How to Choose Wallpaper for a Nursery or Child's Room
Which paper to use, when to decorate before a baby arrives, and how to choose a design that still looks right when they are five
Use our traditional 150gsm paper for a nursery that will stay as it is, or the removable paper if the room will change again in a couple of years. Decorate well before the baby arrives, at least a fortnight, and let the room dry and air properly with the door open and a window cracked during the day.
Which paper
Traditional, 150gsm. The usual choice. A fine, flat finish and easy to hang.
Heavy-grade, 300gsm. Worth considering for a toddler's or older child's room rather than a nursery, because it is vinyl-coated and copes with being wiped, which matters once the occupant is mobile and holding a pen.
Removable, 180gsm. For a rented home, or a room you know will be redecorated when they start school.
Timing
Decorate early rather than in the last fortnight. Wallpaper needs 24 to 48 hours to dry, and a freshly decorated room benefits from being aired for a while after that with the door open and a window on the latch during the day.
If the walls need painting out to a neutral base first, remember that paint should cure for thirty days before papering, so a nursery that needs a dark wall covering is a two-month plan, not a two-week one. Start earlier than feels necessary.
Choosing a design that lasts
The most common regret in a nursery is a design chosen for a newborn and outgrown by a three-year-old.
Choose the room, not the age. A botanical, a meadow, birds, a fine stripe: these read as a beautiful room at every age, where a cartoon reads as a baby's room for eighteen months.
Think about the view from the cot. The wall opposite is what they will look at most.
Consider papering one wall rather than four. A nursery is a small room and it takes very little to change it.
Colour is where to be brave, not scale. Any of our designs can be recoloured to something soft, warm or deep to suit the room's light.
Practicalities
Keep the cot away from the papered wall once the baby can reach. A picked-at seam is the commonest damage in a child's room.
Keep an offcut. More important in this room than any other.
Plan fixings before you paper. Shelves, a monitor, blackout blind brackets.
Check the radiator wall. Nursery radiators run more than most, so paper behind them carefully and keep the heating off while it dries.
Papering a room that already has furniture in it
Move everything out if you can. If the cot is already built and cannot be dismantled, move it to the centre of the room, cover it completely, and vacuum the room thoroughly afterwards, because sanding dust settles everywhere, and a covered cot is easier than a cleaned one.
What is the best wallpaper for a nursery?
Our traditional 150gsm paper for a room that will stay as it is; heavy-grade for a toddler's room that will need wiping; removable for a rental or a room that will change soon.
How far in advance should I decorate a nursery?
At least a fortnight, and longer if walls need painting first, because new paint should cure for thirty days before papering.
Should I paper one wall or the whole room?
One wall is usually enough in a room this size, and it is the least expensive way to change it completely.
Will it survive a toddler?
Heavy-grade will take more. Whatever you choose, keep an offcut, because a patch repair is invisible and takes twenty minutes.
What design should I choose?
Something that suits the room rather than the age, so it still looks right when they are five.
Can I wallpaper a rented nursery?
With your landlord's agreement, using the removable paper.
This wallpaper is just gorgeous! I used the one that requires glue and it was super easy to i stall. One roll was enough for a 6’ wide laundry closet with 7’5” ceilings. Even on our orange peel walls it set beautifully. I did this behind our new washer dryer set up in our laundry closet with white oak cabinets and it’s perfect! Highly recommend!
Truly love this wallpaper. Looks amazing in both our bathroom (the original project) and as an accent in the back of a cabinet (what we did with the extra). Everyone who sees it comments on how classy and beautiful it is. For these reasons five stars!
However I do want to call out two concerns:
1. The online "calculator" on the site recommend nine roles, which seemed excessive for our less than 100 sq ft bathroom. I even reached out to support to double check and they said to go by the calculator. I'm glad I didn't because I ended up ordering five roles and only needing 4. I will say returning the 5th role was a pretty smooth process, so kudus to Claret and Key for that.
2. Strangely the "autumn" color with pale nutmeg background reads more green than brown in certain light. With bright overhead light it comes across as the soft brown we intended, but in natural light it reads much more green. Not anything to terrible just unexpected.
Beautiful paper! Our decorator commented on its quality and how nice and easy it was to work with compared to other wallpaper he had used in the past. Thank you.
So in love with this wallpaper. We wanted a cosy cottage bedroom vibe so we chose the Eloise. It’s such a pretty design that completely transformed the space. The wallpaper is such great quality .We have very uneven walls but didn’t have any issues. Hanging it was a joy. Highly recommend.
We used Blanche to paper some built in wardrobes that double up as room dividers. It was brilliant to be able to sample several background colour options and we are delighted with the finished result
Thank you. Fabulous Wallpaper.
Great quality paper and easy to hang.
The design is so rich in colour and adds such decadence to my dressing area. Now for the finishing touches.
Poor customer service - rolls are only available as one off 10m runs, so if you need 11m.. unfortunately you’ll be paying double for a second roll! Unless your walls are 8m or less, I’d avoid. Wrongly assumed Claret & Key would be slightly more compassionate about the situation and even help with a slightly discounted second roll, considering we only needed 1m. How wrong we were!
Store owner replied:
Hi Emily,
I'm sorry to hear that you are disappointed with the service.
We sell our wallpaper by the roll, and we are unable to manufacture shorter rolls. This will be the same for most manufacturers as 10m rolls are standard, and most rooms require more than 1 roll to complete the job.
Thanks,
Claret & Key
I really loved this paper and thought it would look nice in my attic space. Delighted with the end result. Great service, excellent quality of paper and it really transforms the room. The eves are very low so the space was not utilised so making a feature with the wallpaper has created a cosy space to relax in. Thank you. M
Love this wallpaper. It’s just enough to show a statement but not so loud that it overpowers the space. Being able to pick the color is such a great thing also. You’re not stuck with 5 options so it can match your style and colors of your space. Would recommend to anyone looking for wallpaper. Very happy and my installer said its super easy to install this pattern.
This wallpaper is thick and sturdy. It’s very easy to work with and easy to apply. It was my first time hanging wallpaper and this paper was very forgiving. Great product!
