The nursery series / 08
Dinosaur and space wallpaper for kids' rooms
For a dinosaur room, Pastel seamless dinosaur works from the nursery through the preschool years. For space, Watercolor solar system suits toddlers to early school age, and Stars carries on into the big-kid years. Ocean life, Toy car, Vintage Air Balloons and the Fairytale map paintable design are nearby themes. A 12-foot wall on an 8-foot ceiling takes five 108-inch panels, $600 for our kids' designs. Order a $15 sample first.
1. Choose the theme by age.
Dinosaurs and space are two of the themes children ask for by name. The trick is choosing a version that suits the age they are now and still works a few years on.
- Nursery, 0 to 2. Soft colors and gentle shapes: pastel dinosaurs or balloons among clouds.
- Toddler and preschool, 2 to 5. Something to point at and name: dinosaurs, planets, fish and cars.
- Big kid, 6 and up. Designs that read as less babyish: planets, stars and a map they can color in.
Our kids’ room ideas by age cover every theme in our kids’ collections; this guide stays with dinosaurs, space and their neighbors.
2. Dinosaurs.
- Pastel seamless dinosaur: soft watercolor dinosaurs and hatchlings drifting among clouds in gentle pastels. Calm enough for a nursery, with dinosaurs a toddler will want to name.
Because the palette is soft, it pairs well with plain painted walls and wood furniture. Let toys and books bring in brighter colors as your child grows.
3. Space and stars.
- Watercolor solar system: smiling planets and stars in a loose watercolor solar system on warm gray. A friendly take on space for toddlers and early school years.
- Stars: small gray stars scattered evenly across white. From across the room it reads as a light texture, so it lasts long after the planets phase.
A space room can start with Watercolor solar system behind the bed and move to Stars when your child wants something quieter. For a baby, our star and moon nursery wallpaper page adds softer picks such as Moon and bunny nursery.
4. Ocean, cars, balloons and maps.
If the request is “adventure” rather than one theme, these sit comfortably next to dinosaurs and space:
- Ocean life: watercolor fish and sea plants in easy blues and greens.
- Toy car: cheerful little cars with sunny yellow accents on white.
- Vintage Air Balloons: watercolor hot air balloons drifting among clouds in soft pink and beige.
- Fairytale map paintable: a black-and-white fairytale map made to be colored in by little artists.
For a room built around the sea, see the ocean nursery wallpaper guide.
5. A theme without overdoing it.
A themed wall goes further when the rest of the room stays plain. Paper one wall, usually the one behind the bed, and keep the theme to a few small things elsewhere: a lamp, a book shelf, a rug.
- One papered wall. It changes the room most and keeps the project to a handful of panels.
- A lower wall. Papering only the bottom part of the wall with 48-inch panels keeps a busy design at a child’s eye level.
- A plan for the next stage. When the theme runs its course, our toddler room refresh guide explains how to change one wall without a redecorate.
6. Plan the wall.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 ft wide, 8 ft high (144 × 96 in) | 144 ÷ 30 = 4.8, so 5 | 108 in | 5 × $120 = $600 |
| 10 ft wide, lower 36 in (120 × 36 in) | 120 ÷ 30 = 4 | 48 in | 4 × $90 = $360 |
Prices are before tax, with free US shipping. The nursery wallpaper calculator does the same math for your own walls.
7. Start with a $15 sample.
A sample shows the scale of the motifs, which a screen cannot. Order one from our samples page, or straight from a design: Pastel seamless dinosaur sample, Watercolor solar system sample, Stars sample or Ocean life sample. Each is $15 with free US shipping.
- Tape the samples at your child’s eye level and at the height of the bed.
- Ask them which one they would name first. It is a good way to let them help choose.
- Look at the samples by daylight and by the bedside lamp.
Ordering your wall after the sample? Use code SAMPLE15 for $15 off orders of $300 or more (one use per customer).
Questions
What age is dinosaur wallpaper for?
Pastel seamless dinosaur uses soft watercolor dinosaurs and hatchlings among clouds in gentle pastels, so it suits a nursery as well as a toddler room, and its dinosaurs give a preschooler plenty to name.
Which space wallpaper suits an older kid?
Watercolor solar system shows smiling planets and stars on warm gray, a good fit from toddler years into early school. For a room that needs to grow further, Stars scatters small gray stars across white and reads as a light texture from across the room.
How many panels does a 12-foot kids' room wall take?
WallJoy panels are 30 inches wide, so a 12-foot (144-inch) wall takes 5 panels. On an 8-foot ceiling those are 108-inch panels at $120 each for our kids' designs, $600 before tax with free US shipping.