The nursery series / 13
Boy nursery wallpaper ideas
For a boy's nursery, start with animals (Multicolor safari animals, Woodland nursery), an adventure theme (Pastel seamless dinosaur, Watercolor solar system, Toy car) or a quieter repeat (Stars, Teddy Bear Striped, Vintage Air Balloons). None of them is only for boys; they work for any baby. A 12-foot accent wall on an 8-foot ceiling takes five 108-inch panels, $600 for our kids' designs. Order a $15 sample of each finalist first.
1. Pick a theme that can grow.
Most searches for a boy’s nursery are searches for a theme: animals, dinosaurs, space or cars. A theme gives the room a story, and the right one is still worth looking at when your baby starts pointing and naming things.
- Soft first, bold later. A nursery theme in pastels or beige stays calm for a baby. You can add brighter bedding and art as your child grows.
- Paper one wall. Usually the crib wall. A theme on every wall is a lot for a small room.
- Match the furniture. Warm wood suits beige and sage; white furniture suits gray and pastels.
Every design here works for any baby, boy or girl. All of them come from our kids’ collections.
2. Safari and woodland animals.
Animals are the most common nursery theme, and these two take them in different directions. Our safari and animal nursery wallpaper page and our woodland and bunny nursery wallpaper page put more side by side.
- Multicolor safari animals: pastel lions, giraffes, crocodiles and other safari animals repeating on white. The liveliest pick here, with plenty to name later.
- Woodland nursery: woodland creatures gathered in leafy wreaths on a warm beige ground, for a storybook room with wood furniture.
3. Dinosaurs, planets and cars.
These carry a nursery into the toddler years, when the wall becomes something to talk about.
- Pastel seamless dinosaur: soft watercolor dinosaurs and hatchlings drifting among clouds in gentle pastels. Dinosaurs, kept calm enough for a baby.
- Watercolor solar system: smiling planets and stars in a loose watercolor solar system on warm gray.
- Toy car: cheerful little cars with sunny yellow accents on white. The brightest of the three.
For more on these themes as a child grows, see our dinosaur and space wallpaper guide.
4. Quieter picks: stars, stripes and balloons.
If you would rather keep the theme in the bedding and the books, these give the wall a gentle pattern instead:
- Stars: small gray stars scattered evenly across white. From across the room it reads as a light texture. Our star and moon nursery wallpaper page has more.
- Teddy Bear Striped: teddy bears on gentle beige stripes in a sage palette.
- Vintage Air Balloons: watercolor hot air balloons drifting among clouds in soft pink and beige, for an adventure theme with a softer palette.
Looking for florals, bunnies and rainbows? The girl nursery guide covers them. To choose by palette instead of theme, see the gender-neutral nursery guide, or the blue nursery guide for blue rooms, or the black and white nursery guide for monochrome.
5. Plan the wall and the panels.
Every kids’ design comes in 30-inch-wide panels in nine heights, priced $90 to $180 per panel. Divide the wall width by 30 and round up for the panel count. Add 4 inches to the wall height for trim and alignment, then choose the shortest panel height that covers it.
| Wall | Panels across | Panel height | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 ft wide, 8 ft high (108 × 96 in) | 108 ÷ 30 = 3.6, so 4 | 108 in | 4 × $120 = $480 |
| 12 ft wide, 8 ft high (144 × 96 in) | 144 ÷ 30 = 4.8, so 5 | 108 in | 5 × $120 = $600 |
Prices are before tax, with free US shipping. The nursery wallpaper calculator does the same math for your own wall. For measuring and timing the install before baby arrives, see the nursery wallpaper guide.
6. Start with a $15 sample.
A theme can look bolder on the wall than on a screen, so see the scale in your room before you order panels. Order a sample of each finalist from our samples page, or straight from a design: Multicolor safari animals sample, Woodland nursery sample, Pastel seamless dinosaur sample or Stars sample. Each is $15 with free US shipping.
Two packs, each three samples in one tap: animals, letters and dinosaurs, or three soft, sleepy repeats.
Calm nursery
Three soft, sleepy repeats to compare side by side in the nursery's own light.
- Bunny nursery
- Stars
- Moon and bunny nursery
3 × $15 = $45 · free US shipping
Playful safari
Animals, letters and dinosaurs: three designs with something to point at and name.
- Multicolor safari animals
- Animal alphabet
- Pastel seamless dinosaur
3 × $15 = $45 · free US shipping
More designs are on our kids’ page.
- Tape the samples on the crib wall, where the panels will go.
- Look at them from the crib and the doorway to judge the scale.
- Check them in the evening under the lamp you will use for night feeds.
Ordering your wall after the sample? Use code SAMPLE15 for $15 off orders of $300 or more (one use per customer).
Questions
What wallpaper works in a boy's nursery?
Animals and adventure themes are the usual starting points. Multicolor safari animals and Woodland nursery bring animals, Pastel seamless dinosaur, Watercolor solar system and Toy car bring something to name, and Stars, Teddy Bear Striped and Vintage Air Balloons keep the wall quieter.
Do these designs only work for a boy?
No. Every design here works for any baby. Safari animals, woodland creatures, dinosaurs, planets and stars are not blue or boyish in themselves; most of these come in pastels, beige, sage and gray. Choose by palette and by how much pattern you want to live with.
How many panels does a nursery accent wall take?
Divide the wall width in inches by 30 and round up. A 12-foot wall on an 8-foot ceiling takes five 108-inch panels at $120 each, $600 for our kids' designs. A 9-foot wall takes four, $480.