What wallpaper is best for a children's room?
There is no single criterion: some people prefer high-quality and wear-resistant materials, while for others the aesthetic component is more important. Try to combine the maximum of preferred criteria in the material for the walls - and you will get a nursery that will not be perceived negatively and will become cozy for a child of any age.
Modern wallpaper for the nursery
In the recent past, the only option for changing tired or broken wall coverings was to re-glue wallpaper. After all, you cannot paint or simply wash unprotected paper materials.
With the introduction of new production technologies, photo wallpapers, vinyl, non-woven, acrylic coatings burst into design. Their composition has become more universal:
- Increased wear resistance and anti-vandalism;
- Denser and thicker canvases better cover small irregularities on the walls;
- The mass remained relatively small;
- Such coatings collect less dust due to reduced magnetic properties;
- Reduced exposure to direct sunlight;
- Fire safety has improved;
- Water-repellent properties have improved.
Hygienic and practical
More modern materials have become much more practical compared to paper counterparts. There are few hunters who can use the latter in children's rooms, because paper sheets collect dust, and it is undesirable to wipe them with a damp cloth. In addition, their wear resistance is lower.
But today's analogues are inferior in terms of naturalness of materials. Many products contain acrylic, mica and glass inclusions. And these are not the safest substances.
Thus, popular vinyl and non-woven coatings contain polymers. Some models are available with a paper base, which has higher breathability. From an environmental point of view, it is approved more often.
A natural, but far from the most budget-friendly and practical wallpaper material is textiles. They are chosen mainly for living rooms, both because of the cost and because of the bright and rich designs.
Another eco-friendly option is cork. If the humidity in the nursery is low, it can be used. Otherwise, it is too favorable an environment for mold and mildew.
Liquid wallpaper is also suitable if it contains only silk and cellulose inclusions.
If you think about everything and summarize, it turns out that the best fit for a nursery is:
- Vinyl or non-woven fabric on a paper backing;
- Textiles (but they are expensive and impractical);
- Liquid wallpaper made of silk-cellulose filling.
Substrate
One of the characteristics by which vinyl wallpaper is classified is its backing. As you probably know, wallpaper consists of two layers of material, the bottom one is responsible for ease of gluing, and the top one is decorative.
The type of substrate is divided into:
What is the fundamental difference between these types of material? Everything is very simple, non-woven fabric is made by mixing cellulose with fabric fibers; in fact, it is the same paper, but reinforced with durable fabric fibers. Fabric fibers can be either natural or artificial, depending on the need to strengthen the interlining.
Wallpaper with floral monograms in the bedroom
The non-woven backing is strong and reliable and does not absorb moisture, so the process of wallpapering is greatly simplified. Vinyl wallpaper on a non-woven backing does not need to be smeared with glue; the glue is applied exclusively to the wall, while gluing vinyl wallpaper on a paper base occurs the other way around.
The application of glue to the paper base must be carefully controlled; it is necessary to achieve saturation, but not soaking. If you leave glue on the wallpaper too long, then when you glue it, it will stretch and even tear, and as it dries, it will shrink. This paper effect will not give you the opportunity to make invisible joints; they will simply fall apart.
Luxurious bedroom decoration, vinyl wallpaper in combination with a floral photo panel
Both types of substrates are impregnated with special antifungal solutions; this is necessary to create a positive microclimate under the wallpaper. With one base or another, vinyl wallpaper still remains clean and safe and can be used to cover a bedroom.
Recommendation: if you are moving into a newly built house and are renovating the rooms, you better take a closer look at non-woven vinyl, as such wallpaper hides a greater number of wall defects.
In addition, given the fact that the house will continue to shrink for some time, gluing wide, thick wallpaper is simply necessary. Of course, they won’t hold the walls, but they will help get rid of many problems with them.
Stylish interior of a very small bedroom
Colors and lighting
When choosing a design for an adult bedroom, we can darken the background a little. But for a children's room this is not the best option.
Therefore, the wallpaper in this room can be:
- Light shades;
- Pastel and slightly muted tonality;
- With not too abundant details and bright accents.
Modern designers do not recommend using 3D models. They stand out for their brightness and activity, unnecessarily overloading the child’s psyche.
Too bright a color in a children's permanent space is also not good. If you have a choice between muted and rich shades, give preference to the first.
Pastel shades will be much more appropriate in the bedroom of both a boy and a girl. Most often chosen shades:
- Beige or sand;
- Mint color;
- Muted peach;
- Sky blue.
Light gray is also often used. At first glance, it may seem too dull, but, in fact, it creates a neutral, light background that matches a variety of decor and design. This is especially true for children's rooms on the sunny side.
In general, a harmonizing rule applies to any premises. If there is little light in the room and the side is north, the color of the walls should be warmer and sunnier. If, on the contrary, the illumination is high, you can choose a cooler shade for the walls.
Design techniques
Decorating a children's room promises many surprises. The good news is that by now there are multiple answers to every question, thanks to inventive and creative designers.
If you have to glue wallpaper in a children's room for children of different sexes, you will first have to zone the room, and only then decide on the palette. The latter can be peaceful (green plus blue) or mixed (used mainly when placing two beds along opposite walls). If the beds are surrounded by a partition, then it is recommended to cover one wall with wallpaper with multi-colored vertical stripes, and the second with a single-color analogue.
Wall areas adjacent to the bed get dirty quickly. To prevent premature wear, it is recommended to move the bed 10-15 cm away from the walls.
Horizontal stripes on wallpaper visually expand the space, vertical stripes make it larger, checkered stripes hide defects in the walls and generally diffuse attention.
