizi

If you’re looking for a wallpaper that brings order, structure and dynamism, but on a playful note, turn to geometrics. Their neat lines, sharp angles and rhythmic movement can bring a tailored finish to a child’s bedroom and play area, grounding the colorful chaos of storybooks, Legos, and plushies all across. 

The key lies in choosing kid-friendly colors. Consider gingham Swanlike, striped Sea Holly, or chevron Vamizi. Their dainty hues work the magic, softening geometry’s rigidity and turning straight-lined beauty into something dainty, charming and nostalgic.

And if you’re ready for something more than pure geometry, consider Charta that interweaves tribal motifs or Quince that interpolates tropical botanics into its slender stripes. Or, turn to ikat stripes like Albi, whose feathered edges bring a whimsical touch, trading mathematical precision for organic silhouettes.

Set a Versatile Foundation for a Theme

In the Spotlight: Persimmon

When decorating a kids’ bedroom or play area around a theme, take care to future-proof the decor with a wise choice of wallpaper. Swapping a wall dressing is neither as easy nor as viable as updating furniture and smaller accessories. That’s why our collection intentionally shies away from age-specific prints like toons, fairies and animated characters. 

Instead, we offer and recommend patterns that will cater to a growing child’s taste without losing their appeal over time. All that needs to be done, then, when dressing a thematic kids’ bedroom, is to choose a wallpaper that will support the trope while being age-proof. 

For instance, in a pirates-themed bedroom, go for a navy blue striped wallpaper like Burnt Malt, which will look perfectly at home with seafare paraphernalia, as with the evolving themes going ahead. Or, consider Persimmon, whose parading leopards and antelopes set the base for an animal-themed play area. Or, use a modern chinoiserie like Claremont as the base for a jungle theme, encouraging your child to fantasize about a safari.  Note how all these wallpapers feel perfectly suited to an adult space, so, when your child’s taste evolves, and the room receives upgrades, the backdrop can stay constant, without feeling like a misfit. 

With a time-proofed wallpaper in place, you can quickly move from theme to theme without any inhibition about the wallpaper adapting to the new settings. And, should you move away from thematic decor altogether, and perhaps convert this room into an office or guest bedroom later, the wallpaper will still feel perfect for the space.

Ground the Chaos with Textural Prints

In the Spotlight: Capers

For all your love of pattern, sometimes all that kids’ rooms and play areas need are quiet backdrops, considering how they often turn untidy with toys and crayons strewn all around. But ‘quiet’ does not mean ‘boring’, and certainly not less-than-characterful. For such an intent, we recommend small-scale prints and delicate textures that set a demure backdrop—far better than plain walls, and not too overwhelming like large-scale prints.

Pink shibori-striped Damond, blue houndstooth Alvarium, and sage green lattice print Capers are a few examples from our collection of diminutive prints that lend depth to a room without overpowering the space. Even a bright red paisley like Travertine or a vibrant yellow floral like Surrender does not feel too dominating as the toned-down scale compensates for the boldness of the palette.

However, if you’re looking for something even milder, consider wallpapers like the herringbone textured Blown Away or the tweed check Gentle Tide that adds visual interest ever so subtly. They lend depth to the walls very gently, hitting that sweet spot between attention-grabber pattern play and one-note plain walls. With these hushed backdrops, a messy play area might feel a touch more easy on the eye, making them ideal especially if you’re aiming for a less stimulating environment for your child.

Shop Wallpapers for Your Kids’ Rooms and Playrooms from Spiffy Spools

In the Spotlight: Bargen

The little room that lends your child the first peek into a vast universe deserves every bit of toil and imagination when it comes to designing. And wallpapers help you set the tone for this very enjoyable journey, even before you bring in any furniture, bedding or toys. Whether you’re looking for floral treats, adorable forest themes, or rhythmic geometerics, there’s a wallpaper that’ll meet your vision. So, make the most of the wide range of choices available in our collection, and pick the wallpaper that will prepare the atmosphere—soft, soulful backdrops for night trips to dreamland, and vibrant, spirited themes for hours of frolic and fun.