Wallpaper for children's rooms in Leroy Merlin is especially popular. The fact is that the corresponding collection indulges in original solutions - coloring, geometry, abstraction, cartoons. Moreover, each plot does not load the background, but, on the contrary, complements it with a bright or contrasting palette. The composition of Leroy Merlin wallpaper is also excellent - hygienic, unpretentious, durable.
If the budget for renovating a nursery is unlimited, then the area adjacent to the children’s bed can be covered with textile wallpaper. They will protect the child from freezing and also prevent the spread of noise from the next room. The most affordable fabric wallpapers are those based on synthetics (it is better to buy viscose), the expensive ones are based on silk, linen, and jacquard.
Room size, zoning, wallpaper design
For the most part, the size of children's rooms is very small, not exceeding 10 m2. But even a very spacious room can be easily destroyed by ineptly using:
- Background colors are too dark;
- Wallpaper with a bright print and a variety of large details.
Whatever the size of the children's room, neutral and calm light shades will look much more appropriate.
If you want to make an accent wall, then it would be quite appropriate in the sitting area or above the bed. For example, a panorama of the starry sky in the sleeping area or, conversely, a looped three-dimensional drawing where the child is playing.
Bright details should definitely be avoided in a student’s room, because they will interfere with concentration on lessons.
Variety of choices
Children's wallpaper can be purchased ready-made or made to order. The following are chosen as a source of inspiration:
- Famous landscapes of Shishkin, Levitan, Kuindzhi or their collages,
- Wrappers from famous candies - “Bear in the North”, “Mask”, etc.,
- Heroes of fairy tales and cartoons - Spider-Man, Harry Potter, etc.,
- Children’s favorite places and means of transportation are mountains and waterfalls, bicycles and hot air balloons,
- Unusual textures - plush, felt, cobblestones, drops on glass).
Photo wallpapers depicting dolphins in the water, a fountain with splashes, seagulls soaring in the sky or pink flamingos look impressive and evoke wonderful dreams of distant countries and travel.
Wallpaper for girls
Although the vast majority of the assortment in this niche is pink, you certainly shouldn’t limit yourself and your child. To prevent your eyes from getting blurry from this sweetness, you can add another shade to the walls, for example:
- Mint;
- Powdery;
- Heavenly;
- Blue;
- Dark green.
It can be presented both in patterns and details (a poster on the wall), and as a full-fledged companion (a wall painted in a different color in accordance with the arrangement of furniture).
Neutral and light colors will be an excellent backdrop for a variety of accessories, which will be plentiful in a girl’s bedroom.
A younger child will love the motifs with painted flowers. A teenage girl will appreciate a naturalistic floral design more.
Wallpaper for boy
A real find for boys' bedrooms is two-color wall covering. Since it is better to choose neutral shades, in one color they will look boring and undynamic.
Therefore, there are 2 main options:
- Wallpaper of two different colors on different walls;
- A neutral background with brighter stripes on one or two walls, with a calm shade on the others.
At preschool age, calm cartoon or fairy-tale stories are appropriate.
It should be remembered that the main qualities of a boy’s room are wear resistance and vandal-proof materials.
Guided by environmental friendliness, practicality and a pleasant appearance of wall coverings, you can create a special atmosphere in the nursery that will delight both you and the child for a long time.
Vinyl
Everything is clear with the backing, but the vinyl on the wallpaper can be different, so let’s roughly divide it by quality into the following groups:
Foamed vinyl has a soft structure and is the most affordable in cost. Wallpaper made from this material can be hung in any room, but it does not withstand moisture and mechanical stress very well.
Of course, they are much more durable than paper canvases, but their service life is limited by damage to their appearance. Such wallpaper will find its place in the bedroom; there is no industrial pollution, but, on the contrary, an atmosphere of freshness is in the air.
This wallpaper color is very popular; many well-known factories use it.
Hot stamping vinyl is the most durable, reliable, washable, and is made by heat pressing the material. Wallpaper embossed with a hot press is extremely wear-resistant, it is absolutely not afraid of moisture, and is washed using chemicals and brushes.
This material is a real find for kitchens and hallways; moreover, it does not absorb odors. The use of such vinyl on a non-woven base in the bedroom would be a completely suitable solution, especially since it comes in an endless number of colors and patterns; there will definitely be ones that you like.
It seems to us that the most sleepy version of wallpaper is silk-screen printing. By and large, this is also hot-stamping vinyl, but with the addition of pieces of fabric or individual fibers.
Silver silk-screen wallpaper in the bedroom
The introduction of individual fabric fibers into vinyl allows you to create masterpieces of textured patterns. This type of wallpaper vaguely resembles medieval tapestries. The only drawback of silk-screen vinyl wallpaper for the bedroom is the need to paste it onto perfectly flat walls.
Since the wallpaper is thin, even small defects will be visible through it. But for the main room of the apartment, which is the bedroom, it will not be difficult to create the perfect covering.
We will highlight vinyl wallpaper on fleece for painting separately. Such coverings are appropriate if you want to create coziness in the bedroom using plain walls with a slightly noticeable wallpaper texture.
Creating smooth, plain walls using paintable wallpaper
The non-woven fabric adheres perfectly to the wall, and the vinyl is ready for painting. After all the procedures, we get smooth, one-color walls with a certain texture. The texture will disappear as you repaint, but this will not happen soon.
Vinyl wallpaper for painting in the bedroom is not the easiest choice, but a successful one.
There is one more nuance regarding wallpaper made from PVC, and now we will talk about it.
Delicate bedroom interior in light blue tones
